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Learn Sleights of Hand
Step-by-step instructions for sleight of hand tricks using cards, coins, balls, and other common items

Cost
Around £10 can be found on Amazon

Difficulty
Variable

Review
Now if you want a good idea of what magic is all about and wish to learn basic sleights applicable to most types of magic, GET this book.

Here is why you should:

- Great value for money at a tenner for more than 220 pages

- Many areas of magic are mentionned and you are bound to find something for you: cards, coins, silks, cigarettes and much more.

- Beautifully illustrated book with clear explanations and indication of required skill: the difficulty of the tricks are rated by stars (from 1 - easiest, to 3 - hardest) although I do not always agree on the ratings...

- Very good coverage overall and nice tips at the begining of the book and throughout.

- A must have for any keen magician and a great reference for all levels

Overall
This book, in my opinion, should be considered as a classic (such as Royal road to card magic, Mark Wilson's Complete course in Magic etc) as its simple yet very effective approach to magic, accompanied by clear illustrations, make it an enjoyable experience.

Also, I think this is a real bargain for all the information you get.

Both its content and its price make it a winner for me and that's why it gets a 9/10.

hmmm...sounds good...but does it cover stuff thats exposed all over the net and things like that or are these good moves...also is this....i dunt wanna say amateur but are these one of those books that contain those tricks everyone tryed as kids are are they good ones...a mention of the effects in there would be nice...like tenkai palm, and classic palm etc...

As I said, this book is on sleights more than on tricks although it does include tricks as well.

I would advise this both to beginners and assume more experienced magicians would already own it: it is a good reference covering DLs, palming, various fans, false shuffles, spreads, some gimmicks, various vanishes...

I conceed it does cover the basics but it is a great way to get an insight into the real world of magic and a nice starting point. (ie not a kiddie book)

Nairolf wrote:- A must have for any keen magician and a great reference for all levels

I would agree with this totally, a great book!

The beauty of this book is the illustrations.
Every page is jam-packed full of superbly detailed drawings.

Makes learning easy.....

I agree, this is a very good book.

As Nairolf has pointed out it does not only contain sleights, but also flourishes - if your show allows for juggling and showing off your skills (good in card/coin routines, not good in mental presentations IMHO) you will find those as well.

It does contain a few complete routines, but these are typically very advanced.

I don't think it is for absolute starters, though - there are no "self-working" tricks and even the simplest moves require several days to weeks of practice, but it is a treasure chest for anybody who wants to go beyond gimmicks.

This book I think is great for what you pay for. The illustrations are really great, and it shows you a wide range of tricks.

I got this book a few months ago, and I can say it's one of my favourites. Sleights are well explained in this book I found. Although it my be a little confusing if you are new to slieghts. If you don't have the book already, I vote get it, 15 USD isn't much to pay for a great book, magic or not.

I just wanted to point out that this book is a very good book for a newbie that want to try a few different kind of magic (coins, cards, balls, matches) before deciding to go deper into one kind of magic..
I also think that this is a good book to start out with, good illustrations and some easy tricks, I found it easier to understand Royal road when I hade red through this one.

this book is the business for sponge ball work at a beginner level...cigarette stuff is good too..little text as the drawings are so good..
IMHO a must for the beginners collection..enjoy