talkmagic.co.uk

Authors: Jean Hugard + Frederick Braué
Price: Depending on retailer, between £8-11

I know a lot of fellow magicians who spend endless amounts of money on gimicked cards, which get used for a while but then get thrown to one side. This book takes the reader from the basics right through to the more advanced techniques involved in card magic, in a step by step guide. Once mastered the techniques taught in this book will allow even beginners in card magic to perform the most complex card tricks. Thus eliminating the need to splash out on expensive card tricks.

This book teaches techniques such as 'The Pass', 'Reverses', 'The back slip' and many many more.

The book is presented in a sectioned format. At the end of each section the reader is presented with several routines to perform using the techniques taught in that section.= and once that has been done the reader is then ready to move on to the next section.

I know this is a tried and tested format in teaching card or any kind of magic but this is truely the best card magic book I have come across and for the price it must be worth a look.

Although this is a great book, i did find a few things that could be improved.

I have always believed in the saying:
"a picture paints a thousand words"

I believe that this book, could have done with a few more illustrations, or just an improvement on the current ones.

I would recommend that anyone buying this book, should either first borrow someone elses, if you like, great buy it. Secondly, if you have bought it then buy a video on basic card handeling, so you may take what you have learnt from the book and associate it to the video.

I would give this book 7/10 (would have been a 9 if the drawings were more descriptive)

I think that the Roayal Road is the bet path to take if you want to become an established car magician. Yeah, Card College and the likes are good, but as far as value for money goes this is the best of the best. Its the best overall book on cards I've come across and its become my Bible. Point taken though, the drawings are a bit dodgey.

I have to disagree, the first book I bought on this subject was another by Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue? called Expert card technique.
It was my bible for many years until I thought about buying other books. It is probably because I have used 'Expert' first that I find Royal Road a bit slow with fewer illustrations.
I recommend Expert to the aspiring card magician and more established manipulators.

Nik

Royal road to card magic is one of the finest card books i have

i was wondering if any one knew where i can get this book in e-book form, can anyone help?

Magician - please do not take this the wrong way but why don't you pop over to the introductns area and introduce yourself.

Adding one liner posts to all the books and effects you have or wish to have isn't actually very productive to this forum. On the whole we try and avoid posting one line messages unless there is really something quite interesting or informative to say, after all we have 100's of members (1000's?) and if we all added a line saying

"Yes - I really like that book"

it would pretty soon drive everyone away as no one would bother to plough through the 1000's of messages.

Please don't take this the wrong way - as I hope that you will still prove to be a uesful member to the forum, but posting all these messages isn't actually doing you any favours.

Simon

Totally agree with bananafish, your 1 line posts are not relevant at all and there is no point trying to get as many posts in as you can as it won't grant you access to any special section (I think )

I did'nt want to say that before a mod did but it was getting irritating.

As bananafish said, don't take this the wrong way... but I am sure other members will agree. If you do buy one of the books, you can post your personal opinion rather than just saying you might buy it !!!

Like many people "the royal road" was one of the first books I bought. I read it and did some of the effects and exercises and than put it aside thinking, "well thats all well and good, but who falls for this stuff, its very old hat" That was about 5 years ago and over time I have realised that actually, whilst I rarely (if ever) perform the effects in the book, the techniques and slights have provided a very useful base for other "more exciting" tricks. There are often times when I read the handling of a trick in lecture notes or in the paket I have just bought and I think "wow thats a bit complicated" and suddenly a simple royal road move will spring to mind, allowing access to the more difficult routine.

Buy this book, read it and practice the moves (via the effects if neccesary). You may outgrow the tricks but you will never outgrow the moves and slights!

I've heard many people complain about tricks in the RRTCM, all of them being mainly the beginners. The more advanced magicians, on the other hand, always praise the book. The thing is there are no bad tricks (well almost no), it is only a bad presentation that makes a trick not convincing. Some of the biggest reactions I've got from people were from very simple, self-working tricks. I guess it was because I was totally relaxed not having to use any sleights and could completely concentrate on the presentation.

And of course, RRTCM is a great book as it has all the beginner needs. Even after reading the first chapter (and mastering the techniques, of course), you can start doing dozens of tricks that are not even described in the book. Just use your imagination. I've come up with tricks of my own. They may not be truly original (as I realised later), but the thing is you don't have to copy the tricks from the book. You learn a sleight, think up as many ways to use it as possible.

el topo wrote:I've heard many people complain about tricks in the RRTCM, all of them being mainly the beginners. The more advanced magicians, on the other hand, always praise the book. The thing is there are no bad tricks (well almost no), it is only a bad presentation that makes a trick not convincing.

That maybe true, but some things do age. For example producing coins and cards from behind the knee just doesn't cut it anymore. It may come back into fashionbut for the moment any tricks which describe this method require rethinking slightly.

Actually, I think I may be agreeing with you now, as the more experience you are the more easily you come up with new alternatives to the dated effects as the things that date are the presentations (or at least presentational ideas) not the methods.

I have to say that in this increasing visual age with the DVD in the ascendency and all that - books continue to increase in their sales and the fact is that I can use RRTCM and Tarbell on a train without any technological intervention.

Visual is good, but we shouldn't write off books, especially books like the Royal Road! Agreed, it's not the easist of reads and the illustrations are not as good as some of the cheapest books from such outlets as The Works (i.e Einhorn's 'Art of Magic' £5.99) but once read and mastered, because you haven't seen the video the actions become sometimes slightly modified and therefore become your own - real magic, not just aping the names.

Cool!

Vic

the illustrations are as good as some of the cheapest books from such outlets as The Works (i.e Einhorn's 'Art of Magic' £5.99)

I assume you mean "not as good"?

Oh and the Einhorn book is now £2.99 and if there are any left and you don't own one, you would be nuts not to get yourself a copy before they sell out.

Monsieur Toad,

Thanks for your comment regarding the typo, have duly amended text to include the missing 'not'.

I'd have to agree that at £2.99 the Einhorn not being on anyone's shelf would be tanatamount to sinning (and I should know - I'm a Church of England priest ).

Thanks,

Vic

I'd agree with all your comments.

RRTCM is a must as even if you don't read it, you can absorb the contents through the spine (do it all the time with my study books ).

This is a classic and is definitely worthy of a read at sometime - after all, the real pro's all refer to it as being important in their development somewhere.

Age isn't always a negative in books is it?

Thanks,

Vic