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Ok, more spare time on my hand so another review for you all.

The Art Of Magic by T Nelson Downs (Book) ISBN 0 486 24005 3

http://www.whsmith.co.uk/whs/go.asp?isb ... fId=546330

The Effect
Over 300 pages of mainly card magic with a few other tricks as well. Brake down of parts;

Part One – Flourishes and fancy slights with cards including card fan, ruffle, one hand drop, cards from the mouth and more.

Part Two – Card tricks with unprepared cards and not requiring slight of hand including novel card discovery, transposed cards and more

Part Three, Four and Five – Card tricks involving slight of hand including comedy of errors, Houdini’s torn card and many more.

Part Six – Card tricks based on a new and original system of locating a chosen card including 6 methods of making a chosen card appear in any part of the deck and the ubiquitous cards.

Part Seven – Clairvoyance with cards including 3 methods.

Part Eight – A series of card tricks based on a new and original system including mind reading, transfixed card and more.

Part Nine – The rising cards including DeKolta’s method and more.

Part Ten – The four ace trick including 7 different methods.

Part Eleven – Card tricks with apparatus and other objects including card in flame and more

Part Twelve – Fancy flourishes with coins, useful slights and additions to the Miser’s dream including coin trough knee, traveling coin and more.

Part Thirteen and Fourteen – Coin tricks with and without apparatus including sympathetic coins, flying coin and more.

Part Fifteen – Tricks of the trade including hints and tips in the care and preparation of items.

Part Sixteen – Tricks with eggs including egg to confetti, eggs from the mouth and more.

Part Seventeen – Tricks with balls including novel passes, solid balls from hand to hand and more.

Part Eighteen – Miscellaneous tricks including vanishing knot, Jacoby rope tie and more.

Cost
£13.99

Difficulty
2 to 4, maybe even a 5 in a few parts

(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used, 4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

I say 2 through to 4 as the book includes a number of tricks and they range in level of ability needed.

Review
I would say this book is not an easy read it requires more concentration than other books I have.
I have used the book as a sort of course in magic going through a trick, leaving the book for a bit to master a trick (or at least try to master) and then gone back to it again and again.

The back of the book reads as follows…

“For magicians who have learned the basic slights of coins and card….The Art Of Magic can be recommended as an indispensable book for all intermediate and advanced magicians”

Overall
I give this book a 10 out of 10. I really like this book because I have had it for about 2 years and I am still working on some of the harder tricks in it. I believe it to be an ongoing course in magic not just a simple teaching book. I think it’s a book that you can keep as an ongoing reference book.