Even in the modern magic world, where a new effect is seemingly released every minute, there are few conjurors who can match the prolific output of one humble Scottish computer programmer:
Alex Elmsley.
For most of you reading, this man needs no further introduction. One of the first sleights taught to any aspiring card magician is, of course, the Elmsley count. But his body of work extends far beyond the sleight that bears his name. Over the course of his life, he published over 200 unique pieces of cutting-edge magic, spread across different publications and decades.
At some point before 1991, legendary magic author
Stephen Minch took on the herculean task of hunting down every last word that ever escaped Elmsley's pen. The result is
The Collected Works of Alex Elmsely. This colossal two-volume set spans nearly 1000 pages, giving you the most detailed insight into one of magic's most famous minds. And now, after years out of print, both volumes of
The Collected Works are back and more beautiful than ever. We've brought this classic release into the modern day, sharpening up old images and reprinting blurry text. There is no better way to experience some of magic's greatest triumphs than with this new edition of
The Collected Works of Alex Elmsely.
Highlights from Volume 2:
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Between Your Palms - Minch considers this to be Elmsley's second greatest contribution to card magic (after the Elmsley count). A card is placed between a spectator's hands without them seeing what it is. Three other spectators each select a card and one is signed. The cards are lost and the first two reappear in impossible places before also being put in the hands of the first spectator. Then the spectator is asked to open their hands. The signed card is revealed to have been the one placed in their hands at the start of the trick.
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Point of Departure - A card is chosen and sandwiched between the two black aces. All three cards are given to the spectator who made the selection. Despite his certain possession of the cards, his selection vanishes from between the aces-and is produced from the performer's pocket.
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Face Your Brothers - Three cards are removed from the pack by as many spectators. Each person is asked to relax and let his dormant clairvoyant faculty operate as he replaces his card face-up at a position of his own choosing in the deck. Each then removed from the pack his card and the card that faces it. When these adjacent cards re turned up each is seen to be the exact mate to the selection beneath it.
If we were to list everything that comes in this tome, we'd be here all day. Rest assured, this book comes with so much more. From sleights to insights to multi-phase routines. Even an entire chapter on the mathematical implications of the faro shuffle.
No matter how you approach magic, there will be parts of these books that appeal to you in a visceral way. Learn firsthand what made Alex one of this artform's finest minds.
