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 1:
- Flight to Witch Mountain - four queens are moved from the deck and dealt face-down into a row. Three more cards are placed onto each queen. Then, one by one, three queens mysteriously leave their piles to join the fourth
- Twister's Flush - a royal flush is taken from the deck, displayed and turned face-down. The performer makes a magical gesture, twisting the packet end for end, and shows that this has caused the ten to turn face up in the center.
- The Thumb Palm Addition - an interesting method of secretly adding cars to the top of the deck that Elmsley experimented with in the late 1950s.
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.
