So, many beginners always ask how to get started in learning magic. And the answer is to learn through books.
Many magicians believe that books are the best way to learn magic.
Yeah, in this age of youtube I am saying books are the best way to learn card magic.
So, you may think but there are so many books available in the market which to choose from.
Here, I can help you by giving the suggestion of a book from which every beginner should learn.
Let’s see the top 5 books for beginners to learn card magic
1. The Royal Road to card magic :
Your first magic book is always special, was the first book that I read. Many magicians suggest that this book is best for beginners starting with card magic.
And as I started reading this book I learned a lot. How learning a few tricks very well sets you apart as a magician.
If you are interested in learning card magic then surely you can’t miss this book. As this book was originally published in 1949 the language is not easy to understand.
But the teachings in it are very helpful. Hugard and Braue were the authorities in card magic. And their approach to teaching card magic is very compelling for beginners.
They teach you basic mechanics of card magic like a pinky break, and double lift and later teach you how you can use it to do 100 tricks. Which I think is one of the best approaches to learning anything in life.
2. Card college volume 1-5 :
If you are serious about card magic then definitely you should read card college volumes 1-5. I know it’s a long commitment to read 5 books when the average person reads 4 books a year. It’s hard work but if you are serious then you should go for this series of books.
The illustration is very good in this book which is the con of royal road card magic. So if you find it hard to understand from royal road to card magic I would suggest you first read this book.
You can practice as you read along the way. I would suggest you go slow in the beginning one volume every month is what I recommend. Because just reading won’t help, you should practice as well which is the key factor most beginners miss.
Go through Each volume and practice along the way and surely you will learn card magic.
3. Expert card technique :
Personally, this is my second favourite book after the royal road to card magic. But in this book more advanced flourishes and cuts are taught. This book can be useful for beginners as well but it is directed more towards intermediate magicians.
Step-by-step instructions make it easy to read and learn. It first teaches you basic manipulation and advanced flourishes then later magic tricks are taught. The instruction in this book is way easier and i think this book is very underrated.
Many magic tricks revealed were revealed for the first time in this book. And, many known tricks were taught with better variation as well.
This book includes:
- Self-working tricks
- One-handed tricks
- The rising card
- Zingone spread
- Four aces
This book can take your card magic journey to whole another level. This book provides proper instruction and guidance.
The author Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue explain basic manipulation in a simplified manner.
Basic manipulation taught in the book:
- The jog
- The reverse
- Palming
- Shuffle
- Lift
- False deals
- Pass
- Glimpse
- And many more
4. Joshua Jay’s Amazing Book of Cards:
Joshua Jay is an award-winning close-up magician. He is card obsessed and teaches 52 tricks in this book. The images and instructions make it easy to learn card magic.
He teaches show tricks and flourishes that engage the audience. This book comes with DVD instructions which help you to learn in detail. The online series of lively videos that demonstrate and teach 29 featured tricks and stunts, plus one bonus effect!
Tricks includes are:
- Ribbon spread and flip
- One-handed cut
- Catch a deck
- Faro shuffle
- The double bridge
- False cut
- Tearing a deck in half
- Memorizing a deck
- Fortune telling
5. Harry Lorayane – the magic book :
Harry Lorayne is the master of sleight of hand and memory cards. This book provides an excellent overview of the sleight of hand magic. Though this book is written for beginners the content is very comprehensive.
Harry has used easily to understand language simple to understand. Though this is not solely for card magic it contains a section for card magic as well.150 pages are dedicated to learning the basics of card magic.
This book contains card magic, coin magic, mentalism, and other miscellaneous magic topics.
The easy-to-understand explanation is the core of this book and why I recommend this book.
Harry Lorayane not only teaches magic tricks but also how to perform them. Magic is just not about the trick but also how you present and this is what this book teaches you.
Harry has written this book with a passion. He shares his journey as a magician from childhood which I know will help you improve. So, I highly recommend this book to any beginners who learn card above-mentioned magic and sleight of hands.
Final Thought
Though, you can learn many tricks from the above-mentioned books. But always remember first master 1 trick until you can do it without thinking then move on to the next trick.
Try to allocate 90 mins per day to practice and implement what have you learned from the book. Remember you may just go on watching youtube videos of other magicians or read multiple blogs. But the most important thing is practice.
When you learn new magic tricks first show them to your friends and family multiple times to practice how to perform them. Learning a trick is one thing but performing is whole another skill.
What’s your favourite magic book ?. Tell me in the comment section.