Magic books are rarely found. The royal road to card magic pdf by Jean Hugard is one of those gems which is not found easily. As the title suggests, The royal road to card magic deals with card tricks.
THE ROYAL ROAD TO CARD MAGIC
Jean Hugard was an Australian magician who chose writing and to edit magic books after retirement, and he wrote about 30 books on magic, and this book is one of them. The book comprises twenty chapters each about different card techniques and tricks.
By having a glimpse at the content page, you can infer that book is all about the tricks and tips used in card magic. It is also mentioned in the preface what rules you must follow when learning or performing a trick. Moreover, this book allows you to perform hundreds of tricks. Above all, it is considered as the complete course for card tricks.
The royal road to card magic review
Card magic is fascinating and attracts viewers. All that is necessary for card magic is neatness of hand. More the tricks are practiced, more will be the accuracy in the trick.
Firstly, the author advises us to handle cards with neatness so that trick can be easily carried out. For this purpose, he uses illustrations because it will help people to learn quickly and easily. Subsequently, the book follows by the first chapter named the overhand shuffle, I.Overhandshuffling is a technique of transferring the deck of card from one hand to another. Because this is the most straightforward trick, therefore, it is first mentioned.
The chapter is further classified into subchapters TheOverhand Shuffle, Using the OverhandShuffle, Overhand Shuffle Control, Overhand Shuffle Practice Routine, and tricks with the Overhand Shuffle. Moreover, chapter Overhand shuffle is about the way to hold cards and what is the best way to shuffle them. The author has mentioned all regarding this trick so that one can be as good as possible in it.
Secondly, the other chapter states the techniques to do overhand shuffling. It tells Controlling the Top Card, Controlling the Bottom Card, Retaining the Top and Bottom Cards in Position, Top Card toNext to Bottom, and Back to the Top, The Run, The Injog, and The Undercut. Learning a certain technique of practicing is the perfect way to master it. Otherwise learning without practically doing it will be vain. When we get familiar with the techniques, the author writes methods or moves a person should follow when doing overhand shuffling.
Apart from just learning you will enjoy reading it when the tricks you were seeing reveals. Next, the author advises to practice so that we can become a perfectionist in our tricks, and finally, the schemes are listed with illustration and method of using them. Those tricks are Topsy-Turvy Cards, Poker Player’sPicnic, A Pocket Discovery, Telepathy Plus, Thought Stealer, Pinkie Does It, a card, and a Number. After reading the royal road to card magic pdf beginners will be able to perform hundreds of tricks.
The second chapter of the book deals with the next trick called TheRiffle Shuffle. Details of this chapter are just like the first one. Firstly, the introduction of the trick riffle shuffle, then its controls, shuffling in the air, and at last the tricks with riffle shuffle that is Aninstinct for cards, Mirror of the mind, and Ultra card divination.
Now move to the third chapter named flourishes. You can also call it artistry. The chapter is introduced by defining the term as Flourishesare certain movements with the cards which do not come under the heading of sleights since they are done openly. This chapter is all about the precision of tricks. You must master through the practice to become smart with your hands.
Glide is the next chapter. Glide is the substitution of one card with another without letting the audience know. It is an impressive trick for the audience. The primary actions of Glide are mentioned in the book step by step, along with the illustration. Tricks played by glide techniques are Design for Laughter and Observation Test. It lists all the methods used for performing these tricks and the technique’s foremost and most prominent tracks.
Chapter VI is about the vital card trick, which involves a volunteer from the audience. That volunteer will choose a card and put it back in the deck. Now you have to find that card after shuffling it in with other cards. This chapter is all about this technique, How to do it, and the tricks to confuse people.
Similarly, chapters The Palm, The Back slip follow the same details as the above chapters. These chapters mentioned above lay all under the technique of overhand shuffle, I. Now the author has mentioned the rest of the methods as the subchapters of overhead shuffle, II. It includes the second shuffle of the deck of cards and ways for it.
Chapter overhead shuffle II have more advanced tricks and the same as the previous chapter it is also divided into further chapters to give detailed information about the trick. Those are False Shuffles and Cuts, The Double Lift and Turnover, The Pass, Miscellaneous Flourishes, The Reverses, The Hindu Shuffle, and Other Controls, The Classic Force, Top and Bottom Changes, Arrangements, Routines, Platform Tricks.
All of these tricks are discussed in detail, just like the above chapters. The subchapters of each chapter describe the technique and method of the trick. Furthermore, they have mentioned the tricks to be performed using the methods. Thus, we can say that book The royal road to card magic is a complete package for card magic trick.
The royal road to card magic conclusion
It is recommended by many to have this book as your first magic book. Likewise, mastering tricks from this book will allow you to amuse the crowd. This book, The royal road to card magic, certainly deals with the tricks with a deck of cards. All tricks with detail and illustration are mentioned chapter wise. He died on August 14, 1959, after becoming handicap August 14, 1959on August 14, 1959ed after writing some books other than the royal road to card magic.