There are many accepted classic texts in card magic and this is almost certainly one of them.

I’ll now take this statement further and say that volume 2 has to be one of the 10 most important books on magic ever written. I have by no means read every magic book written, but I’ve seen enough to know quality when I see it. This, the second and final volume in Mr Elmsleys collected works, is quality and certainly deserves its place in my own personal top ten.

It differs from the first volume, not in its focus on card magic, but in the principles employed and again there will be something for everyone here. This volume should provide you with years of material and inspiration for your own work. As with the first volume the text is a collection of material submitted by Mr. Elmsley along with records and notes kept by his colleagues and close friends. Stephen Minch has done an expert job of selecting and describing the effects as well as providing observations that give you a real sense of what Mr. Elmsley was about.

Flourishes are a matter of style and personality. For me to make rules to govern another’s style would be impudence.
Alex Elmsley (1993)

Above is one of my favourite Elmsley quotes, and has become my default XCM defense. This is where this volume begins; with a small number of flourishes for card, coin and billiard ball. Next is a series of mentalism effects using a variety of methods and presentation styles. Some of these are very strong, and at the very least the principles outlined could be used in any number of effects.

The next two sections are a selection of card effects including Mr. Elmsleys classic Point of Departure, Diamon Cut Diamond, En Voyage and Between Your Palms among many others which you will recognise as the basis for many reworkings. The next section provides coin workers with a solid set of coin based effects including a very nice coin/card gimmick which is worth playing with.

The next section provides a massive selection of effects based on the faro shuffle as well as guidance on the sleight itself. From my other reading this is generally accepted as the best work on the faro shuffle currently in print, and you can see why. Having read this section you’ll want to get your decks out and start perfecting that faro.

The penultimate section takes you through the stay-stack which was independently invented by Mr Elmsley along with others. This provides a sequence of great effects based on this principle. As with the faro, I am not a great fan of deck stacks but you can’t help but be impressed with the scope of the effects that can be achieved. Bikes at the ready.

Finally, the reader is taken through a full description of Mr. Elmsleys Dazzle Act with which he toured the US in 1975. Dazzle by name and dazzle by nature. This is a lesson in routining and you can understand why most magicians of that time remember that lecture tour with great fondness.

Again despite the price of £34 this book is actually cost effective as it contains 103 effects. For the economically challenged thats just less than 34 pence an effect, and this is a strong collection from a deep magical thinker.

Stephen Minch has done an outstanding job of collecting together and presenting the thinking of Mr. Alex Elmsley. If you’ve moved on from beginner and actually want to start studying your art, I can’t think of a better place to start than both of these outstanding volumes. For those who are interested in buying this volume, can I advise to get it quickly as it is going out of print, and magicbooksbypost was the last place which had them in the UK.

Overall:
A classic must have text for card magicians.

this review was also published on the Talkmagic forum

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1. The Collected Works Of Alex Elmsley Vol 1. By Stephen Minch

Ideally you should get somebody else to do the critisism for you; preferably somebody whose job is theatrical direction or production. Failing that, find any ordinary human being. Failing a human being try a magician.
Alex Elmsley (1975)

The above quote is typical of Mr. Elmsley and is probably why I like his work so much. This quote comes from the first section of the book which covers magic theory and performance. Although short this section is a must read and I can’t help but think almost everyone will gain benefit from his “Automatic Producer”, a method for reviewing and improving your own performance.

The second section is of course a set of count based card effects including the ghost (elmsley), evergreen and nevergreen counts. Your introduced to the Ghost Count by way of the classic “Four Card Trick”, the granddaddy of most packet tricks around today. Despite its age (1954) its still a wonderful effect and its great to see it in print as taught by the originator. One thing that struck me while reading through the effects, was that despite their age they are very fresh. This is quality material that is usable today, not some stuffy historical reference. I know enough about magic to understand that nothing is new, but I was surprised just how fresh this work is.

The third section contains comments and variations on sleights. From shifts, to changes, to palming and even a pass. There should be something for everyone here. This isn’t where should learn these sleights from, but should introduce the reader to some interesting variations.

The fourth section contains effects that don’t use playing cards, cunningly titled “Minus Fifty Two”. A nice collection of effects including torn and restored newspaper and a full cups and balls routine (including Mr. Elmsleys unusual kicker). Since I’m a cardie at heart this wasn’t of immediate interest, but Stephen Minch has wrapped each effect with a commentary and historical perspective which is deeply engaging. Despite my initial lack of interest, this section was read from cover to cover.

The remaining five sections (half the book) return to card effects. You’ll find a treasure chest of routines and original thinking in here including Mr. Elmsleys take on classic effects like the Ace Assembly, Triumph, Cards Accross, Ambitious Card and many more. There are also many inspired original effects to be found.

Despite the price of £34 this book is actually cost effective as it contains 110 effects. For the economically challenged thats just less than 31 pence an effect, and this is a strong collection from a deep magical thinker. No filler here, or at least none I could find.

Stephen Minch has done an outstanding job of collecting together and presenting the thinking of Mr. Alex Elmsley. If you’ve moved on from beginner and actually want to start studying your art, I can’t think of a better place to start than this outstanding book.

Overall:
A classic must have text for magicians. If you think this review was full of praise, wait until you see the one for volume 2.

Effects: 9/10
Quality: 10/10
Value For Money: 10/10

NOTE: For those who are interested in buying this volume, can I advise that you also buy Vol. 2 at the same time as it is now out of print and getting increasingly difficult to get hold of.

this review was also published on the Talkmagic forum

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1. The Collected Works Of Alex Elmsley Vol 2. By Stephen Minch
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3. Cardboard Capers By Euan Mccall Bingham