Nick Diffatte's first hardbound collection is not jam-packed with oodles of tricks. What fills its pages are deceptive, engaging, real-world routines devised and developed by one of the hardest-working, laugh-provoking, multi-talented performers

Whiplash is a hyper-visual utility gimmick that will let you vanish, transpose, and transform cards. Learn Josh Janousky's signature routine with the Whiplash gimmick: Whipped Across, his take on the cards across plot. Cards

Is magic an art? Magicians have been thinking about it in the wrong way for more than a century. If you feel that the question is merely academic, Brushstrokes explains the value for every magician, with examples from history and from current

Looks like an ordinary padlock, doesn't it? The difference is…it doesn't open for just anyone! Without the secret most people find themselves LOCKED OUT! Ingenious mechanism allows those "in the know" to instantly open the lock with no trouble

Any card is selected and is initialized on its back by the spectator. The card is shuffled back into the deck. Next, a blank-faced card with a hole in its center is shown and placed on top of the deck - the top card can be clearly seen

The spectator selects a card and writes the number and suit on a sugar envelope. The magician opens the envelope, pours the sugar on the spectator's forearm and the selected card appears written on the skin. It is the old and great "ashes on arm"