What in your guy's opinion is the greatest card book of all time?

The Theory of Poker, by David Sklansky. Frank Stewart's "The Bridge Player's Comprehensive Guide to Defense" is very good, also.

Expert at the Card Table by By S.W. Erdnase.

Expert Card Technique - Hugard/Braue

Super System by Doyal Brunson

Can you narrow down your definition of "card book?"

Vernon's Inner, More Inner, & Further Inner Secrets of Card Magic by Ganson.
Marlo's Marlo in Spades.
Card College Series by Giobbi
Stars of Magic (not just cards)
Card Magic of LePaul
Magic of Matt Schulien
Sonata by Tamariz
Mnenomica also Tamariz

Card college, book 1.

Im also a fan of "play poker like the pros" by hellmouth.

ben train
p.s.
supersystem, by brunsons own account, is outdated. If you want to learn from brunson, get supersystem2.

Expert at the Card Table really doesn't have much competition.

It's also probably the only card book that's been discected word by word.

"Greater Magic" is not generally considered a "card book". THAT is a huge mistake. The original edition, over 1,000 pages, was 60% card magic! In fact, several versions of the material in "Greater Magic" have been issued. It was released in a single volume, in a two-volume edition (very limited), in a five-volume "library edition", and in an abbreviated form. The abbreviated text was 586 pages and was titled, "Hilliards Card Magic"! For a long time, this was THE "Card Book" I carried with me everywhere I went.

Consider the contributors: John Northern Hilliard himself, to start. (Let's remember, by the way, that Jean Hugard, the author of many excellent early card works, including with "Royal Road..." and ECT, was involved in the production of GM - as its editor!).

There is an entire section called "Card Stars of the USA". It includes Dai Vernon, S. Leo Horowitz, (Mohammed Bey), Ted Annemann, Al Baker, etc. Jack McMillen contributed several very fine items.

Ralph (R.W.) Hull described an excellent routine that constitutes an entire chapter and an entire act(!), called "The Tuned Deck". The chapters on the classics are excellent, including many methods for "The Rising Cards".

There are great chapters on trick decks, chapters on locator cards, information on stacked deck work. Slieght of hand in its many forms is covered extensively.

Other magicians represented include Liepzig, Cardini, and lesser known but no less important contributors like Bill McCaffrey, whose "Prize Winner" became a best-selling card trick in the Abbott Catalog under another magician's name.

How this material has been so overlooked is a puzzle to me, since it is an incredibly common book, in its many formats. there were somewhere in the nieghborhood of ten THOUSAND copies of the one-volume edition printed. With the library edition, which was actually "remaindered" in normal bookstores for $1.00 a volume (!), and the "Card Magic" edition, this book is one of the "most re-printed" magic books ever. It should be in every "Cardman's" library.

I would unhesitatingly vote "Greater Magic" as the "Number One" greatest card book ever made available to the general magic fraternity. Erdnase, my PERSONAL favorite, runs second, at least, because of its limited scope and appeal. In its area of speciality, it is, bar none, the best text ever written, but magically, "Greater Magic" is a "Greater Book"...

Best, PSC

For sheer volume, Paul's choice of Greater Magic makes good sense. It's really an extraordinary book.

My personal favorite: Dai Vernon's More Inner Secrets of Card Magic, written by Lewis Ganson:

Chapter One - Twisting the Aces
Chapter Two - Think of a Card (several methods)
Chapter Three - Oil and Water
Chapter Four - McDonald's $100 Routine (yes, it's the Ace routine)
Chapter Five - The Notis Cascade (one handed waterfall shuffle)
Chapter Six - Mainly Manipulation (including Cardini's card production)
Chapter Seven - Magic with the Riffle Shuffle (includes the Zarrow shuffle)
Chapter Eight - Crimps
Chapter Nine - Cards to Pocket
Chapter Ten - Forcing a Card
Chapter Eleven - The Trick That Cannot Be Explained
Chapter Twelve - Vernon Touches

87 pages. High signal. Very little noise. And enough good material for a good magician to build an entire act.

Highly recommended.

I'll second Greater Magic

I picked it up about a year ago for next to nothing at a charity shop (original version too I think, over 1000 pages WOW) and have barely put it down since. If you have a chance to own this book, get it!
My personal second would be the entire Card College Series.

MIKE

At the Card Table by Darwin Ortiz
Just my opinion..

I'll second the Ganson series of Vernon books. In fact, every single book on this thread is a most worthy selection. I would also add pretty much anything by Harry Lorayne, not to mention about a dozen (two dozen?) others I can think of at the moment. Choosing a best or favorite card book is like trying to choose a favorite song or movie or food or... Too much great stuff!!

Basics: Card College, Expert Card Technique
Classics: The Expert at the Card Table, books by Dai Vernon and Harry Lorayne
Personal Favorite: Anything by Darwin Ortiz

An overlooked classic is The Card Magic of LePaul - GREAT teachings on sleights and some extremely entertaining plots, too. Some of the BEST card work EVER. Also the Collected Leech book from Magic, Inc, simply because it is Al Leech.

Lee Darrow, C.H.

Expert Card technique
Expert at the card table
Card College 1,2,3,4,5
Dear Mr Fantasy
Vernon : Inner secrets, more inner secrets and further inner secrets

This one...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0715316......n=283155

That is a nice Card book!!
:bikes:
<<<KRaZy4kardz>>>

I own Greater Magic- Fantastic. I find it hard to believe that there is a magician out there who feels the greatest card book of all time is one written by Phil Hellmuth. Anyway, Erdnase is the text Vernonj devoted his life to... we all know that. Le paul, Bill Simon, Hugard and Braue, Expert card tequ... yadda yadda yadda... all must haves for any student.
My personal favourite? Close-up Card Magic by Harry Lorayne. I know it's not inthe same category as the aforementioned books... but it's in a category by itself...............And might I mention a couple of secret little gems written by Rufus Steele? DEVASTATING!