Handcrafted Card Magic Volume 2 by Denis Behr
Available directly from the author for 36 Euros including shipping to the U.S. here:
http://www.denisbehr.de/handcrafted-card-magic.html

I, like many of you, became aware of Denis’ superb card magic via the Internet. For all of us that decry how the World Wide Web has killed magic, I think the mere presence of a few, like Denis make up for the sum of the twelve-year-olds doing crummy double-lift explanations. His on-line database alone would solidify his place in our little world of card flingers. His latest book puts another layer on top of his other work.

This book is not for beginners. If you’re a beginner it would be a great source if only for the four pages of bibliography. These four pages answer the Magic Café question, “What card magic books should I buy?” You’d actually have a hard time finding them all. It would be a lovely journey though.

Contents:
The Green Card – this is a version of Sankey’s paperclipped. It’s the finest version of this I’ve ever seen. Denis tips that folding a card into sixths is better. I probably will not work this one up. I’m going to start folding my cards into sixths though.

Two Tricks for Allen Kennedy – These are a pair of center dealing demos. (If you didn’t get the Kennedy reference, his bibliography will raise your knowledge level.)

Home Again and Messy – The Director’s Shuffle are for the mem-deck crew. If you don’t use a memorized deck, shame on you! Denis, Pit Hartling and Chad Long all have tips and tricks in these two sections. If you are working a stack, you’ll use these subtleties right after you read them.

Stop-it – I almost left this out of the review. I don’t want it to get around. It’s the stop trick except it works every time. Read it yourself dammit. I’m not going to help you on this one. I’ve already performed it twice. It will fool the living ap-cray out of anyone. Ap-Cray, yeah I said Ap-Cray!

Shuffled ACAAN – Can’t wait for RK’s Berglas tome. Get this book instead. Gombert and Baker not in your list of sources? Well, read this and you’ll be better informed than your magic pals have any hope of! There’s a palm-to-palm transfer hiding in this write-up. Oooohhhh . . . Denis, you sneaky ***!

Suit Surprise – Jesus, he lists Hofzinzer, Curry, Marlo, Victor, Nash, Mentzer, Minch, Ortiz, Easin, Cummins, Carroll, Lorayne, Gordon Giobbi, Bannon, Ascanio, Hugard & Braue, Harris and Mead, and some ***ed German books I’ll never be able to read. BUT . . . I managed to make it through his lucid instructions anyway. Once I quit seeing how many references I had. It’ll take a trick I learned from a Bannon book to a whole new level.

Herbert – The trained Rubberband . . . Oh just watch Denis do the first half of the trick. I’m not going to tell you how cool the second part you’ll only learn about if you buy the book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0fVi84sW......embedded

What do I think of the book?

I’m a huge Denis Behr fan. I think most of you will let this one slip through your fingers. If you are a mem-deck guy, give up and send him the dough. If you’re not a stacker, the rubber band trick is easy enough and looks really cool.
The arrival of this book put me a week behind in the on-line finance class I’m taking. It’s easily the best magic book I’ve found in the last year. I think you should buy a copy right freaking now.

KG

I agree this book and vol 1 are very treasured in my library, very good books!

Thanks for putting this on our radar, Kent.

Denis Behr's work is great. Can't wait to get this!

Let me say this, his shuffled acaan is worth the price of the book, I know it is a cliche but it is dam good, so you know the effect, any card at any number, but their is one version of his shuffled acaan whereby you have the spectator shuffle the deck and pop it back into the case, nothing is added or taken away from the deck before it is cased! Now any number is freely named and any card freely selected, that number is dealt to in the freely shuffled deck and that chosen card is found at that number, strong strong stuff!!! yeah so what you say, there are so many versions of this why another one! well this version meets certain criteria, the deck is freely chosen and is very honestly shuffled as much as the spectator likes, and I reiterate nothing is added or taken away from the deck before the deck is put back into the case! love it!!! my new acaan version I now like doing.

Daren, the book is really excellent, a lot of brain food, more than one gem in it, but here you are not very precise... it is IMHO a nice idea, but not very economical. You could reach the same by a d...tch only cleaner and with less restrictions. Think about it. Nevertheless a must buy. Jan

Concerning the acaan, I have to agree, some points are stretched a bit by Daren. But of course that's how it's remembered by an audience at least...

Anyway, thanks for the nice comments!

The ACAAN routine in the book is great.
But I consider the routine to be card at any number,not any card at any numbner,because the card was chosed,not named by spectator.
Just my humble opinion.

Just ordered by copy without thinking twice.

John G

Got my copy few days ago, LOVELY!!!!
(such an evil book to distract me while I am having my exams right now lol)
Gonna non-stop reading it after next Thursday =P

When I got this book from my mail box, I had a feeling that the "Handcrafted Card Magic" would have 8 volumes in the future.......... *v*

- Arthur

Denis was brilliant at the Session in Gloucester in January 2011.
Herbert, the mysterious rubber band, was very well trained.

Denis is a great thinker, I'll put my money on the "stop" trick.. it is in his book vol 2.

Lost in the shuffle (no pun intended) is the first effect from "Two Trick for Allen Kennedy." I believe Vanishing Inc. has it as a separate download. I'm usually not a fan of gambling demonstrations because it seems, well, like a gambling demonstration. This one actually looks like a display of mad skills. It also looks super clean, too. Love everything in this little volume, but the center deal demo is a real treat.

Kevin