I’m trying to do a bit of research on the published works of Frank Garcia. I seem to remember that in the very early 80’s—either 1980 or 1981, Tannens published a limited edition book of his called “Best of Friends” (Not to be confused with the later excellent Harry Lorayne book of the same title published in 1990.)

I remember the book was very thick, was a collection of both his work, and many others, and I believe there were not many copies printed. (I remember that the first 50 purchased were signed by Garcia, but I can not remember the number of the limited run.)

Does anyone have any information about this book? Year of publication, how many copies, etc.?

Any information you have would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

Try contacting John Blake at Blake's East Coast Magic. Frank mentored John and John has pretty much every book and pamphlet Frank Garcia has ever produced.

I wish someone could get the rights to his oeuvre of work. There are some gems that I know I would LOVE to get. It seems a shame that the work of a Master is practically impossible to get.

Best,
Vlad

John and Vlad,

I am afraid I can't help you, but perhaps you can help me.

On Amazon, there are several used copies of "Magic with cards: 113 easy-to-perform miracles with an ordinary deck of cards" (Hardcover). Many of them are selling for less than $1.00.

From the title, this sounds like a collection of self-workers -- is there anything in here that I wouldn't already have access to in, say, Encyclopedia of Card Tricks, Royal Road, or Scarne on Card Tricks? I know I have virtually nothing to lose at this price; but on the other hand I already have more card books than I will ever need (I know that many of you think that such a thought is blasphemous).

Any info on this title that you could share? Thanks.

Joe - Pretty sure the book you're looking at is "Magic With Cards:113 easy-to-perform miracles with an ordinary deck of cards" by Frank Garcia and George Schindler.

I know I've seen it published by Barnes & Noble Books, but that may be a reprint.

Vlad,

Thanks, I'll try John Blake to see if he is familiar with it.

I agree that it's a shame the Garcia work is so hard to find. I know he had his detractors, but there was some priceless material in pretty much all of his books.

His book on the cups and balls is worth its weight in gold, IMHO.

It seems a terrible shame that no one has gotten the rights to them.

Are you certain you're not confusing it with Harry Lorayne's book? Harry's book was originally published in 1982. The only books by Garcia I see ads for in that timeframe are "Exclusive Card Secrets", "Exclusive Card Miracles", and "The Elegant Card Magic of Fr. Cyprian". This was an ad for Tannen's, so I'd think that if there was another book that he published, it would have been in the ad as well. The description you gave seems to fit Harry Lorayne's book perfectly.

-Jim

Joe,
This is actually a pretty terrific little book, and for $1.00 (hardcover, no less) you won't be disappointed. There are a few gems in there (including one which I think is called "Chinese Prediction" (I'm not by my library at the moment, so I may not have the name correct) which taught me my first use of the glimpse when I was a kid (and it fooled the pants off of everyone I showed it to).

As for the rights to his books, they're still in the hands of his widow, who refuses (for the time being, at least) to reprint.

Frank was a good buddy and made sure I had all of his books. I know when Million Dollar was first put out, he and George signed the first hundred copies. I don't know anything about the book you're describing, to me too it sounds like The Magic
Book by Harry Loryane. Just before his death he was contemplating reprinting or combining all of his books. After his death, things sounded somewhat like a mess,
so I don't know who "has or owns" his work or props...

Tom

Hi Jim,

Now I'm confused...

If it was 1982, than that would definitely be the book, but I thought the first edition of Lorayne's book came out in 1990? I was sure it was one of Frank's, but if Harry's book did actually come out in 1982, it would have to be it, though. My memory of it is a bit fuzzy, but I seem to remember seeing the ad for it only once, and that it was billed as a very limited thing...

Hmmm. If I'm wrong (and I sure might be...) that would at least explain why I've never seen it mentioned anywhere...

Thanks...

Dune and Magiguy:

Yes, the dustcover definitely shows "Garcia & Schindler" (though Amazon dis not list it that way).

I guess for a buck I can't go wrong... Thanks, guys!

Harry Lorayne's 'Best of Friends' was published in 1982, and 'Best of Friends 2' in 1985 ('Best of Friends 3' is in preparation). There are no Frank Garcia effects in either book.

It was my great pleasure to know Frank. He used to hang out at Tannen's in New York City in the 70s and 80s, and took pity on a beginning card fanatic, working with me on my first card moves and suggesting tricks and books. I loved the guy.

Matt Field

Thanks everyone for clearing up the confusion. (It's been 25 years since I sold the book, and my memory isn't as sharp as I thought it was. I always thought it was odd that there would be two great card books with the same name.)

Sorry for the confusion.

Matt, It must have been a wonderful thing to know Frank. I never got the chance to see him work, but I was a huge fan. Besides the great learning experience, I can only image the wonderful stories and anecdotes he must have shared.

What a great autobiography he could have written.

Joe, and others- you will love "Magic with Cards" - I wish I knew about this book when I was first starting out.

I recomend that beginners read this before moving on to Royal Road.

However, even if you are a seasoned pro you will enjoy it because of it's clarity and simplicity-

Many old classics that you may have passed by in other books (Enclopedia of Card Tricks, the Jordan and Longe books etc.) will be made new here and easy to follow.

BTW, there's a great impromptu version of Paul Curry's "Out of This World" in the garcia/Schindler "Magic With Cards" book. It's called "Intuition".

Finally got a hold of two of Franks books that I have been looking for for quite a while (Thanks Denny) The Close up Magic of Frank Garcia Part I and Part II. Now if I can just get his sponge ball book for a "reasonable" price!

- John

Hi John,

I have a friend with a copy of the sponge ball book he may be willing to sell. I've seen it and it is in very good condition. Would you like to make him an offer?

Thanks,
Richard

This is a very good book (Magic with Cards). It is a fun one to revisit several months after you've become familiar with it and it has sort of run it's course like most magic books do. When you're in the mood for some simple, fun stuff you can't go wrong with Magic with Cards.

Sorry to dig up an older thread, but I really have to put another plug in for this book. When I first developed an interest in magic as a child, I stumbled across Garcia and Schindler's Magic With Cards at a public library, and later obtained my own copy. In hindsight, I would say that it was this book that single-handedly propelled me to the next level of magic - from the dry "everybody-knows" tricks like the 21 Card Trick, to performing some real miracles. Although it essentially contains all self-working tricks, there are some real gems in here, and many of the impromptu tricks I still do today, I learned first in this book.

It includes some of the well-known favorites like "Wanna Bet?" (the common sucker trick using the key-card principle), "The Piano Trick", and "Do As I Do". But it even has stunning and classic self-workers like the "Lazy Man's Card Trick" (under the name "Too Tired") and "Out of This World" (under the name "Intuition"). Years later when I learned Paul Harris' popular "Overkill", I noticed that I already knew the basic mechanics and concept from Garcia's "Astounding Prediction." One of my favorites for impromptu, even to this day, is "Aces Follow Aces" (essentially the same as Charlie Nagle's "Traveling Aces" in Scarne on Card Tricks, which adds a magician's choice at the end).

Most of the material here can be found in other sources, so it's not a "must have" by any means if you already have a decent library. But for a novice looking to take the next step, it's the perfect resource, and perhaps even more suitable than Scarne on Card Tricks or the books in Karl Fulves' Self-Working Card Tricks series. The advantage of Garcia and Schindler's book is that it is a very solid and well-rounded collection, and it gives some good suggestions for patter as well. If it were still more readily available, it would be one of the first titles I'd suggest to beginners looking for good material.

This was co-written with George Schindler. It was originally published by Reiss Games and later reprinted by Barnes and Noble.
There are lots of self-workers and very basic sleight tricks. It's definitely worth having, even if you have other books with similar tricks, as the handling and presentation in this book is very good.

Rimbaud,

There are several autographed copies of that book floating around Branson and Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was required reading for the members of The Wizards of the Ozarks. It would be a special prize if you can find one. Mine is not for sale.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander