Hi everyone!

I'm a 27 years old passionate student of magic; especially card work.
I've started my studies just 1 year and a half ago, so I consider myself a very junior conjuring apprentice!

Love reading from books, new and (primarily) older ones. The only practical way I found myself able to learn and adapt the moves to my own handling. I watch videos now and again to find out ideas about tricks and plots though ;P
Started with the Royal Road to Card Magic...which has been an incredible journey. I loved the way it was structured! Loved having the fear while learning to do the so called 'complex' moves...
18 months later I'm here happily doing all kinds of crazy sleights just by waiting for the relaxation of tension.
My current library consists of a very few books, but I feel like I have enough to go for my entire lifetime if I wanted to learn all of them.
They are all my favourites so I'll just list them, and I would recommend all of them to anyone who's interested in brilliant card work (and more):
-RRTCM
-The expert at the card table (SW Erdnase)
-Deck-sterity ( Harry Lorayne - who I'm incredibly glad to find is a regular poster on the boards!)
-Strong Magic (Darwin Ortiz)
-Designing Miracles (Darwin Ortiz)
-Magic from the Soul (Rene Lavand)
-Dai Vernon's Inner Card Trilogy (Dai Vernon)
-The Annotated Magic of Slydini (Slydini)
-Scams and Fantasies with Cards (Darwin Ortiz)
-The Complete Walton Vol 1 and 2 (Roy Walton)
(I'll check later to see if I missed any ahahahah)

Right, also the only training videos I bought are the series Michael Vincent has done with Alakazam. "The Classic Magic", "Elegant Deceptions", "Rhapsodies in Silver and other Mysteries", and "The Quest for Mastery".
Incredible value for your money. It contains a lifetime of teaching for a card aficionado. High class, one on one style teaching of elegant sleight of hand to produce astonishment.

At the moment some of my favourites effects/tricks/whateveryouwannacallthem to perform:

-Gary's spelling trick (awesome, simple and direct, no sleights so it puts me into an easy mood, I do it in spectator's hand with him/her calling and spelling)
-Foursome (I do it with a poker-face/poker-voice reading plot with kicker ending.)
-Look - an Illusion! (Larry Jenning's routine, brilliant brilliant brilliant. I'm looking for a smart way of ditching the selection before the final reveal though if someone wants to share ideas )
-The Innocent Bystander (from Michael Skinner. Incredible card in the box plot)
-Triumph (oh well...!)

I'm currently working out a routine out of all of them. Since I make the spec call and spell his/her card during Gary's Spells, I have the motivation to put on a pokerface/pokervoice plot as I try to read hir/her with Foursome. Since if I can force the King on Foursome, I'll have the 4 kings produced by the end of it, that will help getting ready for "Look-An Illusion!" (or I just c**l them in addition to the other needed cards), that will leave the 4 kings out at the end of it, so I can tie them up with the plot of Innocent Bystander that uses them. Oh well, maybe I'll film myself doing some of these so I can get feedback from much more experienced magi
Triumph is to finish and round it all up using it with the Ace of Spades (which disappears during The Innocent Bystander) and to tie all up.

I'm also currently studying The Hitchcock Travelers from Darwin Ortiz, The Ambidextrous Travelers from Larry Jennings (which is great! And also that I have a Travelers routine ready even if I don't have 4 spectators). Both are beasts of effects, I think maybe next year I'll be ready to show them to anyone

Well that was my presentation, I'm sure I'll enjoy my time here on the Café'

Emanuele: You keep mentioning Foursome, but you don't "mention" that it's my trick from Deck-Sterity. And, lovely advice from a "newbie" but --- I've written about 25 books on impromptu card magic since Deck-Sterity - which was published in 1967, about half a century ago! - with much, MUCH, stronger impromptu card stuff. Anyway...

Ahahah hello there! Sure found a way to get you to reply to my post

You're right, I didn't quote that's from Deck-sterity because in my mind everyone knew that (as it's an effect I often find cited around the web), oh the force of assumptions! I'll edit it in, apologies for the mishap
I'm aware of the incredible proficiency you have both as a master magician and teacher. I love your writing style, and I'm sure I'll pick up more books. Deck-sterity was my first foray into the Lorayne world, give me time

EDIT: What? I can't edit a post after some time it has been made? I'll ask a moderator.
In the meantime, ERRATA CORRIGE on my first post.

Credits for the great "Foursome" go to Harry Lorayne in Deck-sterity

Welcome emanuele,

And the Sorting Hat says…."The Workers " forum for you.

-Mary Mowder