I am a big fan of Nick Trost & his creations & have lots of his books it was my 1 ever book I purchased. From my collection I picked up Harry Lorayne's Reputation Makers & had forgotten how amazing his creations are, I think if you are into card magic Lorayne is the way to go.. What's yours?

I would say Harry's works are a must for anyone serious about card magic. His Apocalypse collections are great because they are loaded with great card magic but not confined to card magic. I would rank them among my favorites and by far the most bang for the buck.

I don't actually know if one who has a library of magic books can really have a FAVORITE. I have many but I will say oddly enough my most "gone to" book has to be "Counts, Cuts, Moves and Subtlety" by Jerry Mentzer. During the "Packet Trick" craze of the late 80's / early 90's (IIRC) this book was a monumental help in learning or better describing a large amount of sleights needed for the "Packet Trick of the Day". I still crack it open quite often today. Not so much for reading thru it but when looking up a "sometimes alternate" description of a move.

So, at least two out of three know what they're talking about!!!

Make that 3 out of 4! My copy of the Classic Collection Vol 1 is worn out, pages near falling out.

Just so you know - my CLASSIC COLLECTION Vol. 2 is heading toward "sold out."

In no particular order -

Pygmalion Effects - Aaron Alexander
Alchemical Tools - Paul Brook
Maximum Entertainment - Ken Weber (Haven't read 2.0 yet)
Scripting Magic 1 & 2 - Pete McCabe
Pure Effect and Absolute Magic - Derren Brown

I love these books because not only do the ones that teach methods have really solid, mysterious work in them - they all cover more important things like theory and performance philosophy. I find those aspects to be far more important than methods.

Boy! Are you missing out!!!

On what?

These books provide material that both myself and my audiences love, and they provide the thought processes and thinking behind the performances that allow me to continuously improve my shows. I have enough tricks and methods to last several lifetimes, and I don't do anything with cards, coins, bills - none of that stuff.

What am I possibly missing out on?

Anything by Darwin Ortiz.
Anything by Harry Lorayne.
Anything by Simon Aronson.
Anything by Juan Tamariz.
And there are so many other books that is my favorites...

As above - anything by Harry Lorayne. But if you don't do anything with cards - you're right. But boy, are you missing out!!!

I've read a few.

I repeat - I'm not missing anything.

One of my first magic books was by Harry Lorayne 1981, the book was translated to swedish. Nice memories when I opened that book and started my life as a magician.

Gosh, Harry, I love your books, but somebody forgot to teach you that it's unseemly to brag.

Bob

And someone forgot to teach you to mind your own business! But really, Bob - just trying to help. As always. But obviously I can't help Chris. That's okay; there are always a few. Incidentally; over the decades sooo many have told me that considering what I've accomplished, what I've contributed to the magic world, I have the right to brag! And ya' know - the closer I get to my 94th birthday, the more I feel that I have that right, that it's not unseemly to "say it like it is"!! (Like: My last book, AND FINALLY!, contains some of the best impromptu, jaw-dropping, close-up card magic ever. You're missing out if you don't have it. Oh, except for WitchDocChris, of course. Hah!)

I can attest to this. And Finally! is one of my favourite card books.

Card College Volumes 1 - 5

Obviously and obvious.

I disagree with the fact that any great achievement gives the right to brag. Quite the contrary. And after so many decades in the magic world, I’m sure you have seen so many exceptional magic and magicians, you could see your work in a humble perspective. That’s the way most great person in any field behaves. As an example, Cedric Villani is an exceptional French mathematician, he won the Fields medal in 2010 (most prized reward in the mathematic world, equivalent of the Nobel Prize), he has made significant improvements in so complex and difficult fields. He is recognized as one of the very best scientific of our time, with a deep understanding of what the science is, should be, and will be. He is the incarnation of the 18 th century of lights’s century genius, when thinkers were digging in hard and soft science in the meantime, being humanists in such a noble way. I’ve heard him saying that the more you know, the more you realize you know nothing. He was telling in a interview that in some specific research domains of mathematic, he would need 5 years of study before even beginning to understand and grasp some of his colleague’s work. It put what Villani already achieved at his young age in a very humble position. And as all really great people, Villani is very shy about what he does. Just a lesson of life which should inspire you.

You certainly have the right to disagree and to your opinion, AS HAVE I, and literally tens of thousands of others. So, to repeat:

"...over the decades sooo many have told me that considering what I've accomplished, what I've contributed to the magic world, I have the right to brag! And ya' know - the closer I get to my 94th birthday, the more I feel that I have that right, that it's not unseemly to "say it like it is"!! (Like: My last book, AND FINALLY!, contains some of the best impromptu, jaw-dropping, close-up card magic ever."

Thanks for giving me the reason to repeat this.