I have At the Card Table by Ortiz. Yes, it's a classic that shifted the card world, blah, blah, blah. It's an "excellent" book that I bought for the Card Warp insight, as at the time I didn't have an interesting Card Warp routine. It didn't provide the Card Warp insight desired and since many of the other effects are gambling oriented, which isn't my interest, I've noticed that it sits on a bookshelf.

<GASP>

The other routines just don't fit into any immediate areas of interest for my style of engaging, spectator involved walk-around magic yet I hesitate to sell it because it indeed is a "classic" and I may at one point in the future wish I had it in my paws.

What books that are touted as classics or must-have's just sit on your shelves or are in the "should I sell on Ebay" limbo?

The Magic of Michael Ammar came strongly recommended, but I haven't been able to get much from it...yet. Perhaps I'm not ready for it. I did learn Crazy Man's Handcuffs, and some of the essays were interesting, but in retrospect I'd have rather spent the money on something more useful to me now.

Usually when I get a new book, I don't perform any effect in it until I feel I can adapt the trick to fit "me."

Then I got to Paul Gertner's "Steel and Silver." A good book with great idea's, but the whole book screamed "GERTNER." I have found it very difficult to adapt any of his tricks to me and my style.

Great book, just not for me.

Dave

Roth's Expert Coin Magic is a must for coin workers.

The Encyclopedia of Playing Card Flourishes by Jerry Cestkowski. The greatest text ever on learning card flourishes, from easy, to hard, to d*** near impossible it can all be found within this book.

OK Fellas, quick clarification.

The point of this thread isn't "what are the must have books."

If you read the entire subject and the first post, then you'll see the question is what classic/"must have books" sit on your shelves because you don't use them.

Fitzgee's Trilogy

My Corinda doesn't get opened much.

Jack Shalom

Marlo's Revolutionary Card Technique. I get overwhelmed just opening it, so for now it sits on the shelf.

I don't get much from my "classic magic of larry jennings" and "best of Slydini".

N.

p.s. Jack, open your corinda at page 192 you might find something you like

The Magical World of Slydini
Magic of Ammar
Mark Wilson's Course in Magic
The Vernon Chronicles 1-3

Expert Card Technique. I spent months trying to master the Faro shuffle technique it advises and warped a lot of decks in the process. I had a good time doing so. But then I got RCT and learnt it with a week from there. And the same could be said of false dealing and palming.

ECT may be a classic but I simply don't trust the techniques it advises any more.

Jamie are you saying you learned false dealing in one week? And are you talking about tabled faro's or in the hands?
I have got 4 classics, all of which I use, so this topic is not 4 me.
(RRTCM, ECT, EATCD, classic magic of larry jennings)

In all honesty, I've still not truely mastered false dealing and I probably never will. But within a week of getting RTC I found a strike technique which started working for me. I'd spent months trying to get the double push-off down. Five years on, I still can't do a double push-off the ECT way. And for some reason, I still practice it now and again.

The perfect in-hands faro learnt from RCT did come that quick to me. I guess I understood what Faro'ing was all about from ECT, but I just don't feel the technique it advocates can be made 100% reliable.

The great thing about RCT, overwhelming as it may be, is the breadth of different techniques it offers. Your bound to find something that suits you. I just didn't get that from ECT.

Which book is RCT?

Mind, Myth and Magic by T.A. Waters.

It looks and sounds cool but every time I try to read it my eyes glaze over. I'm sure I am missing out on some good material, I just haven't been able to slog through this 828 page behemoth.

Revolutionary Card Technique - Marlo.

Greater Magic - I think I'm intimidated by the number of pages

Anything by James Joyce

Mind, Myth and Magic

haven't touched it for a year since I first got it.

Must say that Bobo's New Modern Coin Magic is definitely not one of these books ... keep going back for more ideas.