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EndersGame Inner circle Reviewer EndersGame 2195 Posts |
When's the last time you saw a serious review of The Royal Road to Card Magic (RRTCM)? This classic is beloved by many, and was the entry point into card magic for a lot of people. But does it really stand up today?
I decided to work through the book systematically and give it a thorough review, along with some of the companion resources that can be used with it, and some of the alternatives to consider besides it. To do this, I spent the past number of months studying RRTCM carefully, in combination with some annotated versions of the book and some teaching videos based on it. Here's the result: Part 1: Starting with Hugard and Braue's The Royal Road to Card Magic https://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view......c=744085 Part 2: Moving beyond Hugard and Braue's The Royal Road to Card Magic https://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view......c=744336 So I have given careful thought to some of RRTCM's strengths and weaknesses, and compared it with other options. But I'd love to know what others think, and to see some discussion about this. Is it time to rethink our love affair with The Royal Road to Card Magic? For its time, it was clearly the best starting point for card magic. But how well does it still hold up today? And are there better options, like some of the ones discussed in the second article? |
magicfish Inner circle 7004 Posts |
"But does it really stand up today?"
Yes. |
EndersGame Inner circle Reviewer EndersGame 2195 Posts |
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On May 19, 2022, magicfish wrote: What are your thoughts on the weaknesses of RRTCM that I pointed out in my review, some which are reproduced below? Quote: "But because the Royal Road to Card Magic has been around for a while, this classic book does also show some signs of age, and it has some real weaknesses too. To begin with, it is somewhat dated in parts. I personally learned my card magic fundamentals from Roberto Giobbi's more contemporary Card College, and when working through the Royal Road to Card Magic it really struck me how many aspects of this older work have been superseded. In numerous instances the patter and presentational touches need updating to bring them into our modern age, and so does the terminology and phrasing. Some of the tricks are poorly constructed in terms of technique or presentation, and need real polishing and refinement to make the most of them. At times there are even straight out mistakes in the descriptions (e.g. the Double Lift Force). "Some might argue that these are merely cosmetic weaknesses. But there are more substantial issues too. In a number of instances there are sleight of hand techniques that have been improved over time with better handlings. For example, some of the tricks later in the book rely too much on the classic pass, whereas nowadays there are safer and more deceptive means to accomplish the same result, such as through controlling a card. Other techniques that are very popular today, like the Elmsley Count, Erdnase Change, Cull, and Tilt, aren't covered at all. Also missing for obvious reasons are the excellent innovations from recent decades in the area of false shuffles and cuts, and a lot of the recent work on stacks and memorized decks. More attention could also have been given to the psychological aspects of magic, and related art-forms that enhance card magic. And the absence of appropriate crediting and referencing would be considered completely unacceptable by today's standards. "An additional challenge (not unique to the Royal Road to Card Magic) is that it can be hard work to make your way through written descriptions, especially to a modern audience that often relies on learning from instructional videos. In my first encounter with the book a couple of decades ago, without the benefit of any videos, I remember struggling my way through parts of the Royal Road to Card Magic, trying to visualize the moves that were being described and pictured, and not always getting things right. "For its time, it was an outstanding work, and even in the decades following it no other work on the same subject really came close to matching its excellence. But more recent books like Roberto Giobbi's Card College have surpassed it." |
Ray J Inner circle St. Louis, MO 1503 Posts |
Here are my thoughts. First, I agree with Magicfish. A beginner could take that book, master a handful of effects and impress the heck out of the average audience. Especially if they take the time to develop entertaining presentations along with perfecting the procedure.
I don't worship TRRTCM, but I admire it. It is what it is and it is mentioned all the time as either being responsible for someone's interest in magic or as a primer on card magic and highly recommended still. Many old magic books suffer when read today. Certain sleights which were common then aren't now. Certain presentations may seem "trite" now. But that doesn't mean the roots aren't still strong. You just need to do some trimming and pruning and freshen things up. Or not, because many of the effects remain as effective today as they were then. There has also been an annotated version of Royal Road. While I have not read it, I suspect it addresses many of the concerns EndersGame expressed. Win-win! Edit: There have been at least two! Musgrave and Lewis.
It's never crowded on the extra mile....
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EndersGame Inner circle Reviewer EndersGame 2195 Posts |
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On May 19, 2022, Tortuga wrote: Read my second article. I give an overview and a review of both these annotated versions in detail. |
Ray J Inner circle St. Louis, MO 1503 Posts |
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On May 19, 2022, EndersGame wrote: I did and it is great.
It's never crowded on the extra mile....
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Rupert Pupkin Inner circle 1452 Posts |
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Is it time to rethink our love affair with The Royal Road to Card Magic? Sure, why not. The world is dying. Let’s get lowkey looney with it. |
landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts |
It still stands up. And while people like to compare it to Card College, I think it's an imperfect comparison. One is a course to learn card magic, the other is more a multi-volume encyclopedia of sleights with a couple of good essays.
Advice to those who think RRTCM is old-fashioned: Look up the word phalange before you enter. Now you are prepared with all you need to know before reading.
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