The Collected Works Of
Alexander Elmsley
Volume One
Alexander Elmsley
Volume One
This is an in-depth review of "The Collected Works Of Alex Elmsley" Volume One, It's a Hard bound book with a dust jacket & 404 pages.
On the front of the dust jacket is the title of the book written in gold, & a picture of a young Alexander.
I've had this book for many years, it's more Card effects & Sleight's but does have some other Close-Up effects. I always find myself reading this book from time to time as it has excellent effects, Sleights, & two excellent subjects on Misdirection & theory on practice.
L&L Publishing, Written by:Stephen Minch & Illustrated by Amado Narvaez.
I'll go through the Contents of the book adding notes on the way, enjoy.
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER: Is about how the book came about, as Mr Elmsley had alot of unpublished work. If you buy the book you'll see all of the people involved & there's alot (Until this time, none of us at L&L had any idea what a wealth of material existed).
INTRODUCTION-ALEX ELMSLEY:The Man & His Book
The Introduction is an excellent read, (Dai Vernon, Paul Lepaul & Slydini visited England, a point was made of introducing them to Alex Elmsley. When they returned to the states, they brought with them stories of a new British lad who did some remarkably original magic. They had been fooled & most of them openly admitted it). It's more like a mini bio.
CHAPTER ONE:
Alex Elmsley on the Theory & Practice of Magic
The Automatic Producer
On Misdirection
These subjects are an excellent read, easy to understand & very useful.
CHAPTER TWO: Spirited Counts & Revenant Tricks
The Four-card Trick (Featuring the Elmsley count)
Flight to Witch Mountain
Shale Fellow Well Met
A Rebours
Elmsley's Ghost
Hoftwister
Mini-Milton (Featuring the Five-as-Five ghost count)
Mixed Marriages
Serendipity
One Poor Lion
The Great Pretender (Featuring the everchange count)
Twister's Flush
Thoughts in Transit (Featuring the neverchange count)
Chapter two has some excellent effect’s using the Everchanging Count & Neverchanging Count, which are also taught . When learning the effects, as you read the Method there’s some history on the effect also.
CHAPTER THREE:Sundry Sleights
Break Time
Battling the Bulge
A Bluff Hand-to-Hand Transfer
Taking a Break in a Spreasd
Preparing for a Double Lift
Fan Shuffle Strategies
The Hook-Strip Shift
Top & Bottom Card Interchanges
The Tabled Cover Reverse
The Tabled Top Change
Two Novel Slip Cut
The Undercut Slip
The Tipsy Turnover Pass
A Polished Push-off
A Biddle Displacement
The Thumb Palm Addition
A Card Fan Production
New Techniques for the Rear Palm
The Top-Card Rear Palm
The Misdirection Rear Palm
The Tap Replacement
The Center-Card Rear Palm
A One-Handed Center Steal
Trouser-pocket Loading Technique
Variations on Erdnase’s First Transformation
Transformation with Outjog
Erdnase’s First Transformation as a Vanish
Flying Squad
The Misdirection Slide Palm
Two Pocket Deck Switches
The Climax Pack Switch
The Empty-handed Pack Switch
Chapter three is just Sleights as you can see, the learning of the Sleights I found easy as the text is clear & easy to understand. There’s also illustrations of where the fingers should be & how the Sleight should look etc. You don’t have to learn the Sleights to be able to use the effects, they are Mr Elmsley’s preferred handlings.
CHAPTER FOUR:Minus Fifty-two
Puncture!
The Nodding Skull
The Visual Torn & Restored Newspaper
Ring & Paper Clip
The Twister: A Puzzle
The Thimble Changes
The Elmsley Colour-Changing Knife Routine
The Perpetual Cigarette
A Cigarette Vanish
A Production of Cigarettes in Holders
Magnetic Monte
Ring on Silk
Physical Medium
Sleeve Loading for the Cups & Balls
The Elmsley Cups & Balls Routine
Chapter four has no Card effects, but again some of these effects are excellent take “The Perpetual Cigarette” . The plot is the torn & restored cigarette, but with one important addition to the standard effect. Paul LePaul commented that he had never been so badly fooled in his life, when Slydini first came to England to lecture in August 1958. Mr Elmsley saw him do his masterful version of the torn & restored cigarette, several days later they met again & Mr Elmsley demonstrated his own method. Slydini was complimentary, but it wasn’t until Mr Elmsley noticed the master’s eyes searching the floor for an extra piece of cigarette that he knew Slydini had been fooled.
CHAPTER FIVE:Twisted Classics
1002nd Aces
The Atomic Aces
The Repulsive Aces
Double Finders
Apprentice Aces
Pick of the Litter
The Four Blanks
Five-card Sam
Bare-aced Hofzinser
A Minor Triumph
All Backs with Aces
A Triple Reverse
Infinity:Round Trip
Chosen Cards Across
Invisible Card in Cigarette
New Pieces to an Old Puzzle
Liar’s Club
One at a Time Collectors
Snap Swap
Double Swap
Ambitious to the End
Ambitious Stranger
Chapter five has some nice Ace’s routines, like “The Atomic Aces” a excellent version of McDonald Ace’s. “Invisible Card in Cigarette” is another excellent effect I seen Derren Brown’s version of this effect excellently performed.
CHAPTER SIX
own & Dirty Deals7-16
A Double Prediction
Melbourne
Australian Self-help
Chance & Choice
CHAPTER SEVEN:Welcome Correspondences
Returned to the Nest
Arith-mate-ic
Pother
Brownwaves I
Shadowed
Buried Treasure I
The Memphis Matchmaker
The Right Place, the Right Time
The Book of Fortunes
CHAPTER EIGHT:Where It’s At
Buried Treasure II
Hair Cut
Calcolate X2
Cross-25
Weight
Choosey
Rough Tracker
Card Hopper
Penny Plain
The Clock Runs Down
Mathematics & Mentalism
CHAPTER NINE:No Gamble
Misogynist’s Monte
The Bridge Builder
Just Lucky
Aces Up
Pierce Arrow
Four Flusher
A Strange Story
Chapter Six, Seven, Eight, & Nine are Mentalism & Gambling effects, again there are some excellent effects in these Chapters.
This volume contains over 110 original Elmsley tricks & Sleights, plus a ground-breaking essay by Mr Elmsley on presentation, psychology & misdirection. Which appears here in its entirety for the first time. Welcome to the secret world of Alex Elmsley, creator of some of the most outstanding magic of the twentieth century.
Most of today’s magicians will find this book an excellent read, as well as learning some excellent Magic. Mr Elmsley is a very clever creator as you’ll found out when reading his work, I always find myself reading this book over & over again. Most of Mr Elmsley work does not use gimmicks, & the one’s that do Mr Elmsley goes over every last detail so in some cases you can end clean. There are many gems in this book, that I know magicians will use as part of there routines. This is magic of the highest calibre from one of the greatest minds in close-up magic.
An easy 10/10.
