The Expert at the Card Table
Cover of the 1995 edition.
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| Author | S. W. Erdnase |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Smith, M. D. |
| Cover artist | Ed Smith Design |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Sleight of hand |
| Genre | Non-Fiction |
| Publisher | Original Unknown |
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Publication date
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1902 (first edition) |
| ISBN | |
| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Penguin magic |  |
| Genii | |
| Houdini's Magic Shop | |
The Expert at the Card Table: The Classic Treatise on Card Manipulation, often referred to simply as Erdnase (or even The Bible), is an extensive book on the art of sleight of hand published in 1902 by S. W. Erdnase, a pseudonymous author whose identity has remained a mystery for over a century. As a detailed manual of card sharps, the book is considered to be one of the most influential works on magic or conjuring with cards.
The Expert at the Card Table is the most famous, the most carefully studied book ever published on the art of manipulating cards at gaming tables."
Despite his widespread influence on the magician community, the author's identity remains an unsolved mystery. Many believe his real name was E.S. Andrews (S.W. Erdnase spelled backwards). (See Gardner's Foreword, pp. vii-ix.)
Originally the author started selling the book for $2.00 in 1902 and the next year it dropped to $1.00 and he sold the rights. Although the author did not renew the copyright, the book has remained in print since 1902, albeit small private printings on occasion. The influence of this book is such that it has been issued in annotated form; translated into Japanese, German, Spanish, French, and Italian; and issued as a series of DVDs by a professional magician, demonstrating and explaining Erdnase's techniques and methods. Among numerous demonstrations of techniques described in the book, the most comprehensive reviews of the sleight of hands are the same-titled DVDs published by Allan Ackerman, Wesley James, R. Paul Wilson, Revelations series of Dai Vernon, and, most recently, Jason England's one-on-one talks. A featured show of the story of Expert of the Card Table is also performed regularly by UK magician Guy Hollingworth.
"The Professor" (Dai Vernon) is credited with popularizing this influential text in the community of professional magicians. Well past ninety years of age, Vernon was fond of quoting from it, with page numbers, when discussing card techniques with his colleagues at the Magic Castle.
In Expert Card Technique, Jean Hugard said of it, "... perhaps no other book in all the list of conjuring books has been so avidly read, so affectionately regarded." Erdnase's glossary of terms was in itself extremely influential, and has been reproduced more or less directly by numerous authors, including Hugard, and Henry Hay.
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Wikipedia