My Almost 50 Years of Magic

By Tom Craven

From Tom Craven's introduction:

"What you'll find in this book covers a lifetime of magic of mine. I tried to put everything I'd come up with in here, but obviously, I know there are some missing items. Just about everything that has been in print before is here, but there are some that were never in print that have been lost or forgotten."

Over 160 effects spanning almost 50 years of Tom Craven's magic career which includes such accomplishments as: 

• First person to receive the "Spirit Of Magi-Fest" Award, Columbus Ohio.
• One of only 2 people to have attended all 40 of the 4FFFF Conventions.
• Guest Of Honor at the 4FFFF (Back in the 1980's) 
• 10 time winner of the I.B.M. Ring #2 Magician Of The Year 
• Trade Show Worker Full Time, 1977-1984 
• Worked the Close-Up Gallery at The Magic Castle, Hollywood, CA in 1981, 1985, 1989, 2009, 2010.
• Worked the Parlor at The Magic Castle in 2011.

"You have a front-row seat for Tom’s personal magic set – a virtual arsenal of clever concepts, engaging plots, and cool methods that combine to make some powerful effects” – Steve Beam

This is more than just another magic book for your shelf. This is without a doubt the collected works of a brilliant magician and should be read by every student of magic.” – Shawn Farquhar

Official Review from My Lovely Assistant

Rating: 5 Stars!
Reviewed by Christian
If you know Tom Craven, then you already know this is well worth the price. If you don’t let me explain:

If you have ever sat next to this guy at a convention that you know that he is a walking encyclopedia of magic knowledge. I have been astounded by the ideas, concepts, and methods that Tom spits out like a machine gun. While you are mulling over the last idea in your mind, Tom as already covered 3 more.

There are over 150 tricks contained in this tome. Just the sheer volume of magic in the pages will make the book worth the 75 clams. However, Tom is a clever guy, and many of his tricks will leave you shaking your head saying, “Very Clever”, or “That’s really fun”.

Most of the book is card tricks. For those that want something different, there are 50 pages of non-card tricks. 

This is the type of book that I enjoy flipping through and making notes in the margins. In the weeks that I have had it, I have ear-marked at least ten tricks that I will be revisiting and working with.

There is a very slick piece that not technically a trick, is a nice idea of how to transition from one card trick to the next and make it look effortless.

I also enjoyed one very playful piece on gambling that was so clever that you will smile as you read it and the audience will applaud you ingenuity.

In a world of $35, one trick DVDs this is a treasure trove of workable material. 

Tom does not go into much detail for the presentations for his tricks, he leaves this up to you. What you have here is a book with over 150 tricks that are waiting for the right magician to breath life into them and entertain and audience.

 

Contents Include:

1 Super Speller
3 The Stock Answer
5 Tom Craven's Datebook Miracle
7 Baby Hummer
8 A Real Prediction
9 Is It Here?—or There?
11 Craven’s Pyramid Aces
12 Aces Only Triumph
14 Not Really Triumph
15 Countdown Triumph
16 Top Ten
17 My Card Is
18 The Cutting Sequence (for the aces)
19 Cut N' Count Double
20 Goody Goody
21 Incomplete Faro Jog Control
22 Double Crosser
23 Blank(et) Prediction — I
24 A Perfect (Mis) Match
25 Another Aussie
25 Do You Have a Card?
26 Tom Craven’s Homing Card
27 Dot’s It!
28 Craven’s Signed Card To Case
30 Automatic Top Change
30 Calling The Cards
31 The 27-Card Trick
32 Tom Craven's Psychic Cards
34 Name That Card
35 Three By Two
37 Rising Sandwich
38 Expanded 10-20 Force
40 Blank(et) Prediction — II
41 Spin Change
42 End Over Aces
46 End Over Extra
47 Joking Queens
50 Signed, Sealed, and Numbered
51 TripleHeader
52 Triple Choice
53 Straight Slam/Straight Prediction
55 Head to Head
56 Tally-Ho One-Way
57 The Match
58 Plugging the Keyhole
59 King Butt
60 You Think of a Card I’ll Name It
61 Bicycle Aces
62 Two Card Red Card
63 A Lot of ESP
64 1/4ly
65 Cartying on With the Magnetic Searcher
66 No Chance to Reconstruct
67 First Variation
68 Colorfull 
69 Australian Aces Revisited
70 Unlink (With a Ring) 
72 A + B(B-100+) Book Test

75 Double G. W. Hunter 
76 Merry Christmas
77 The Perfect Restaurant Approach
78 The Groby Prediction 
79 Spirit Hank (Expanded)
81 The Caps Prediction 
83 Loopy Loop/Ending
84 Your Choice #1
85 Your Choice #2 
86 Ring Off
87 Okito Glass Routine
88 Silver to Copper
89 Psi-Handkerchief
90 The Z Test
91 Shadows
92 Your Choice — or Mine? 
92 Heads or Tails
95 Color Transpositiong
96 Only Four
97 Propel-a-Coin
98 What? — A Knot?
99 Thanks to Sibbernsen
100 It’s the Pits!
100 A Change of Color
101 Four Coin Production
102 Open Coins Across
104 Four Coins and a Purse
107 New Easy Ring Load
108 The Ring Release
109 Double Quicksilver
110 Half Hitch Release
111 ESP(N)
112 Bandy’d About
114 Tom Craven’s Diminishing Cards
115 Thought Processes
117 Grand Theft
119 Knotrio
119 Color Chips
123 Incomplete Peek N’ Mix
124 Which Card’s Company?
125 Double Decker
126 Double Time
126 Craving for Craven #1
127 Craving for Craven #2
128 The Choice is Yours
128 The Choice is Yours Again
131 Straddle Faro and The Keeper
132 The Keeper Shuffle
132 Top and Bottom Keeper
133 A Principle Within A Principle
134 The Psychic Cards 
136 Keeper Finder
137 Keeper Sneaker I
138 Keeper Sneaker II 
138 Keeper Sneaker III
139 TC on JQ’s Keeper
139 Key Card Keeper
141 3/4 = 2/6
142 3/4 = 2/6 Follow Up
143 Down The Ladder
144 Keeper Fooler I
144 Keeper Fooler II 
144 Top or Bottom? 
145 Only The Twos
146 Killer Keeper
147 Double Count Down
148 Four Ace Production
149 Beam's Favorite
151 #1 Finds #2 
151 A Keeper Sandwich
152 Another Keeper Sandwich — I
153 Another Keeper Sandwich — II
153 One Last Sandwich
154 My Open Prediction
156 Postal Exchange
157 Glass Backwards
159 Wizard Updates
159 Craven/Harlan Wizard
160 Ultimate Telephone
161 Fantastic Card Trick
162 Easy Roll Over Flush
162 M-L-C Elusive Jacks
165 Bi-Phonery I
167 Bi-Phonery II
168 Signature Transposition
169 Selected Suit Divination
170 The Pairable
171 CCAAN
172 More Than Moracle
174 Mental Stop on my Card!
174 Mental Nick
177 The Urge to Stop
177 Impossible Three-Card Catch
179 C.B.E.
179 C.B.J.
180 Color Blind
181 Marked Cards
183 A Gambler's Demonstration
184 Aussie Tables For Under-Down Deal & Down-Under Deal 
185 Blue Collar Aces
187 Name and Card
189 Backward Magic
190 Backward Theme — Signed Card To Wallet

 Details: My Almost 50 Years of Magic by Tom Craven

190 pages, hardbound, size: 11" by 9".