The Magic of Ascanio Vol.1-4

FOUR BOOKS !!!

The Maestro left us the 6 of April, 1997, but his magic remains alive. The magic of Ascanio, in four volumes. His theories, his thinking, his philosophy, and the entirety of his card magic, including his legendary routines (with over thirty previously unreleased tricks), full of the Ascanian touch, and his magic with pocket knives.

Vol. 1 "The Structural Conception of Magic" 

• Technique
• Construction
• Cover
• Presentation
• How to Study Magic
• Ascanio's previously unpublished essays
  • Thoughts on Creativity
  • Theory Notebook of 1970
• His Classic Articles on Theory
  • Conception of the Magical Atmosphere
  • Analysis of a Trick
  • On Misdirection
  • The Fundamentals of Timing
  • Know Yourself
  • The Psychology of Palming
• The Interviews
  • Interview with a Genius of Magic, by Juan Tamariz
  • A Biographical Interview and My Character, by Docampo
• Three Juicy Conversations
  • Arturo and Juan Chat
• An Essay by Aurelio Paviato

Vol. 2 "Studies of Card Magic"
This second volume, with forewords by Roberto Giobbi and Aurelio Paviato, contains an exhaustive study of the Ascanio Spread and its variants, and all the lay-downs. These sleights, the cornerstones of Ascanio's magic, have never been explained so thoroughly before. Careful study of this section alone will give you a complete understanding of these marvelous sleights.

Get ready for the pleasant journey of studying the early versions of Ascanio's classics. Oil and Water using the Ascanio Spread (a three-phase routine) and Father Ace and Sons (versions 66 and 67) will take you into the wonderful world of Ascanio's routining. See the theory in action, with examples of concepts explained in the first volume, such as the Parenthesis of Forgetfulness, the Anti-Contrasting Parenthesis, Stressing the Initial Situation, Slow Execution, misdirection, and the In-Transit Actions.

The next three chapters include magic by Ascanio's mentors, Kaps and Carles, by his colleagues Dany Ray and Fu Manchu, and by one of his idols in magic: Ed Marlo, all with the Ascanio treatment. This section contains tricks shown to Ascanio by these great masters.

Chapter Seven includes Ascanio's favorite routines: If You Don't Pay Attention..., Aunt Enriqueta's Aces, The Trick I Would Show Dai Vernon, Sleightless Oil and Water (or so it seems), and Aces with Love.

In Chapter Eight two other Ascanio favorites are described: The Wriggling Aces and Don't Blink! Revisited. The Trick I Would Show Dai Vernon is a lesson on Conditioned Naturalness, and The Wriggling Aces was part of his winning act at FISM in Amsterdam 1970.

Chapter Nine includes two Ascanian classics: A Baroque Transposition and The Mechanical Strength of Thought.

Chapter Ten finally brings you some of Ascanio's minor masterpieces such as: Dolores's Trick, The Pathology of Cards, X - 1 = 0, Triumph, Eight-Card Oil and Water, The Nine Facts, Antagonistic Aces, and A Hunger for Dreaming.

Pages 320 and 390 illustrations.

Vol. 3 "More Studies of Card Magic"
The Structural Conception of Magic, which is the first volume of The Magic of Ascanio, is devoted to his theoretical thinking. Studies of Card Magic and More Studies of Card Magic include all of his card creations, while the fourth volume Knives and Color-Blindness is a treatise on magic with pocket knives.

The Third Volume
Includes some of his signature pieces like The Restless Lady, Alternating the Colors, and his legendary All-Backs routine. These routines were part of the act that Ascanio performed at the Amsterdam FISM Convention, where he won First Prize in Card Magic. Also included are his classics Sequacious Spades, and Cards Through the Table, The Ten Cards Up the Sleeve, The Aces of My Exam, Freddy Fah's Wallet, Mentalism by Elimination, The Magical Nine, Stranger Ambitious Card, and The Nudist Deck. The book ends with Black Days, a masterpiece of magical thinking, as Arturo himself described it.

Pages 400 - Hardbound w/ Dust jacket

Vol. 4 "Knives and Color Blindness"
The Structural Conception of Magic, which is the first volume of The Magic of Ascanio, is devoted to his theoretical thinking. Studies of Card Magic and More Studies of Card Magic include all of his card creations, while the fourth volume Knives and Color-Blindness is a treatise on magic with pocket knives.

Fourth Volume
Knives and Color-Blindness is not just a repertoire of sleights and routines. Above all, it encapsulates an extraordinary philosophy of magic, in which the love for detail, for naturalness and psychology alike, are given as much importance as technical skill. Ascanio's remarkable in-depth study of the psychological aspects of the "Paddle Move" and the "color change" with knives is a fundamental contribution to the magic of the color-changing knives. Arturo de Ascanio shows two specific qualities that very seldom go together: he is an extremely clear writer and also an excellent performer of sleight-of-hand. You will no doubt find that Ascanio is very good at writing about what he knows, and knows very well what he is writing about.

Pages 132 - Hardbound w/ Dust jacket