Where OFTEN RARELY THAT SIMPLE offered routines with a deep focus on the sleights and controls involved, MISSING ALMOST EVERY THING brings together 9 full routines, focusing on the effect itself, with attendant alternate handlings depending on the situation.

Inspired by conversations with Andrew Frost, Arthur Chavaudret, Yann Frisch, David Blaine, and furthered by chats in our book-club meet-ups, my focus these past years has shifted to more performance-based thought, and how to best highlight what the actual effect of a trick is to an audience, bringing attention to the strongest parts of a routine and shadow to the sleight-y parts.

As with OFTEN RARELY, every piece in this book is accomplished by sleight of hand and a deck of cards. There are no gimmicks or duplicates, no need for stooges or accomplices. The material includes a mix of hands-off, relaxed routines alongside other visual and technically more complex routines. On the whole, the material here is a little easier than OFTEN RARELY, ranging from intermediate up to more challenging.

MISSING ALMOST CONTENTS

WHILST OUT OF SIGHT
An in-the-hands version of Paul Harris’ “Reset” (1977) which culminates in four cards vanishing from between the spectators’ hands.

SPECTATOR CUTS THEIR THOUGHTS
A strikingly clean “Spectator cuts to the Aces” but with a thought-of four-of-a-kind. Each of the four cuts the spectator makes is completely free. No crimps, no breaks, no cross-cut forces.

& IN EVERY WAY IMAGINABLE
An audience member’s mind is read by three other members of the audience. The group then finds the three mates of the thought of card, and the spectator’s card itself is found in their own pocket.

SUDDEN TRAVELLING LIGHT
A novel method for Jean Hugard’s 1933 Travellers plot which uses signed cards and one single palm, allowing you to show each of your hands legitimately empty throughout the routine.

EIGHT YEAR GENERAL CARD
Eight years on from “Hessian,” published with Dan & Dave Buck, this is a new, natural handling of the General Card, rigorously tested over the past three years. Includes a kicker ending where the freely named, signed card (from a blue deck) changes into the only red-backed card in the deck. Deck and odd-backed signed card are given away as a souvenir. No gimmicks / glue / forces / et cetera.

THOUGHT OF CARD TO POCKET
A thought of card, deliberated over by the participant, vanishes from the pack and appears in the performer’s pocket. The vanish is repeated, under scrutiny, disappearing from under the box, reappearing in the pocket, with the three mates also appearing in separate pockets. Impromptu, no force.

REMORSELESS MIRACLE TRIUMPH
Dai Vernon’s Triumph routine (1946) was one of the first card tricks I learnt. 19 years & countless variations later, this is my favourite Triumph handling of all time. Completely impromptu, magician-fooler (if you will).

ASPECT OF ETERNITY / GATHERING DUST
Voodoo-style card routine. A card is chosen in one deck, and turned face up. Out of the corner of your eye, a second deck seems to glow an ephemeral golden hue. This second deck is opened and is shown to have a card revolved at its middle… the exact match of the chosen card. The two cards then vanish and reappear in their opposite packs, the golden glowing card having transposed with the run-of-the-mill chosen card. No Invisible / Brainwave Deck required.

CHAIRMAN OF THE BORED
My all-time favourite method for Simon Aronson’s 1980 effect, Shuffle-Bored. Full shuffles by the audience throughout. Unbacktrackable!!

Also available in a limited edition of 200 boxed Collector’s Sets