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By forces unseen: The innovative card magic of Ernest Earick
When one enters card magic, the books are endless. Coming across By Forces Unseen is a special moment in any card magician's growth. It is a pleasure to read. Beautifully written and researched by Stephen Minch, you will find many other books mentioned in the references that will advance your pasteboard path. Ernest Earick is a genius. Simply put when you learn the routines in this book your appreciation for sleight of hand will captivate your imagination.The construction of effects and sleights stand the test of time. It is a must have.
- GenresMagic
206 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 1, 2026
At 13 years old, By Forces Unseen nurtured an obsession with card magic that I have found myself incapable of kicking. It represents my first "real" book on the matter, separate from the gimmicky, though charming instruction manuals found in the baby's first magic kits that peppered the early 2000s. Since its publication in 1993, card magicians have mythologized Earnest Earick's "[i]nnovative [c]ard [m]agic" as one of the most difficult collections of card magic ever published.
Of course, I knew nothing of its reputation on my first read, and so in my naïveté, I simply believed that card magic must simply be exceptionally difficult. This certainly colored my views of card magic for the better; despite its difficulty, the material in By Forces Unseen is well considered and crucially, treats card magic with the respect it deserves. Earick went to great efforts to craft material with the viewers in mind. In reading, you may find yourself often asking, "why does this matter?" On each occasion, the answer is, "because it improves the viewer's experience." In this way, Earick forced me, from the very beginning, to treat card magic with great respect. Accordingly, I credit him not merely for most of my skill with cards, but also in helping form my belief that it is exceedingly difficult to achieve even passable skill at anything.
By Forces Unseen is required reading for any card magician purporting to care about the craft as an art.
Of course, I knew nothing of its reputation on my first read, and so in my naïveté, I simply believed that card magic must simply be exceptionally difficult. This certainly colored my views of card magic for the better; despite its difficulty, the material in By Forces Unseen is well considered and crucially, treats card magic with the respect it deserves. Earick went to great efforts to craft material with the viewers in mind. In reading, you may find yourself often asking, "why does this matter?" On each occasion, the answer is, "because it improves the viewer's experience." In this way, Earick forced me, from the very beginning, to treat card magic with great respect. Accordingly, I credit him not merely for most of my skill with cards, but also in helping form my belief that it is exceedingly difficult to achieve even passable skill at anything.
By Forces Unseen is required reading for any card magician purporting to care about the craft as an art.
June 5, 2012
Fantastic book, fantastic material. Moves especially.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews