No comments about Card Games for One (Family Matters).

No comments about Thirteen new solitaires: With hints for winning.

No comments about Dick's Games of Patience; or Solitaire with Cards.

1 comments about Peg Solitaire: 23 All-On-Your-Own Games (Klutz).

1. I absolutely love Klutz books, and have all of mine in a plastic bin that I call my "bored box" for when I have nothing to do.

   But I say, don't bother with this one. It's a disappointment.

   For one thing, each page is only about 3x3" (perforated, and you have to separate them yourself -- the actual equivalent equals only about 20 normal-sized pages). The book is highly overpriced (I didn't buy it through Amazon -- if you get it, get it through them since they have a good price on it!)...I paid $18 for it. And finally, in the first edition they made a mistake so just added a Post-It note to correct it!

   The worst thing about it is that there are only a few ways to play Peg Solitaire before you get bored with it.

   Instead of getting this one, unless you are a Peg Solitaire addict (because then you will probably like it), I recommend grabbing a friend and getting the Klutz Book of Board Games. It has one Solitaire game in it that you can play by yourself, but the rest of the games are for buddies. Or if you're convinced you want to play something all alone, get their Klutz Puzzle Arcade, full of puzzles -- it's an A+!

   By the way, sorry my review is so biased. I think Amazon has a pretty reasonable price for it, so you might want to go ahead and spend your cash on it if you really like this sort of game.

No comments about 150 Ways to Play Solitarie.

No comments about Tricks and Stunts with Playing Cards: Plus Games of Solitaire.

5 comments about Scarne on Card Tricks.

1. John Scarne is today perhaps best remembered as a leading authority on gambling scams and card cheats. However, in his prime, he was one of the best magicians in America. In the late 40s, as stated in the Introduction, Scarne decided to gather for magicians a set of card tricks involving no sleight-of-hand. The result is "Scarne on Card Tricks". The 155 effects in the book range from quick tricks and puzzlers to more elaborate card demonstrations. All of the effects are attributed to either the originator of the effect or to a magician who used the effect frequently. The book clearly bears Scarne's unique genius not only in the selection and variety of effects, but in Scarne's improvements of the original effects. There is no doubt that anyone can put together a most entertaining routine with the material in this book. Two words of caution. First, the copyright of the book is 1950 and so some of the patter is clearly dated and needs to be revised for contemporary audiences. (Patter is the words or story that accompany the effect.) Second, because the effects are easy to do when practiced, there is a tendency to perform the effects before fully thought out. For every hour learning the basic effect itself, two hours should be spent on how to present it in an entertaining and interesting manner. The book itself, however, remains one of the very best in card magic. Scarne's work clearly stands the test of time. Frankly, the book is a steal at the published price. I bought two copies because I knew I'd wear one book out. I did. The book is that useful.



2. This is the definitive collection of non sleight-of-hand (you don't have to be quick with your hands) card tricks. I bought my first paperback copy in 1974 when I was still a schoolboy. Some of the tricks are easy but astounding, such that I've memorised two of them and have amazed my friends over the years until now. Since then, there hasn't been any other card trick manual that can beat this one, to the best of my knowledge.



3. Many magicians own the Classic book "Scarne on Card Tricks." But it is said if you want to keep a trick a secret, put it in print! Most of what's in Scarne on Card Tricks is no doubt a complete mystery to most laymen--and many magicians! Its a great book for the card beginner.

   On the other hand, there's a lot of boring and tedious count-down stuff in there as well.

   The book is BIG--over 300 pages of carefully detailed effects. It can be a little overwhelming to someone the first time he picks it up. How do you separate the wheat from the chaff?

   Best, in my view, are the tricks that can be done TOTALLY impromptu, with very little or no stacking, when a deck is shoved into your hands and somebody says "Do a trick!".

   Here are some of the effects that I have judged to be best, based on the above criteria:

   The Upside down Deck by Francis Carlyle
   Hit the Deck
   Scarne's Follow the Leader
   Cardini's Color Discernment
   Card on the Ceiling
   Card through the Handkerchief

   Of course, You Do as I Do is also a classic, though it is fairly well known among magicians.

   In short, a little work digging out the best tricks will make you a true card magician in most people's eyes, with enough practice and performing experience.




4. The book arrived fast & in great shape. My nephew loves it! He loves it so much that he had to have the Scarne book on magic.



5. I can only rate the service of the delivery and the accuracy of the description of the book. I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

1 comments about Card Games/Victorian Patience and Other Games, for One or More Participants (Pocket Entertainments Series).

1. Like the other books in Bulfinch's Pocket Entertainments Series, this book is written in "period" language--the author is supposed to be a stuffy Victorian clergyman. Because this is pulled off well it makes the book that much more fun. I also enjoyed the illustrations: vintage playing cards, Victorian valentine-style pictures, a Renaissance painting (a cheating-at-cards scene), and dogs playing poker...The book includes solitaire games like devil and puss-in-the-corner as well as social games like bezique, whist, old sledge, and fan-tan. Even with the period language the instructions are easy to understand, which is not always the case in books of card games! The book's small size makes it conveniently portable.

No comments about The Fireside Book of Cards.

No comments about Solitaire and patience;: Seventy games to test the card player's skill and make a lonely hour pass quickly,.