The Card Magic of Edward G. Brown

Launch offer: purchase The Card Magic of Edward G. Brown now, and receive a free download of Andi Gladwin's talk on Brown from The Session 2019.

“Definitely the finest sleight of hand magician in the country.” Dai Vernon

Edward G. Brown was known as one of the finest sleight-of-hand artists of all time, yet his presence is all but forgotten, almost certainly due to the scarcity of his astounding book, The Card Magic of Edward G. Brown.

Working with The Magic Circle, Andi Gladwin has reproduced this rare book, and combined it with a thorough analysis of Brown's life work in a separate "study guide."

Brown’s book is a view to card magic of a different era. The book contains an equal mixture of parlor and close-up card magic: some easy, and some difficult. Brown was one of the earliest proponents of “naturalness” and “uniformity of action” and much of the material is as relevant and interesting today as it ever was. Amongst the many treasures created by Brown, you’ll learn the trick that Andi Gladwin believes is one of the best-constructed card tricks of all time; the transposition of a genuinely freely thought-of card from one spectator to another. As you read each trick, you can use Andi’s study guide to learn more details about the method On occasion, you’ll even learn extra handlings (including a previously-unpublished Dai Vernon effect).

Books like this come along all too rarely; a sought-after text, analyzed by an expert in that area. If you appreciate fine card magic, this two-book set deserves a place on your shelf. Within just a few minutes of reading, you’ll understand why some of magic’s finest give it their highest recommendations:

“Vanishing, Inc.’s gorgeous new edition of the excellent and previously highly sought (read “expensive”) classic Card Magic of Edward G. Brown is special in every respect. The card magic in this book is still very worth your study. Brown was a remarkable mind whose thinking was respected by Dai Vernon and many others. This reincarnation is beautifully done in all respects, and Andi Gladwin’s accompanying notes give new and welcome insight into the material. I can’t think of a single reason not to recommend this work most highly.” Stephen Minch

“When I first began to study card magic seriously, Bob White taught me his handlings of two effects by E. G. Brown: “The Twelve Card Thought Transition” and “The Spelling Trick.” Versions of these two excellent performance pieces remain in my repertoire to this day. Now, thanks to Vanishing Inc., Brown’s material is available to another generation of students. Their reprint of The Card Magic of Edward G. Brown is not merely a collector’s piece that will great look on the bookshelf; more importantly, Andi Gladwin’s insightful notes make it an example of the kind of scholarly work our magical literature deserves.” Jared Kopf

“A beautifully produced tribute to Edward G. Brown classic text. Andi has does a wonderful job bringing it back to life.” Scott Penrose, President of The Magic Circle

“What a fantastic book about the life of Edward G. Brown. Not only do you get insights into his life, but also you’ll get his take on classic card tricks. This book contains some extremely clever ideas and the thinking and theory behind those ideas. And, it’s a beautifully written and designed. Highly recommended.” Jason Ladanye

“Andi has done the magic world a huge favour by reprinting The Card Magic of Edward G. Brown. It is an excellent look into the magic of an underground expert lost in time. Vanishing Inc. has really outdone themselves with the production quality of this beautiful book. I wish I had known about Edward's magic earlier, because the tricks in here are thought provoking and inspiring.” Harapan Ong

“The brilliant British magician Edward G. Brown has been unjustly forgotten twice. After his death in 1947, attention to his work lapsed. Then, when Trevor C. Hall published The Card Magic of Edward G. Brown in 1973, it stirred up renewed interest—which quickly faded. Now, Andi Gladwin has republished that book, accompanied by a useful new ‘study guide’ that will help the reader understand just how damned good this material was and still is.” Max Maven