''The Expert at the Card Table'', is an extensive book on the art of
sleight of hand
Sleight of hand (also known as prestidigitation or ''legerdemain'' () comprises fine motor skills used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. It is closely associated with close-up magic, card magic, card fl ...
published in 1902 by
S. W. Erdnase, a
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
ous author whose identity has remained a mystery for over a century. As a detailed manual of
card sharp
A card sharp (also card shark, sometimes hyphenated or spelled as a single word) is a person who uses skill or deception to win at card games (such as poker). "Sharp" and "shark" spellings have varied over time and by region.
The label is not a ...
s, the book is considered to be one of the most influential works on
magic or conjuring with
cards
{{Redirect, CARDS, other uses, Cards (disambiguation){{!Cards
The CARDS programme, of Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development and Stabilisation, is the EU's main instrument of financial assistance to the Western Balkans, covering spec ...
.
Description of the book
''The Expert at the Card Table'' covers the art of
card manipulation
Card manipulation, commonly known as card magic, is the branch of magic that deals with creating effects using sleight of hand techniques involving playing cards. Card manipulation is often used in magical performances, especially in close-up, ...
and
sleight of hand
Sleight of hand (also known as prestidigitation or ''legerdemain'' () comprises fine motor skills used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. It is closely associated with close-up magic, card magic, card fl ...
at gambling tables. It was written, according to its author, because "if it sells it will accomplish the primary motive of the author, as he needs the money".
Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner (October 21, 1914May 22, 2010) was an American popular mathematics and popular science writer with interests also encompassing magic, scientific skepticism, micromagic, philosophy, religion, and literatureespecially the writin ...
described the book as "the most famous, the most carefully studied book ever published on the art of manipulating cards at gaming tables".
Similarly,
David Copperfield
''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...
described it as "a detailed description of the sleight of hand used by crooked gamblers and card magicians. With discussion of everything from false shuffles to fake cuts, dodgy dealing to secret palming, it was the ultimate instructional manual on how to cheat".
Despite his widespread influence on the magician community, the author's identity remains an unsolved mystery. The book may have been published under an assumed name given that it was illegal to distribute books on crooked gambling in the early 1900s.
Many believe Erdnase's real name was E.S. Andrews (S.W. Erdnase spelled backwards). (See Gardner's Foreword, pp. vii-ix.)
Another theory is that the author is Wilbur E. Sanders, son of Senator
Wilbur F. Sanders. W.E. Sanders is an anagram of S. W. Erdnase, and Sanders had the education, knowledge of magic, and familiarity with gambling necessary to write the book.
According to David Copperfield, "
e pursuit of Erdnase has dominated the lives of many magicians and has led them to spend thousands of hours searching public records, newspaper articles, genealogical archives, bankruptcy files, image banks, magic books, yearbooks, census documents, and local libraries".
Originally the author started selling the book for $2.00 in 1902 and the next year it dropped to $1.00. Although the author did not renew the copyright, the book has remained in print since 1902, albeit small private printings on occasion.
First editions are "highly sought after by collectors", and David Copperfield has a copy in his private museum.
Legacy
Dai Vernon is credited with popularizing this influential text in the community of professional magicians. Well past ninety years of age, Vernon was fond of quoting from it, with page numbers, when discussing card techniques with his colleagues at the
Magic Castle.
In ''Expert Card Technique'',
Jean Hugard
Jean Hugard (4 December 1871 – 14 August 1959) was an Australian professional magician and author, often co-writing with Frederick Braue. Among his better known works are the books ''The Royal Road to Card Magic'', ''Encyclopedia of Card Tric ...
said of it, "... perhaps no other book in all the list of conjuring books has been so avidly read, so affectionately regarded."
Erdnase's glossary of terms was in itself extremely influential, and has been reproduced more or less directly by numerous authors, including Hugard,
and Henry Hay.
The influence of this book is such that it has been issued in annotated form;
translated into Japanese, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian,
and Korean; and issued as a series of DVDs by a professional magician, demonstrating and explaining Erdnase's techniques and methods.
A featured show of the story of Expert of the Card Table is also performed regularly by UK magician Guy Hollingworth.
Adaptations
In 2008, a one-man play inspired by ''The Expert at the Card Table'', starring
Guy Hollingworth and directed by
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received List of awards and nominations ...
, was performed at the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...
. The play was successful and in subsequent years was performed in London and the United States.
References
External links
*
*
Artifice, ruse, and subterfuge at the card table : a treatise on the science and art of manipulating cardsFrom the Collections at the Library of Congress
Erdnase FilmOfficial Movie Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Expert at the Card Table
1902 books
Card magic
Sleight of hand
Magic books
Works published under a pseudonym
Treatises