(originally published in 1981 by Chuck Martinez -- this is a early 1990's reprint by D. Robbins) 

I missed this wonderful little booklet when it was released almost 40 years ago.  I was absorbing magic like a sponge at that time, but I guess when I went for one year of college abroad (in 1981), I got temporarily distracted by the beautiful UK landscapes and missed keeping up on my magic consumption.

The book was written by Robert McDaniel, and edited by Chuck Martinez (who is most notably known for publishing the early Paul Harris books).    I am guessing that Martinez did a fairly small run of his edition -- he even jokes in the book's Forward, about how crazy he is to publish another book!   That may be why I never saw this book back in those days.    But D. Robbins was publishing some excellent magic books in the mid-1980's, and bought the rights from Martinez.    They did not include a re-print date in this edition, but I estimate it is from the early 1990's. 

As the name would imply, the book is all card stuff, with a few really excellent routines, and the rest very good.  There is a great effect where the Heart pip jumps off the King of Hearts and ends up stuck to the King of Spades.  Another of my favorites is McDaniel's handling of the signed torn and restored card.   Practical, effective and not too difficult to master.    Another fun item is where the magician tears a deck of cards in half!   Don't worry, McDaniel's also provides a strong prediction effect that uses two halves of a deck, so after your tear it in half, you can follow with another trick!   

Also included are routines with the various plats that were popular in the 1980's -- a 3-phase sandwich routine, a flashy Ace production, a smart version of Don Alan's Ranch Bird card trick, and a neat multiple card transformation.

Although I missed finding this book 40 years ago, I am glad I finally got a chance to see it.  It is good!    I found a few of these in a box of new-old dealer inventory -- they look brand new.    So if you missed this book way back when like I did, you can enjoy it now.

Best price I saw searching today was a used one for $30.    And that was for this same reprint, not one of the Chuck Martinez 1st editions. (They were spiral bound -- this reprint is saddle-stitched.)   

But since I have a few (in Mint condition), you can get it for a lot less!