Cummins, Paul: Tricks Of My Trade: The Magic of Doug Conn
©1999 Paul Cummins
Hardcover, w/dj, 195 pages

Cummins: Tricks of My Trade Magic of Doug Conn
Image courtesy e-Bay seller Jadoo272


Comment: (Bill Duncan). Was also available as an e-Book from Doug Conn

Contents: (numbers are not page numbers)

1 Chameleon Sandwich: Here's something of a rarity. A color changing deck routine that isn't another Triumph effect.
2 Triumph Tools: Doug's Triumph cutting display and idea for a bit of business that makes "the moment" that the cards right themselves a visible highlight.
3 ESJoker: Two cards a selected. The Joker informs the magician ala "The Whispering Queen" of the names of the two selections. When the face of the Joker, which as been handled by a spectator, is next seen it has changed in a charming and logical way. This is a real "worker" and worth gold to anyone who performs for laymen. It's dead easy to do and more entertaining that half of the stuff you already know.
4 Particle Press: A popular move, used in reverse, to produce a coin. A very clever idea.
5 Fit to Be Tie'd: Vanish and reproduction of a coin using your necktie.
6 Taking it Dice and Easy: a trio of effects using spectator rolled dice, and cards.
7 Rubber Revelation: Production of four of a kind (aces in the description) using a rubber band to (ostensibly) find a selected card. The rubber band vanishes to encircle the selection.
8 Ambush in Blue: Technicolor Collectors routine where four blue aces find three selections in a red pack.
9 Copper, Silver, Brash: a very commercial Copper / Silver routine with a very subtle switch in method for the "standard" gaffed coin.
10 Three-peat: A three coin production, vanish and reproduction sequence showing how to routine Particle Press, Fit to Be Tie'd and a clever dodge from Copper, Silver, Brash into a very deceptive routine. A lesson in how to routine simple effects into an entertaining piece of magic.
11 Tic Tac Turnover: A very graceful flourish for displaying a selected card. Michael Skinner would have loved this...
12 Spongology: Extremely clever "bit's 'o bizness" for the classic S.S.Adams sponge rabbits.
13 Smoke Poke: An unlit cigarette is shoved into the eye and vanishes. Both hands are seen empty and the cigarette reappears between the lips.
14 Weighing the Aces: A theatrically solid ace cutting. First you dead cut to one ace, then two at once from two packets. Then as an explanation of how you perform this impressive feat you have the spectator cut a small packet of cards and you match the cut exactly and show that you have also cut to the final ace.
15 Diamond Mine: Conn's version of Elmsley's Diamond Cut Diamond.
15 Conn Gets Purse'n'l: Coin and Purseframe magic years before Shoot Ogawa.
16 Cornered Coins: A four coin routine in which coins appear on the table after the fashion of the card under glass effect.
17 Long Distance Call to the Colors: A demonstration of dealing reds and black in pairs, triplets and etc. at will.
18 The Pincher Change: A method for switching a card sandwiched between to other cards and a simple effect, which features it.
19 Flush Brush: Conn's handling of Chris Kenner's Paint By Numbers from Totally Out Of Control. The pack is transformed into a paintbrush and the four aces are "painted" on the close-up pad. Finally four Royal Flushes are produced.
20 Impossible 21 Card Trick: for fans of the classic 21-card trick. A fooler.
21 Scramble: A brilliant "shadow coins" style assembly using Scrabble tiles. On a repeat of the effect the tiles actually spell out what they are doing!
22 Pip Trip: A misprinted four of clubs is fixed by having it's pips moved to their correct locations.
23 An Artistic Application: Spectator chosen colors appear and blend on a "freely selected" card.
24 Rubber Room Change: a card, isolated in a rubber band changes.
25 Tricked Traveler: The Invisible Palm performed with a unique and clever gaffed card, which allows for the aces to be show in the hand before traveling to the table.
26 Three Lumps: Coins to Glass routine using coffee cup. Two versions. The use of a cup in coins across is ideal for restaurant work because it uses an object that is common to the environment and the sound of the coins arriving in the cup attracts attention from the other tables.
27 Three Peace's: A fortune telling effect featuring Conn's Opener, a method for adding a small packet of cards to the deck or a pile of cards. Useful in other effects where a small setup is required after the spectators have shuffled the pack.
28 Double Play: A single card revelation. The card pops into view face up, sandwiched in the center of the pack. Best of all the card is a double which can then be changed in the standard fashion.
29 Conn's Fusion: Two selected, and marked, cards are fused together.
30 Evening Up The Odds: Matrix fans take note. The assembly is done using Playtime size miniature cards. The CARDS assemble leaving the coins on the table. Suggestions for how to routine this effect with a standard Matrix and a Shadow Coins finish.
31 Quadruple Bypass: Multiphase sandwich routine that includes the selection being stretched and shrinking to half size.
32 Final Remarks: Included Doug's Theory Section. Six words... memorize them.


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