Beam, Steve: Semi-Automatic Card Tricks I
©1993, ©2003 (2nd Edition) Trapdoor Productions
Hardcover w/dust-jacket; 171 Pages

Comments: (Wolfgang): Series still available (Jan 2013) from Steve Beam's Trapdoor Productions.

Contents:

1 Introduction
3 On Performing Magic

5 Gambling Effects
7 Gentleman´s Bet
9 Unbeatable (John Riggs)
11 Color Vision
13 Scaling The Cards

15 Spelling Effects
16 Bottoming Out
19 Raw Deal (Wayne Kyzer)
20 I Cannot Spell A Lie (Allan Slaight)
22 Super Speller (Tom Craven)
24 The Custom Card Trick (Tom Craven)
25 The World´s Greatest Magician

29 Future Foretold
31 Quadruple Prediction
35 The Ladder Prediction
39 The Portable Ladder (Scott Robinson)
41 The Falling Prediction (John Riggs)
44 The Falling Prediction II
45 The Postcard (Martini)
47 The Opened Prediction
50 The Unopened Prediction
52 The Closed Prediction
53 The Public Prediction
54 The Solution (John Riggs)
56 LII - kelihood (Stewart James)

59 Coincidences
62 Mating Season I
63 Mating Season II
67 Mating Season III
69 Mating Season IV
71 Cutting Match
73 Forte (Wayne Kyzer)
75 Open And Shut (Wayne Kyzer)

77 Singularities (Miscellaneous effects)
79 Mathematical Card Trick
83 Boxer Shorts (Richard Bartram)
85 Odd Man Out
88 The Traveler (Michael Beam)
90 Marked Phenomena
92 The Cascade (Tom Craven)
94 The Packed Wallet (Simon Lovell)
97 Lube Job

99 Topological Card Tricks
101 Charged Cards
109 The Toy (Scott Robinson)
113 Severance Pay (Scott Robinson)

117 Impossible Locations
119 The Optical Location (John Riggs)
121 Lucky 13
123 Double Dealer
125 The Lost Key
126 A Fine Mess
130 Locator Service (Gary Plants)
131 Locator Service II (Gary Plants)
132 Uncanny (Doug Canning)
136 Impaired
138 Jinxed
142 Killocation

147 Moves
149 Backwards Prophecy (Bill Simon)
151 A Cut Below (Steve Pressley)
153 A Cut Above
154 Bottom Out (Wayne Kyzer)

155 Glossary

157 Leftovers
159 Crediting Magic
161 Becoming A Professional Restaurant Magician
163 How to Develop Your Memory Glands
165 Advertisement

167 " Thanksgiven"

169 Index

Written and Illustrated by Steve Beam. Hardbound, 170 pages, 50+ illustrations

In Volume One of Steve Beam's Semi-Automatic Card Tricks you will find more than fifty professional card tricks and routines. These are not your typical self-working card tricks. Most come complete with the patter and presentation to show you exactly how the inventors of the tricks present them. This enables you to astound and entertain any audience with top quality card magic.

Clever principles and devious subtleties have supplanted sleight of hand. Unlike many self-working tricks, these do not appear to be self-working to the audience. The latest technology has been used to eliminate superflous dealing and counting. Magicians and non-magicians alike will give you credit for great skill when you present these miracles. The humorous presentational ideas and patter will ensure that you are also credited with being a complete performer.

The author is the editor and publisherof The Trapdoor, one of the primary sources and resources for professional quality magic for magicians. Twenty-five years of performing and studying magic have given the author the experience to know what works before an audience. This knowledge has been used to invent and select only the best in cutting edge card effects. Combine this seasoning with fifteen years of international lecturing to magicans and the result is strong performance material that is properly and clearly taught.

If you enjoy card magic, you will eventually read this book. The only question is whether you will read it before or after being fooled and entertained by a trick contained within.