Pr1me Playing Cards from Italy! Now Available! ***Sold Out***
Greetings from Conjuring Arts! We are very happy to be able to supply a new and exciting deck from a new and exciting producer of playing cards. These Pr1me cards were brought to our attention by Jared Molton and we are very enthusiastic. They are imported from Italy and feature an elegant classical design. More importantly, however, is the excellent feel, handling, and production value of these superb cards.
You will notice right away that they are quite thin while being exceptionally strong and springy. In fact, they are reminiscent of the legendary Jerry’s Nugget playing cards and other cards from the 1970s, having an almost varnished feel. They stay very flat and have an extraordinary spring to them despite being thin. [You might notice that some of the blue decks are a bit softer than the reds, but not all, so go with the red if you are looking for the most spring]
Additionally you will be surprised at the precision registration. As you can see in the photo, the borders are quite slim but perfectly centered. They look fantastic! The great, classical design on the back also features a subtle one-way aspect that can be utilized for magic related purposes.
We will point out, in advance, that the tuck cases are nothing extraordinary and are, in fact, quite disappointing, but the cards more than make up for it! Definitely get a deck or two to try out (or more before they sell out!), we think you will be very happy, and please let us know what you think of these excellent new cards!
We only have 200 decks and do not plan to get any more so order quickly to avoid disappointment. We imported them for you to try out and to see if you are as excited as we are by the extraordinary handling and feel of this new deck.
Price: only $7.99 plus shipping! Or as little as $7.49 a deck if you buy a dozen!
Buy Now ***Sold Out***
De viribus quantitatis by Luca Pacioli
We are very pleased to offer a few copies of a very elegant publication of De viribus quantitatis for sale on our website. This important treatise represents what could be the first book largely devoted to magic and one of the very first places to describe card tricks, as well as numerous other principles. This also represents the first time the book has been published! Dating from the 1490s, it was written by Fra. Luca Pacioli with help from his colleague, and Renaissance [Super] Man, Leonardo da Vinci, no less.
This edition features three books in a slip case and everything is a marvel to behold. There is a facsimile of the original manuscript in old Italian, an analysis in modern Italian, and a summary and commentary in English. The books are beautiful, and there was definitely no expense spared in this sumptuous reprint. (Notice: this is not an English translation!)
Although everything is not translated into English, it is a remarkable work in both authorship and the physical presence of this new edition. Highly recommended to collectors, those interested in history, or anyone that can read Italian! It is very hard to get in the US, and we are lucky to be able to offer the few copies that we do have available.
Here is an article about the book and information concerning a possible English translation in the future: The Guardian
Order yours here!
Playing Cards Enter Toy Hall of Fame!
We are very pleased to announce that playing cards have joined the stick, amongst other items, in the National Toy Hall of Fame! Congratulations to playing cards on this achievement! To learn more visit these websites:
Playing cards would certainly make it into a magician’s apparatus hall of fame. What else would be in there?
3 Year Old Tightrope Walker
A 3 year old girl walks across a tightrope stretched over an enclosure containing six Siberian tigers. When asked if she likes tightrope walking, she said, “Yes, because I started at a very young age”. Rumor has it that next year they will be featuring a 4 year old tightrope walker.
Robot Magicians?
This is amazing! A robot hand that can grab, throw, catch, dribble, tie knots, spin pens, etc. How long will it be before we can watch a robot expertly perform the whole calendar of sleights in Erdnase? Will sleights of the future be developed on the computer and available for download onto our robot hands? Will practice become obsolete? Exciting and interesting times are at hand, literally.
Learn more about this here.
Ask Alexander 2.0 Beta!
Those of you who have logged in to Alexander recently may have noticed the new look and some new features. We are calling it Ask Alexander 2.0, and, although we are still working on many neat ideas, it is coming along nicely.
The first thing you will notice is the new design which was elegantly conceived and created by Dave Buck. Second, you will notice a number of improved functions with regard to the search. These include thumbnail pictures of the book covers next to the results, more results, and, this is the big one, a much faster search! Try it and see, even a search for “Houdini” or other big search term returns the results almost immediately. 
Third, we have expanded upon the collections idea with a page feature called “My Alex”. Here you can assemble a bookshelf of your favorite books and give them ratings so you can locate them instantly. Additionally, there is a button to repeat your last search or to look at all of your previous searches.
Hopefully these new features will help you find some wonderful new knowledge and improve your magic! Thank you very much to Dan Smith, Dave Buck, and Dan Smith for all of their help in this and future iterations of Alexander. Also, if you have computer skills that may be of help to us, please consider volunteering as we could certainly use the help in making a great tool even better. Happy searching!
Alexander 2.0 Beta to be Unveiled at Magic-Con!
One of the most exciting events of 2010 is nearly upon us, and we are excited to announce that we will be playing a small part in this grand endeavor. In addition to appearances and talks by nearly every epic magician on the planet (please check out the line up here, it is breathtaking), Conjuring Arts will be present to unveil the new look and functionality of Ask Alexander 2.0 Beta. Those of us at the center lucky enough to check out this version of Ask Alexander have been very pleased and are excited for everyone to see the results.
Thanks to Dan and Dave Buck for letting us have this opportunity and for their help in designing Alex 2.0!
Stevie Starr: The Regurgitator
Stevie Starr’s performance at F.I.S.M. 2006 in Stockholm, Sweden was one of the highlights of this grand event. While not presented as magic, Mr. Starr’s performances have a lot in common with our art, and he is certainly a very entertaining performer. The clip featured here is from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and offers a couple of Mr. Starr’s astounding feats of sleight of stomach.
Conjuring Arts in the NY Times!
On Sunday, March 7, 2010, the New York Times published an article on the Millionaires’ Magician, Steve Cohen, titled “Grand Illusions”. Mr. Cohen has been known to frequent the library when researching effects for his show Chamber Magic which plays at the Waldorf-Astoria here in New York. The article features a profile of Mr. Cohen as well as some of the tricks he performs. Additionally there are portions of the article which focus on where and how he acquires his secrets, one of which is Conjuring Arts!
If you don’t have access to the print edition of the article, it is available electronically here.
Ricky Jay on 60 Minutes
Ricky Jay is featured on a recent 60 Minutes piece, titled “Scams: Pigeon Fever”, to discuss the nature of scams and human gullibility. Mr. Jay explains why experts in certain fields are more likely to be hoodwinked, demonstrates the blind faith people put in authority, and cautions against anything that seems too good to be true. Additionally they have a scene in Mr. Jay’s library where we get to see some excellent pieces from his collection as he discusses some prominent historical scams.
Watch the whole piece above or watch the excerpts featuring Mr. Jay below:
