Lennart Green's Stolen Cards and the classic trick where you get the spectator to select 10 cards, tear them in half, shuffle the two face-down torn piles and then use the 'will the cards match' technique to match the torn half cards up up. Apologies, I can't recall the name of the originator/creator.

I can not choose just one.

My favorites are:
Richard Vollmer - Strike a Match
John Hamilton - Eyes of the God
Dai Vernon - Emotional Reaction
Benjamin Earl - Sow by the Lug
Simon Aronson - Self-Control Lie Speller
Paul Gordon - Head To Head Poker
Thom Peterson - The Known
Matthew J. Dowden - Out of this World
Andrew Wimhurst - Cheating at 21
John Carey - An impossible conclusion
Ben Blau - Unfazed
Ben Blau - CRIMSON CLUPEIDAE
Ben Blau - SORT OF THE TRUTH
Cameron Francis - Deceit Treat
Andrew Brown and Atlas Brookings - The Crusade - A Mind Reader's ACAAN

Thank you for this list. Where can the Richard Vollmer and Hamilton effects be found if you don't mind sharing?
Best Wishes.

Boy! You guys have to start reading the good stuff!!

What was that a response to?

I have read some of your books Harry and I like them.

With all due respect, I found the comment to be unduly mean and unfounded. Surely, there is a lot in the literature that is totally unknown to most practitioners, but there are also some excellent contemporary specimens. I see no reason to disparage them.

With all due respect, Ben, let me repeat (important to some - not all, obviously - and obviously not to you) - You guys have to start reading the good stuff!

Oh, and by no means do I intend to "disparage" anyone. I see no reason for you to have made that statement.

Harry, it could reasonably be taken by the context in which your statement was made, that the routines listed in the previous post didn't represent "the good stuff" from your vantage point. That's the part that struck me as unduly disparaging. Sorry if I misinterpreted or mischaracterized your intentions. It happens to me almost every day online.

Your apology accepted. And I'm going to have to repeat - from what I see from the majority of posts here - most have not read my books - which are FILLED with impromptu card magic. Now, if I'm wrong - please accept my apologies again - so that we can end this great debate. (And if anyone here would like me to list the books of mine I'm referring to, or where to find them available, just let me know - it'd be my pleasure.)

"Richard Vollmer - Strike a Match" can be found in "Impromptu Card Magic Volume 4 DVD by Colombini" and "John Hamilton - Eyes of the God" in (Mike Maxwell - Incredible Self-Working Card Tricks Volume 1"

All the best!

I'm sorry Harry, but I interpreted it that way too.

Thanks for the sources qualysoft!

Don't blame me for how you "interpret," qualysoft. "You gotta' start reading the good stuff" is a cliché of mine that I've written/posted at various forums for years now. And nobody, until this thread, certainly not those who've been into magic for some time, seemed at all "disturbed" about it.

As a matter of fact - I'm usually thanked for stressing it to/for those for whom it should be stressed. Usually the responses are statement like "absolutely" - "Listen to Harry" - etc.

Harry, I've read some of your books.

So I'd be interested to see a list from you of "the good stuff" in books *other* than your own - which you would recommend or speak positively about? I'd especially be interested to know what contemporary material you'd recommend, i.e. say from the last 10-15 years.

I wrote about this so often, in APOCALYPSE over the twenty years, in forums, and etc. I am very careful about recommending ANYTHING - except my own stuff. Know why? And I speak from long-ago experience - if I recommend anyone else's book/trick, whatever - I immediately receive Lord knows how many screams from others yelling "What about MY book/MY stuff?!" Unfortunately or fortunately I'm in that kind of silly position. Learned my lesson decades ago.

So, sorry, I just won't do any recommendations. So EndersGame, I can/will recommend only my books - which is what I mean when I say "You gotta' start reading the good stuff!" If you, or anyone, don't agree - hey, that's fine, I have no argument with that.

Let's be fair, and admit that both sides bear some responsibility.

Yes, I'll bear responsibility for writing many books containing MUCH, almost all, impromptu card magic, done anywhere, any time, with any deck - which OTHERS all over the world have raved about for decades, starting with my first book - CLOSE-UP CARD MAGIC and all the way to JAW DROPPERS ONE.

I doubt if you'd want me to list all the rave snail mail/emails - that'd take up much too much space. Testimonials like - "No magic writer more gifted than Harry Lorayne. There are too many card gods to count but Mr. Lorayne is Zeus atop Mount Olympus."(Panlives)

Or - "Probably the greatest teacher magic has ever seen! I earn my living performing many of the routines I first learned from many of your books. You have been a constant source of inspiration." (Michael Vincent)

Or - "Harry Lorayne IS card magic." (Chris Kavanagh) Or - "Harry Lorayne has given me, and so many others, the encouragement to learn and progress." (David Regal) I can list hundreds more if you'd like - just to stress those who HAVE "read the good stuff"!!!.


So, yeah, I'll take full (not "some") responsibility for stating - You gotta' start reading the good stuff!!! Trying to be as "fair" as I possibly can, Ben. Hope you're satisfied - but if not, hey - your prerogative.

It's amazing to me that when I'm trying to help I'm forced into these kinds of posts. So, anyway, thanks for "forcing" me.