When two of the finest creative thinkers in magic get together, there is an inevitable outpouring of theory, digital skill, originality, and presentation that opens new avenues of performance. These are guaranteed to delight the close-up magician be he beginner or advanced practitioner.

Here for the first time, two giants of conceptual magic combine to chronicle their creative ideas - the result of long, all day, regular weekly meetings that have taken place over a matter of years.

Wherever a pack of cards is shuffled, Jack Avis and Lewis Jones have been acclaimed world-wide for their original writings and contributions in magazines, books, and other sources of high profile magic.

Ahead of the Pack is a book that will undoubtedly stir the blood of true magic aficionados everywhere. In the pages of this book you will find devilish thinking that comes from a half century of passion and commitment to the creation of stunning magic in the mould of Dai Vernon, Ed Marlo, Alex Elmsley, John Ramsay, and Al Koran.

Here you will find gems that have been guarded secrets for ages, hitherto lodged in volumes of hand-written notebooks. Lewis Jones's amazing telephone effect Mystral is a mind-reading principle in which "people can make a free choice of virtually anything".

And Jack Avis releases for the first time a totally new handling of the Centre-Tear that requires no palming, and no turning away for a secret glimpse - a method that will surely be welcomed into the repertoire of mentalists everywhere.

Just two highly imaginative ideas from an original and creative magic duo that together with sixty other new ideas, moves, and routines, will unquestionably find their way into the annals of 21st century quality magic

Contents:

Page 001 INTRODUCTION
Page 003 TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Page 005 Lift Off
Page 013 Paragon Pilfer
Page 015 Jog Slip Force
Page 017 Fangle
Page 022 Slydini's Lost Ambitious Card
Page 025 Strip Tease
Page 029 Safe Double
Page 031 Stainless Steal
Page 034 Rolloers
Page 045 MENTAL DETECTORS
Page 047 40698
Page 049 Outs For Vernon
Page 055 Remote View - The Sequel
Page 059 Double Entendre
Page 063 The Full Monte
Page 068 The Third Eye
Page 071 Double Take
Page 075 ON LOCATION
Page 077 Stop Thief
Page 082 Empathy
Page 085 Impossible
Page 088 Starburst
Page 090 Fingered
Page 092 Letters For Stewart
Page 094 What's My Card ?
Page 097 Club Sandwich
Page 100 Countback
Page 102 No Rough Monkey
Page 105 Double - Decker
Page 108 Can't Be Bad
Page 113 PLAY THE GAME
Page 115 Switchback
Page 117 Trine
Page 120 Babylon
Page 125 Turn Of The Century
Page 129 90 PER CENT REDUCTION
Page 131 Fish
Page 136 High Five
Page 141 Move Over Again, Moe
Page 146 Dual Control
Page 149 CALL TO THE COLOURS
Page 151 Colour Co - Ordinates
Page 154 Back To Back To Back
Page 160 Twins Collide
Page 162 Rack And Bled
Page 170 Even Further
Page 173 STORY TIME
Page 175 Goings - On
Page 178 Bad Luck Mansion
Page 185 Batman Meets His Match
Page 187 Invasion Of The Body Snatchers
Page 192 Shape Shifters
Page 197 CLOSE UP AND PERSONAL
Page 199 Triad
Page 202 Dater Base
Page 206 Name Dropper
Page 209 Channel Tunnel
Page 212 Jubilee
Page 217 CARDS PLUS
Page 219 Con Text
Page 224 Dicy
Page 227 Seven Up
Page 231 THE FINAL RECKONING
Page 233 by The Numbers
Page 239 Calculated Risk
Page 242 I`ve Got Your Number
Page 245 Square - Bashing
Page 257 CABBAGES AND KINGS
Page 259 The Coin Can
Page 263 Paperchase
Page 267 Off - Centre Tear
Page 274 Mystral