Before Bert Allerton burst onto the Chicago magic scene in the early 1940's, close-up magic was relegated mainly to magic bartenders in the "shot and a beer" joints that catered to working class guys in the "city of broad shoulders." Even when magic was done table-side in swankier night spots, it was usually performed by stage magicians, like Paul Rosini, merely as an income-boosting sideline. Bert Allerton changed all that and transformed close-up magic into a well-paying entertainment specialty in its own right. In this new compilation, we bring you just over two dozen disarming Allerton card deceptions, including pet effects, moves, deck switches, and even bits of comedy business that made him one of the world's top close-up magicians. We've also included a couple of informative articles written about him while he was at the height of his career, as well as a few examples of his promotional pieces. 46 pages.

CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION

BIOGRAPHY

LECTURE NOTES

WILL YOU PUT THAT IN WRITING?

MERRY MISCHIEF (SECTION)

ON MY MIND

DIRECTOSCOPIC MIND READING

CARD READING

THE ESOPHAGUS CARD

MINDREADING

THREE ALLERTON GAGS

CARD CHICANERY (SECTION)

THINK-A-CARD

ALLERTON’S INDICATOR

YOU REMEMBER THIS ONE

ALLERTON'S AMAZING ACES

NAME YOUR NUMBER

THE ALLERTON CHANGE

ALLERTON’S PASS

DOUBLE SPELLER

THE BIG-LITTLE TRICK (DECK SWITCH)

THE CRAFTY JOKER (DECK SWITCH)

THE TWO-CARD TRICK

TRANSCENDENT TRICK

MEMORIZING THE DECK

THE MAGIC CARD SQUARE

ON THE PHONE

COMMUNITY DO AS I DO

TORN AND RESTORED CARD (ORIGINAL)

THE MISSING DEUCE

THE ASPIRIN BOX

ALLERTON’S DECK STAB (OVERVIEW)

CHAMPAGNE AND LEGERDEMAIN

ALLERTON PROMOTIONAL BROCHURE/TABLE CARD

BROKEN WAND