OFTEN RARELY THAT SIMPLE

Often Rarely That Simple is a 224-page photo book showcasing exclusive card techniques by Alex Hansford.

This book features a variety of rare card sleights, visual color changes, and innovative palms. It includes eight routines along with additional variations for specific effects. Drawing inspiration from the works of Dan & Dave, Guy Hollingworth, and Ernest Earick, Often Rarely That Simple celebrates the beauty and deception of card magic.

It marks the inaugural release in the new series under THE NEAT REVIEW imprint.

Everything presented is achieved through sleight of hand using just a single deck of cards. No gimmicks, duplicates, or accomplices are required. The material ranges from intermediate to advanced levels, blending relaxed effects with visually striking and technically demanding routines. Most tricks are performed in-hand, allowing for easy adaptation to various settings.

The production quality is exceptional, making Often Rarely That Simple as much an artistic piece as it is a guide to card manipulation.

OFTEN RARELY contents:

Control the First – A remarkable approach to the multiple card control plot. Four Aces are inserted at distinct positions in the deck. With a single shuffle, they all rise to the top. This method’s layering, combined with a newly introduced false shuffle, ensures complete deception.

Control the Second – An in-hand multiple card control that can accommodate any number of cards. The four Jacks or a royal flush can be placed visibly in the deck, and with just one riffle shuffle, they are controlled to the top.

The Limestone Yearbook – Alex’s version of spectator cuts to the Aces, where the Aces are visibly spread throughout the deck. Spectators find the Aces without any second or bottom deals, making it largely self-working.

Faro Multiple Shift – Four Aces are placed in the deck and, under the guise of a Faro shuffle, they are controlled to the top without any visible breaks.

Travelling as You Please – A blend of the Hofzinser plot and a Paul Harris effect. A chosen card is lost in the deck while the Aces remain separate. One Ace vanishes, and the chosen card appears in the deck, transforming into the selected card.

Alternate Handlings – Suggestions and modifications by Justin Higham, Andrew Frost, and Bradley Hodgins based on extensive discussions about the methods included.

Two Card to Pocket Methods – Fresh interpretations of rare magician-fooling techniques for card-to-pocket effects.

Beige Change and Back – Two invisible color changes, one in the magician’s hands and the other in the spectator’s, showcasing the power of the double lift.

Edition of 400.

Flush cut softcover with sewn page binding.