For decades, Harry Houdini's copy of The Discoverie of Witchcraft, a book by Reginald Scot from 1584, was in a dark drawer and was not touched.

It is the first book in English in which pocket tricks are described, and Houdini's copy was something very special, because it contained the key to a secret that has fascinated magicians for centuries.

Who had Reginald Scot received all of his information from whom - who was the magician who revealed some of the largest and most strictly sustained secrets of magic?

The answer was in the barely readable notes that Houdini had scribbled on the edge. Shakespeare's specimen, see rear cover side, "was Houdinis not quite as cryptic news.

In the back of the book, William Shakespeare's handwritten notes were about fifty tricks and tricks, some of which appeared in the Discoverie of Witchcraft.

The secret is now fully ventilated for the first time: The young Will Shakespeare, who had just had a child, needed money and accepted the job.

In a story that is as exciting as any crime novel, the author Richard Kaufman Shakespeare's ridiculous brilliant doodle decrypts ... and wrote this book, The forty -five effects of Shakespeare contains (also some lousy ones - he was not always clever) and other twenty contributions from some of the largest card magicians in the world, including:

• Derek dingle
• Edward Marlo
• Jon Racherbaumer
• Harry Lorayne
• Gene maze
• Darwin Ortiz
• Ken Krenzel
• Bill Simon
• Phil Goldstein
• Russell Barnhart ....

Even if Shakespeare turns in the grave, over seven hundred animated illustrations that seem to move, in combination with Richard Kaufman's excellent text, will teach you many beautiful card routines that you will proudly include in your repertoire.

About: 184 pages with 727 black and white images. In English