Harris, Paul: Art of Astonishment, Volume 2
©1996, Paul Harris. Pub by A-1 Multi Media, CA
Hardbound, large format, 320 pages

Comments (Bill Duncan): AoA includes some incredible off the wall magic from Paul Harris and others.

Contents: (page number, effect title, title of book effect originally appeared in, description)

3 Astonishing Artist: Tony Dunn. Paul introduces the illustrator of the Art Of Astonishment books.
5 Gourmet Mystery Show: A dialog about creating a magic show.
13 Counterfeit Spectator (New Stuff): A spectator's name appears on a dollar bill in the place usually occupied by
the Secretary of the Treasury.
19 Swiss Movement (New Stuff): An animation effect using an ungaffed Swiss Army Knife and a playing (or credit): card.
23 Lysdexia (New Stuff): Another oddity: A word in an ungimmicked book moves from one part of the page to another. Uses the same principle as 'Buck Naked' and 'Seductive Switch' applied to a page in a book rather than a dollar bill or playing
card. A nice insight into how Paul's mind grows.
25 Flesh (New Stuff): A (meta?): physical mentalism effect where the power of the mind is used to move small pieces of a broken toothpick from hand to hand.
27 Angel Case (New Stuff): Ingenious gimmicked card case that can be used to switch billets or other small bits of paper, torn corners etc. Can be held be the spectator.
31 Putty Buddy (New Stuff):
35 Putty Buddy s Pal (New Stuff): Paul takes on the paddle move with a routine that use a pair of pennies stuck in Silly Puddy.
37 Strange-O (New Stuff): A spectator makes a loop in a piece of string. You thread a pen into the loop and use it to slide the loop off leaving the specator holding a circle of string with no ends.
39 Hiccup (New Stuff): A 'normal' card trick. A clever and visual card transposition.
43 Twinkie Bottle (New Stuff): Based on a trick Paul loved as a kid. A washer is placed over the opening in a bottle. A tube is formed around the neck and a pen is dropped into the bottle through the too small hole in the washer.
47 Fluffer Deck (New Stuff): A spectators name which was written on the back of a card vanishes and reappears on written large on the entire spread deck.
49 McGimmick (New Stuff): Almost too weird to think about. Tricks using the lid to a fast food milkshake...
53 Cincinnatti Blues (New Stuff):
57 Cincinnatti Two-Faced Blues (New Stuff): Effects using the extra cards that come with each deck of playing cards.
61 Skin Job (New Stuff): Part of a spectator's business card penitrates into a book.
63 Fizz-Master (New Stuff): Two cans of soda are shown. One is shaken vigourously so that it will spray when opened. The magician then magically removes the fizz and transfers it to the other can which sprays when opened.
67 Cardboard Connection (Connections):
77 Immaculate Connection (Connections):
91 Osmosis (Connections): Paul's original linking card rings plus the version David Copperfield did on television (different method): and a third handling by Sylnain Mirouf which uses yet a third method.
105 Special Interview (Close-Up Entertainer): Intro to the book Close-Up Entertainer
107 PDQ#2 (Close-Up Entertainer): Paul's streamlined Coins Across.
111 Four Finger Finale (Close-Up Entertainer): A flashy ending for coins across.
113 Drop-Shot (Close-Up Entertainer): A corner is torn from a card and placed in the pocket as a receipt. The damaged card is lost in the deck which is placed atop a glass where all can see. The corner drops into the glass and the selection is removed from the pocket where the corner was!
119 Facelift (Close-Up Entertainer): Interesting card sandwich routine from Alan Ackerman
119 Peeler (Close-Up Entertainer): A small 'nick' in the back of a card is peeled back and then restored. This is the trick that eventually will become the Chocolate Coin trick.
123 Subtle Poker Move (Close-Up Entertainer): Spectator shuffles the deck and you deal two poker hands. After a gag where
the spectators sees that you have three times the number of cards he was dealt you shuffle the deck and legitimately deal yourself a winning hand!
125 Blackjack Challenge (Close-Up Entertainer): Nice (and easy): stacked deck routine producing four Blackjacks followed by a Royal Flush.
131 El Warpo (Close-Up Entertainer): The card case turns inside out... or you try to convince the audience they are INSIDE the case and prove it.
135 Betz Poker Roll (Close up Entertainer): Four coin flourish from Dana Betz
137 Silver Elevator (Close-Up Entertainer): Coins penetrate UP from the table into the deck.
143 Quarter Caper (Close-Up Entertainer): Three half dollars are produced from 'inside' a borrowed quarter.
147 Stretch (revised): (Close-Up Entertainer): A two phase routine with a deck and a rubber band.
153 Kinky Pinky (CloseUp Entertainer): An odd rising card effect.
155 Blind Peek (Close-Up Entertainer): A trick involving one spectator and a room full of impromptue stooges.
157 SideWinder (Close-Up Entertainer): Attempts to push a card into the deck fail when the card slips out of the pack at odd angles.
163 King Solomon's Drink (Close-Up Entertainer): Close-up production of a beverage.
165 Castle Conspiracy (Close-Up Entertainer): A card transformation effect using the theme of building card castles.
169 Wax Lips (Close-Up Entertainer): A spectator blows you a kiss which is caught on the face of a selected card. You remove the kiss in the form of a pair of wax lips.
173 Cellophane Surprise (Close-Up Entertainer): A pack of cigarettes is borrowed to demonstrate 'bloodless surgery'. The celophane is broken open at the bottom, a hole is torn in the bottom of the pack and a cigarette is removed. The hole and celophane are restored.
177 Pinochle Solution (Close-U p Entertainer): Not a trick. Humor? Perhaps.
181 Mary on P.H. (Close-Up Fantasies I and II): Short essay by Paul's publisher's mother.
183 Overkill (Close-Up Fantasies I and II): Mental effect with four 'proofs' that you knew which card would be selected.
185 Traveling Triumph (Close-Up Fantasies I and II): A Triumph effect disguised as a shuffling test for dealers in Las Vegas
191 Fantasy Aces (Close-Up Fantasies I and II): Daryl and Paul join forces to produce the four aces.
197 England's Penetration (Revised): (Close-Up Fantasies I and II): Coin through hand using a spectators coin and hand!
199 Sliding Ink (Close Up Fantasies I and II): A card is marked on the back. The mark is removed tossed into the air and caught on the back of another card in the center of the deck. The mark is then dragged off of the second card and returned to the selection.
203 FlapJacks (Close-Up Fantasies I and II):
207 Pre-Mixed FlapJacks (Close-Up Fantasies I and II): A very nice flourish production of four of a kind.
211 Double Decker (Close-Up Fantasies I and II): The performer notes that his blue case seems to have a red deck of cards in it. This factory mixup bothers the performer who is attempting to perform a trick. Eventually the performer finds the blue deck 'way in the back there' in the case. The red deck is pushed into the blue case and the blue deck is removed. The selected card is found and all can be examined at the end.
215 Million Doliar Mindreader (Close-Up Fantasies I and II): A secret technique for mentalism effects that allows the worker to borrow a ballpoint pen, put in 'the work' right in front of the audience then perform mental miracles. Example: A person is asked to write the name of her first love on piece of paper while she is out of room. Then before she returns she is asked to write several other names on other slips and bring them all to the magician. The magician is able to determine which name is the first love without asking any questions. The audience member must write several things on one paper or on many papers. You will know which was written first. The rest is up to your presentational desires.
217 Tuning Fork (Close-Up Fantasies I and II): An odd bit where a selected card rises out of the deck.
221 Breaking Point (Close-Up Fantasies I and II): A humorous bit where you can't remove the cap from a pen so move it to the other end of the pen.
225 Stamped Second (Close-Up Fantasies I and II):
229 Stuck! (Close-Up Fantasies I and II): Methods for demonstrating a (fake): perfect second deal by placing a stamp on the back of the top card.
233 SuperSack (Close-Up Fantasies I and II): Signed card in envelope using small paper sacks
235 Uncut Version (Close-Up Fantasies I and II): An odd visual where two halves of torn cards are restored to their 'uncut'
versions.
241 Floating Deck (Close-Up Fantasies I and II):
247 How to Pop a Floating Deck (Close-Up Fantasies I and II): One on one close-up levitation.
249 Time Machine (Close-Up Fantasies I and II): After introducing the subject of toys purchased from the back of comic books the performer introduces his childhood favorite: a 25 cent time machine (a small black paper square): . A demonstration of it's power is then down with a deck of cards.
259 Up The Ladder (Misc. Pieces of Paul): One of the best tabled false cut sequences. It's so convincing you it can be used in place of a false shuffle.
261 Laws of Lapping (Misc. Pieces of Paul): Humor
263 Twilight (Misc. Pieces of Paul): Paul's classic coin routine. A single coin is place in front of a small mirror so it appear two coins are on the table. The coin and it's reflection are then dragged to the side and the reflection becomes a real coin. Further sequences are performed ending with the production of two more coins.
271 Super Twilight (Misc. Pieces of Paul): Daniel Cros' handling using a shell coin.
275 Cheapshot Boomerang (Misc. Pieces of Paul): A signed card is tossed out an open window only to Boomerang back and be caught inside your coat.
277 Mr. Lucky (Misc. Pieces of Paul): A deck is cut into three packets. A spectator places a dime, penny and nickel each on one packet. They can change the positions as much as they like. Luck is with you as you reveal that the spectator has placed the dime on a ten, the nickel on a five and the one on an ace.
279 Butt Of Course! (Misc. Pieces of Paul): Humor?
281 Super Swindle (Misc. Pieces of Paul): A selection is placed face down between a pair (red threes for example): . All three cards are rolled into a 'blow dart gun'. A spectator blows the selection into the center of the deck face up and unfolded!
287 Tenkai Joe (Astonishing Friends): Tenkai pennies done with matches
291 Incredible Mystery of the 10th Card (Astonishing Friends): Edward Victor's Eleven card trick updated.
295 Tensegrity (Astonishing Friends): An oddity you can contruct and display in your home. An apparent levitation.
297 Altman Maneuver (Astonishing Friends): An interesting and visual two card transposition.
299 Flutter (Astonishing Friends): John Kennedy's coin under napkin effect. A coin disappears and reappears under a paper napkin. When it does the napkin flutters.
303 Eng's Bottles (Astonishing Friends): Another oddity you can create for your home. A full deck of playing card in a bottle.
309 Harkey on P.H. David Harkey's essay on Paul.
313 Carpet Critters (Conversations from the Edge):
315 Collapsing Marble Myth (Conversations from the Edge): Two more theoritical magic tricks discussed with Eric Mead.