This is one of my favorite sets of books. You will learn a lot of magic and technique in these books. you will also learn a lot of psychology and presentations. There are so many close up tricks in this book you will wonder where to start. This is a book you will refer back to time and time again. Add to cart and prepare to get busy.

I was at a magic store, this one guy did this trick with 3 cards the ending just blew me away I asked him show me or tell me how do I get my hands on this, he told me the name I will not forget Paul Harris: Arts Of Astonishment. I went to California for vacation and went to a Hollywood Magic Store looked for it and I saw a big book now I hate reading, everyone at the magic store recommended it. I bought it, no regrets. I recommend this just like they did. PHOOTE NOTE-It's definitely not your regular magic.

This is probably my favorite book out the series. The most well known tricks include Reset and Bizzare Twist. There are a ton of other great tricks in here such as:

Backlash: A spectator signs his or her name on both sides of a card. The card jumps back and forth between the deck and your pocket before you magically change the signature into your own signature

Deep Though: The spectator thinks of any card (no force). The magician fans out the deck and pulls one card up. The spectator reveals the card. The magician lowers the fan and shows that the card they were thinking of is the one sticking out.

Curly Cue move: A really cool one handed double fan.

Solid Deception: The spectator takes a card and signs it. The card is placed in the middle of the pack and it instantly comes to the top. This time it's places on the bottom but it still jumps to the top. At the end of the trick, the deck is revealed to be a solid block of cards.

The book also has many many other great tricks. If you are looking to pick up some magic books, the is one of the best out there.

This is a must-have for any street performer. This series of books is loaded with professional routines. You can easily adapt many of the moves you learn in this book to your own routine. This is a book that will help magicians become good magicians and good magicians become great magicians.

This book has some of the strongest effects that I perform.
Things in here like "Interlaced Space" where three selected cards completely vanish between the four kings, are amazing.

I am at awe every time I sit down and read this. Who could have possibly come up with this stuff? Paul Harris, that's who.
The only downside is that the book is huge. Meaning that the length and the width are pretty big. But besides that, I highly recommend this book.

This is the best magic book out there (except maybe the other books in the series). I was and still am overwhelmed by the amount of fabulous material in this book and in the whole series.

I also strongly recommend the other books in the series but I would start out with this one.

I bought my copies of the Art of Astonishment series (one at a time) almost 30 years ago. I remember wowing my classmates in my Junior year of high school with performances of Immaculate Connection and Overkill. Once, I even performed Hot Chocolate for a girl I had a crush on which led to one of the most singularly awkward moments of my life, up to that point. In all the nearly 900 pages and 222 effects though, the real value of this set isn't measured necessarily in the quantity or quality of the effects. There are few writers and inventors of magic who are capable of imbuing their writing with their own essence. Paul Harris has put so much of himself in these pages, the books feel equal parts instruction manual and good natured mentor. It's been a long time since I've actively performed magic, and yet I still return to these books, year after year, having read them so many times already, to revisit with an old friend. Much the same way that people will read a treasured novel time and again to reconnect with the characters. If there is one word to describe all three of these books in aggregate, that word is "character." These books helped to shape and transform my life at the critical juncture of pressing from my teens into early adulthood. I would not be who I am without them. So, I would encourage anyone who is interested with magic, or magical thinking to pick these books up without further delay. You'll get a full repertoire of professional, high octane effects and making a lifelong friend at the same time.

I really can't recommend this series enough. This is a magic book that's actually fun to read, and has some of the best and most groundbreaking material of our time. Since i've worked my way through all 3 volumes, suddenly I notice how far spread the influence from Paul Harris reaches. A LOT of magicians do A LOT of his effects. Sadly, it seems a lot of people dont even know that he created what theyre performing. But anyway, get this book. It has so much useable material that you'll be busy for a long time. Everything is clearly explained, verbally and visually. Plus, Paul Harris writes in a way that keeps you entertained as you work through. The effects are top notch, the essays invaluable, and theres great stuff mixed in, like "conversations from the edge" where Paul tells Eric Mead about the ideas he had that were too crazy to make work.

I would go into a list of the best effects, but honestly, as I cracked my book open for reference while writing this review, there's way too many to list. This book is the real deal. If you do magic with cards, coins, bills, paper bags, rocks, pens, paper, insects or apples, GET THIS BOOK. The amount of stuff you'll use pays for the price tag 10x over. Then after this book, get vol. 2 and 3. You'll be very happy with yourself and your amazing decision making abilities afterward.

If your family got bored with the pick-a-card-any-card tricks or you already know 437 different versions of the Ace assembly, then check out this trilogy! Paul Harris is really thinking out of the (card) box and has a great sense of humor.

I especially love the PHootnotes, which describe variations on the effects and give some insight into his creative thinking process.

For too long I've put off this series because I felt it was out of my league. I have very small ( short ) fingers and always struggle with card sleights but that didn't diminish my desire to learn and become familiar with sleights and technique. I am so happy that I purchased this book , it's so amazing! Paul Harris is a magical genius. Everything is explained clearly . The effects are so unique that even me with my limited card ability can not book this book down! Get them for the wealth of knowledge and own part of magics great talents!