Not gonna be like the others and say how aesthetically pleasing the book is. I could care less, Im here for the content, and thats what this candid review was, and is, based on.

I've read the book in its entirety writing this review.


With that said...HERE WE GO! :

Pros:

-Book was very VERY well written and easy to understand. Stephen Minch does an exceptional job with the details, and good photos to go with it.

-Vanni offers good handlings on improving age old effects/effects we currently do to make them better. A good example of this is a) The Rested Palm Technique, which is sexy. Another is b) The Secluded Card Rise (aka, Card Rise from sealed baggy). It makes use of easy to obtain props, has extremely strong entertainment value, and looks just freakin' sexy. I honestly believe Vanni has simplified the effect to its bare essence, while reducing the props needed, yet creating a dramatic effect.

His books offers a fresh (and unique) insight to some interesting effects, one being the the first effect in the book, "The card in glass" (which everyone talks about...) and is actually very practical and easy. A FISM level idea is Prematrix, producing 4 coins from a shuffled pack, hands shown empty, deck isn't gaffed!

c) From Pages 146-166, he has some unique work on the Okito box dubbed, "Okito Box Italian Style": and man oh man, its as good as David Roth's work, except 1/2 of it is easier/easy to acquire, the other half requires a knack, but looking through, it looks like fun practice in both the technique, and misdirection, as Stephen Minch stated will be required in 3-4 of the Turnovers.
Should also note, in the Okito Box section, 85-90% of the work is in the Turnovers, a crucial technique.

As another reviewer stated, this book will make you wanna get an Okito Box. Only buy one if you are familiar with one, since Vanni Bossi's book only covers the crucial turnover technique. Those seeking further knowledge can be referred to David Roth's Coin Magic book on Penguin, or his DVD sets.


Cons:

-Some of the effects are very angle sensitive, or are not examinable, and assume that the spectators are not clever in some cases, ("A Germain Twist" is one example, and there is a 20-25% probability the spectators I work with would/will catch on to such a effect, even if cleanly presented and well practiced.)

-Some are really cool displays of cards, but with little use or context to using them in the effects. Couldn't, with my vast knowledge, find a use for many of the counts in the small packet effects I do.

-Some were very gaff heavy, or very limiting to the type of performance space

-One or more of the effects just didn't..."work". One was the Thumbtip effect in there. I was overjoyed when I saw it there, read up on the technique, tried it for half an hour only feeling like a fool knowing it doesn't work for me.

Overall, I can say the a) Okito Box work, b) the Card in Glass, c) Framing the Sandman (Signed Card appears in a picture frame...which is GREAT for Parlor), and d) The Secluded Card Rise will be going into my repertoire...but I still feel other material in the book is a bit lacking/out of place due to the above reasons.

It, and I know I'll get bashed for this, felt a bit "hollow" with the 4 above effects (I feel) being the main selling points.

With all the hype, I expected it to be the next classic like Harry Lorayne's Close-Up Card Magic, or the book Switch by Lovick, or (and it met and exceeded the hype given) The "Stand Up Card Magic" book by Robert Giobbi. All books listed available on Penguin, ha.

Didn't live up to the hype, Felt a bit Hollow, not enough material a "working magician can draw from it. 3/5 on my end.

-Dan

I don't care what level of expertise you may be at, you're going to find something you've never seen or probably ever thought of before, and like me will spend many a future moon on this book of absolutely brilliant magic.

Scrunch Fold - The 'Mercury Fold's awesome cousin who resides on the other side of the deck (if you're a magic person you're going "Ahh!" right now.
The Moth of Tosh - A small candle is placed on the face of a deck and lit. When the magician passes his hand through the flame the selection magically jumps to the top of the deck, the candle now resting on it! Absolutely beautiful for a dim lit room.
Bottom Feeder - A signed, folded card appears in a jeweler's ring box. Sound familiar? Not this time.
The Secluded Card Rise - One of the greatest card rises I've ever learned. The deck is normal, it's trapped inside a large baggie, and the first card that rises isn't the selection however so it lowers back down and the right card rises out! The method is so clever and practical.

The book is solidly built and old fashioned in appearance, the cover and general look like something produced in the mid 1900's. The outside stamping is shiny gold. The pages are imperfectly aligned with each other and the paper is thicker that what you may be accustomed to. Aesthetically is very classy looking and will be in my book shelf and reading table for many years to come.

Do yourself a favor and get this early gift to yourself or for a magic person you love, while it's still available.

Very highly recommended for any magic lover!

This is a wonderful book.

I wish more could have been written about Vanni but you get the flavor of this genius from the preface and intros AND of course from the tricks which is where you 'see' his mind at work.

I'm so enjoying reading this.

The Author has captured the feel and world of Vanni Bossi.
I picture the Master actually explaining the trick and seeing how it materializes as I read.
Very good illustrations too.

This is gem of a book and will raise your level of Magical awareness.

I have hundreds of magic book in my collection , This must be among the top ten . The effects rock . The book itself is a work of art . Proud to display on my shelves. The effects are a breath of fresh air no same old rehash . I highly recommend this work .

I have not written a review in a while. But now I feel I must. I bought this based on the 6 reviews posted. These reviews really stood out from normal reviews that I have seen on most items. I must admit that they are correct. The material here is special and unique in many ways. Most of the effects I have seen can easily be done by an intermediate student of magic. There may be some that even a beginner might manage to do but I do not think this is a beginners book at all.
Anyone who enjoys sleight of hand and close up work should really find some gems here

this would have to be one of the best books i have seen in many a long year, as the advertising says FULL of hidden treasures ,i am currently working on card in glass and not that hard . STEPHEN MINCH has done it again ,what a great production .the concepts in this book are just fantastic ,buy it while you can. i think its really worth 10 stars. errol

Reminds me of Paul Harris The Art Of Astonishment books.Super high quality pages and book.There is a handful of material about the Okito coin box.Sum different ideas with cards,coins,Mercury Card Fold,money,rubberbands.This is a gem.Top book this year.
Now i have to purchase a Okito Box.
Does anybody have a recommendation on a Okito Box i should buy??

I bought Handsome Jack Etc. earlier this year and thought, "here's no way a better book is coming out any time soon." Months afterwards this comes out and with all the craze over it I bought it and I did not regret it! My favorite sleights are the scrunch fold and the rested palm. Stephen also teaches a hack to make a one-handed top palm a bit easier. La Belle Captive and Framing the Sandman are my favorites in the book by far. I don't reccomend this for beginners.

Nothing but superlatives for this book. Beautifully produced and with the sort of effects which invite the audience to suspend critical judgment (i.e., not be concerned about method). When this edition is out of print you'll wish you would have spent the money, a reasonable price, for this rather than for the self threading re-breakable zipper elastics.

First off, I love the look of the book in general. It has a "leather" (real or not) spine and a different material around the front and back covers. Surprisingly, no dust jacket but I think a dust jacket would take away from the good looks of this book aesthetically. It reminds me a bit of the Alex Elmsley Books by the same author. In general, I like the looks BUT, I really do not like the way the pages are cut. If you lay it on it's spine and look at the pages, they look like the spiked tops of a picket fence. This gives me some minor difficulties turning the pages at times but it is the only "CON" I have with the whole book (and it is a minor "Con").

Also, this was pointed out to me by a well informed member of the Magic Cafe - "That's called a deckle edge. Read about it here:
https://themillions.com/2010/02/deckle-edge-in-the-age-of-mechanical-reproduction.html"

Now the Pro's. The book does "Look" very aesthetically pleasing which sets the standards kind of high for the contents. Fortunately, the contents live up to (and surpass) all expectations. Stephen Minch knows how to properly explain an effect and Tony Dunn is a fantastic illustrator who knows how to bring an effect on paper into life. The book contains 192 pages of mostly card and coin close up material. Of the sleights, I have seen a few people talking here and there about his alternative to the MCF called "The UNT Card Fold" A card is folded in 6ths right "under their noses". There is some really "out of the box thinking" like "the folded card color change" and "card in finger ring" along with some "in and out of the box work" on the Okito Box. I really liked the "Half Buck Torture Cell" as it can be played as bringing a big stage illusion to the close up table.

The cost new is $65.00. I have only seen it on the "used market" 2 or 3 times so I assume those who buy it like what they see and are keeping it. This is a winner that is well worth your time and money.