With all the controversy about the high price of one-trick DVDs, it’s a bit of surprise for me to review a three DVD set that deals with one trick. Or to be precise - one magical effect. Many one-trick DVDs on the market detail effects that have not been properly researched or audience tested and before the era of self-publishing would, at best, ended up as a magazine article.

Fortunately for you and me Steve Valentine is a pro and has done his research and this set is well worth your investment in time and money.

My interest in the venerable Card Through Handkerchief was piqued when I read Billy McComb’s Five Card Selection routine in one of the Ireland Year Books. It wasn’t known as the Multiple Card Selection back then. Billy’s routine climaxed with the Card Thru Hanky.

In Disc One of this nicely produced and edited set, Mr Valentine takes us though the basic handlings and sleights and offers non-sleight versions as well. While not encyclopaedic it is very thorough and teaches some of the best handlings and routines from the literature.

A plethora of routines and techniques are shown, all basically being the same plot, a card penetrating through a handkerchief. Sometimes it is the traditional effect, sometimes it pops through, occasionally it rises through and even floats up a la Zombie.

I’m assuming that Steve approaches learning a new trick in similar fashion to the way I do. Namely, research everything you can find, work on it, delete bits, add bits, think about it, change it, perform, change, add, edit and eventually come up with something worthwhile once you have visualised the effect you want to achieve. In Steve’s case it was a short paragraph about Nate Leipzig that spurred the development of his method.

Steve has done all that work for you, which is literally a huge amount of research and I’d say, equal to a university semester.

From this disc alone you have your money’s worth if you are looking for a routine to add to your professional repertoire. The Card Thru Hanky is an excellent way to finish a card set as it is visual and the magic should happen at face level. If you are careful about your angles and blocking, you should be able to do this strolling and table-hopping. I’d also refer you to Tommy Wonder’s books and DVD set for some extra tips and handling.

Disc Two covers tricks, stunts and gags to do with the handkerchief you carry with you. Steve prefers a white bandana rather than a men’s pocket handkerchief as it is a little larger. Google ‘white bandana’ and you can buy them quite cheaply, singly or in bulk. Steve covers a number of ideas and routines where the bandana’s corners are held by participants, making a little stage, allowing you to do a range of tricks that would normally require a table. He teaches a coins through handkerchief using the Little Hand gag - as sold by Michael Ammar - as its premise. Another routine that would work well, though it isn’t mentioned on the DVD is Bob Swadling’s Double Deception, sold by Mark Mason.

I was delighted to see Hankyrise, a routine of Len Belcher’s. Len, a creative magician contributed many tricks to British magazines such as The Gen and Abracadabra.

For further uses of a handkerchief or bandana I refer you to Billy McComb or Charlie Miller’s routines for the ‘Seven Cornered Handkerchief’ or my own ‘Five Minutes With a Pocket Handkerchief’ DVD, all of which is totally different to what is taught here.

Disc Three is dedicated to Cloth, Steve Valentine’s own routine. Three cards are chosen by the audience and shuffled (by them) back into the deck. The first two cards penetrate through in an amazing manner, the wrapped deck being shown on both sides and the material of the handkerchief being checked by the audience. The third card is even more amazing, as it visibly appears under the handkerchief before popping right through the material.

You need to make some special gaffs for Cloth, all easy to make and fully detailed instructions are given. You don’t have to do all three phases either if you don’t want to.

There are considerations for the professional worker with regards to pocket management as the gaffs have to be introduced in performance and stored when not in use. Steve covers palming and non-palming methods and strong misdirection is built in to cover the moves. There is no heat on you as the audience are totally unaware of the gaffs.

Would that all who rush to bring a DVD to market take as much time and effort to research and teach as Steve Valentine has done with CLOTH. It will come as no surprise that this set is highly recommended.

This the best card thru hanky I've ever seen. This dvd has an insanely hug bonus section. Its a three disc (if you didn't know). This dvd does not come with the handkerchief and you do have to make the gimmicks. But the gimmicks only take like ten min to make all of them and you could get the perfect handkerchief at a lot of different craft stores.

Disc one: This is all the best sleight of hand methods of doing card thru handkerchief. He gives you a whole bunch of ways to do that trick.

Disc two: On this dvd he teaches how to do routines that involve coins cards and more. He also teaches his effect Han Time. Han Time is an amazing coins thru handkerchief. He also teaches how to make funny animals puppets with the hanky.

Disc Three: Disc three is the actual effect Cloth. The Cloth effect is you get three cards chosen and they get to shuffle the cards into the deck. You then wrap the deck in the hanky and name out ALL three cards. Then on of there cards visually penetrates thru the hanky but you can show all sides of the handkerchief while it is penetrating thru. Then the another card starts to go thru you pull it all the way out. Then you just totally put it back in! you give it to them to hold and they see about a fourth of the card sticking out thru the cloth and totally visually pull it out in their hands. For the last card you show the card thru the hanky but its not their card. You just wave your hand and the card CHANGES THRU THE HANDKERCHIEF!!!!! Then right after you pull it right thru the fabric. He teaches everything you need to know about the effect.

All in all it is an awesome trick. Its not cheap but it is totally worth it. In other words PUT IN CART NOW!!!!

5 STARS - HANDS DOWN!!! Steve Valentine is very inspirational, well rounded, clever and so generous! For the past many years that I have been doing magic, never once have I considered to include a Card through Handkerchief in my bag of tricks. But now I do and CLOTH is on my next stage show! Steve adds depths, dimensions and charisma to the presentation. He shows you that this is more than a presentation of a solid object passing through a solid object. This is also about *revealing* a selected card. If this were only a trick about a card passing through a hanky, it would never be as entertaining as the Crazy Man's Handcuffs, in my humble opinion. Steve also compares the many versions of Card through Handkerchief from past masters that makes you want to be more selective and aware of what could elevate your showmanship and what could bring it down. And as a bonus, when you get to see Steve's version of Card through Handkerchief, that just top everything. CLOTH has been an eye opening and gave me a new trick that I cannot wait to show. 5 STARS!

This is, by far, the most comprehensive and phenomenal 3 disc DVD sets of material on a classic effect that I have ever witnessed. I am no stranger to THE CARD AND HANDKERCHIEF effect...anyone who has read The Expert At The Card Table knows it. But Valentine's passion and attention to detail for this effect is contagious!! He does not miss a beat in teaching you multiple variations (from numerous performers of legendary status) on how to perform this effect for maximum impact and jaw dropping reactions. And his OWN personal effect, named appropriately CLOTH (on disc 3), is absolutely ingenious, fantastic and diabolical. I can't say enough great things about these DVD's. TOTALLY worth the price and more!! If you love highly visual, organic and realistic looking magic then Steve Valentine is the magician to watch and learn from. AWESOME!!

I just opened the dvd box and I saw not 1 disc but 3 discs ! When I bought Cloth, I didn't realize that I was buying an encyclopedia of card through silk ! Now that I am beginning to look at those dvd's... Wow !!!!!... much more than expected. A very old trick brought back to the modern world ! This is one of my best purchase !

So much material to keep you busy in the coming years. If you like hanky magic just ADD TO CART!!!