The Expert at the Card Table

The Expert at the Card Table, originally titled Artifice, Ruse and Subterfuge at the Card Table: A Treatise on the Science and Art of Manipulating Cards, often referred to simply as Erdnase, is an extensive book on the art of sleight of hand published in 1902 by S. W. Erdnase, a pseudonymous author whose identity has remained a mystery for over a century. As a detailed manual of card sharps, the book is considered to be one of the most influential works on magic or conjuring with cards.

Description of the book 
Despite his widespread influence on the magician community, the author's identity remains an unsolved mystery.  Many believe his real name was E.S. Andrews (S.W. Erdnase spelled backwards).  (See Gardner's Foreword, pp. vii-ix.)

Originally the author started selling the book for $2.00 in 1902 and the next year it dropped to $1.00 and he sold the rights. Although the author did not renew the copyright, the book has remained in print since 1902, albeit small private printings on occasion.  The influence of this book is such that it has been issued in annotated form;  translated into Japanese, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Russian; and issued as a series of DVDs by a professional magician, demonstrating and explaining Erdnase's techniques and methods. A featured show of the story of Expert of the Card Table is also performed regularly by UK magician Guy Hollingworth.

Dai Vernon is credited with popularizing this influential text in the community of professional magicians.  Well past ninety years of age, Vernon was fond of quoting from it, with page numbers, when discussing card techniques with his colleagues at the Magic Castle.

In Expert Card Technique, Jean Hugard said of it, "... perhaps no other book in all the list of conjuring books has been so avidly read, so affectionately regarded." Erdnase's glossary of terms was in itself extremely influential, and has been reproduced more or less directly by numerous authors, including Hugard, and Henry Hay.

Film adaptation
A film based on the life of the mysterious author, adapted by German director Hans-Joachim Brucherseifer, is currently in production. The magicians Yann Yuro (S.W. Erdnase) and Alfonso Rituerto (himself) play the lead roles. It is scheduled to be released in November, 2019.

References

External links
 The Expert at the Card Table The Expert at the Card Table - PDF
 Artifice, ruse, and subterfuge at the card table : a treatise on the science and art of manipulating cards From the Collections at the Library of Congress
 Erdnase x Madison from Ellusionist.com - Product Website
 The Expert at the Card Table in Russian - Website of Russian translation of The Expert at the Card Table by S.W. Erdnase

Category:Card magic
Category:Sleight of hand
Category:Magic books
Category:Works published under a pseudonym