If You're a Card Man, Edward Marlo Needs No Introduction
Ed Marlo's fingerprints are all over modern card magic. Spend enough time around serious card men and you'll quickly discover that many moves, subtleties, and techniques that feel "standard" today can often be traced back to Marlo.
Britannic Auctions sold this first edition copy of The Card Magic of Edward Marlo for $115. First editions and other Marlo material continue to attract interest from magicians, collectors, and students of gambling sleights.
Published in 1993, this volume compiles lecture notes and material developed during Marlo's later years. Like many important magic books, it serves as both a working text for magicians and a collectible in its own right.
Who Was Edward Marlo?
Edward Marlo (1913–1991) remains one of the most influential figures in card magic history. Based in Chicago, Marlo was known for revolutionizing sleight of hand techniques and contributing a vast collection of instructional material. His publications, including The Cardician and Revolutionary Card Technique, are considered must-reads for magicians.
Marlo’s innovations—such as The Anchored Add-On, The Filmed Chicago Switch, The Arbil Change, and the Revised Marnese Bottom Deal—expanded close-up magic. Beyond magic, Marlo carefully documented gambling sleights and cheating techniques, handwritten manuscripts detailing advanced moves used by professional card players. His unpublished notes on false deals, peeks, and deck switches remain highly sought after by collectors and gambling historians.
If you've spent time studying false deals, controls, switches, palms, or gambling demonstrations, chances are you've already encountered Marlo's thinking—even if you didn't realize it.
Card Magic, Gambling Sleights, and the Chicago School
Marlo's interests extended beyond magic tricks alone. He was seriously interested in gambling procedures, card cheating techniques, and methods used by card mechanics. Much of this material found its way into manuscripts and notes that remain desirable among collectors.
Among the many ideas associated with Marlo are techniques such as the Anchored Add-On, the Chicago Switch, the Marnese Bottom Deal, and countless variations on controls and false counts.
For students of card magic, Marlo is less a single author than an entire branch of study.
What's Inside The Card Magic of Edward Marlo?
This three-book compilation contains a wide range of material, from approachable routines to advanced sleight-of-hand.
Readers will encounter:
- Card controls and false counts
- Gambling demonstrations and subtleties
- Close-up routines and performance pieces
- Technical sleight-of-hand methods
- Marlo's approach to constructing card magic
Some readers come to Marlo for the tricks. Others come for the thinking.
Why Do Collectors Seek Out Marlo Books?
Magic books occupy a unique place in collecting because the information inside often matters just as much as the object itself. Many books became desirable because they contained methods and ideas that were once difficult to learn elsewhere.
Collectors often look for:
- First editions
- Signed or inscribed copies
- Scarce lecture notes and manuscripts
- Material with gambling content
- Provenance from notable collections
As with many collectible magic books, rarity, condition, and demand all play a role in determining value.
Selling Rare Magic Books & Gambling Literature
Britannic Auctions handles rare magic books, gambling literature, manuscripts, lecture notes, posters, ephemera, and other magic collectibles. Collections assembled by magicians over decades often contain overlooked material that today's collectors actively seek.
Whether you have a single Marlo title or an entire magic library, we invite you to request a free evaluation of magic collectibles to determine whether your material may be suitable for auction.
