The Disarming Card Deceptions of Bert Allerton

Before Bert Allerton burst onto the Chicago magic scene in the early 1940's, close-up magic was relegated mainly to magic bartenders in the "shot and a beer" joints that catered to working class guys in the "city of broad shoulders." Even when magic was done table-side in swankier night spots, it was usually performed by stage magicians, like Paul Rosini, merely as an income-boosting sideline. Bert Allerton changed all that and transformed close-up magic into a well-paying entertainment specialty in its own right. In this new compilation, we bring you just over two dozen disarming Allerton card deceptions, including pet effects, moves, deck switches, and even bits of comedy business that made him one of the world's top close-up magicians. We've also included a couple of informative articles written about him while he was at the height of his career, as well as a few examples of his promotional pieces. 46 pages.