World of Knives by Arturo de Ascanio - Book

The Color-Changing Knives is a magic classic. Generally credited to Walter Jeans it became a popular pocket trick in the 1930s.

In 1958 Arturo de Ascanio, who went under the stage name Marcus, wrote the definitive book on the subject in Spanish. In 1975 Jose de la Torre released Ascanio’s World Of Knives in English which helped make the routine a staple of every close-up magician’s act.

The book was also one of the first Spanish magic books to be translated into English, introducing the genius of Ascanio to magicians around the world.

After being out of print for decades Ascanio’s World Of Knives is back and is better than ever, with many clear photographs and illustrations that make all the techniques and routines easy to learn. This book teaches you the many tools you need to create your own routines with pocket knives that change color on command.

Techniques and routines include: Classic Paddle Move (Modernized), Cleaning Paddle Move, Passing The Knife From Hand To Hand, Appearance By The Pinkie, Turn With The Ring Finger, Ultra Fast Turn, Classic Color Change, Ascanio’s Half Turn, Bringas’ Color Change, Ganson’s Color Change In A Spectator’s Hand, One Hand Color Change, Color Change With Normal Knives, Manipulating The Knife As A Cigarette, Push-Through Palm, Two Fu Manchu Passes, Stealing With A Pull, Change Of Normal Knife To A Gimmicked One, Ascanio’s Fast Change, To Tell The Sides Of The Knife By Touch, A Knives Classifier, Three Psychological Procedures, Psychological Aspects Of The Color Change, A Fred Kaps Routine, The Handkerchief Pass, A Short And Easy Routine, Ascanio’s Knives And Color-Blindness and much more.

The main reason the Color-Changing Knives are a classic of magic and a staple of many professional close-up magicians’ repertoire is that you are able to create beautiful and visual magic with ordinary objects. Once you learn these techniques you will never leave home without a set of Color-Changing Knives in your pocket. Second edition published by Meir Yedid Magic in 2011. 144-pages with more than 50 photographs and illustrations, 6"x9" softcover with color cover. Written by Ascanio, translated by Jose de la Torre, with additions by Jose de la Torre, Slydini, David Bamberg, and Meir Yedid.