Harris, Paul: Close-Up Entertainer ©1979 Chuck Martinez Productions, CA Hardcover, w/dj, 171 pages

Image courtesy e-Bay seller Zigby7

Comments (Stewart Tame): Illustrations by Dwight Dunaway. Paul Harris writes some of the most entertaining magic books around. There's a gentle, slightly off-the-wall sense of humor evident in every line. While some of the sleights called for require more skill than I can muster, I still buy the books just because they're so much fun to read.

Contents:

i Foreword by Dana Betz
ii Paul Harris interviewed by Chuck Martinez

1 The First Chapter
1 Peeler: Magician tears smidgen of backing off card, restores it.
10 Side-Winder: Card protruding from deck squared, shoots out other side, squared again, shoots out front, deck cut into two sections, card squared, shoots out other portion.
24 Black Jack Challenge: Spectator cuts deck, deck shown cut to Jack and Ace, magician reveals other three Ace-Jack combos, Jacks separated from
Aces, magically return, magician deals self hand of four Aces and one Jack, changes to Royal Flush.
37 The P.H. Switch: Two cards change places, when repeated first card vanishes, reappears next to second.
44 El Warpo: Card case turns inside out.

51 Paul and Looy: The next three routines were developed with Looy Simonoff.
52 Drop Shot: Corner torn from card, placed in magician's pocket, card with missing corner buried in deck, deck set on top of glass, glass tapped, torn corner drops into glass, card with missing corner now in magician's pocket.
55 "A Force": Deck ribbon spread, spectator touches card, magician turns card face up without looking, card is actually forced.
60 "A Subtle Poker Move": Magician deals five cards to self, spectator, when spread, both hands have grown to over fifteen cards each.

65 The Kidd: The next three routines were developed with Terry LaGerold.
66 Kinky-Pinky: Selected card rises out of deck while deck is balanced on back of magician's hand.
69 Streaker: Spectator streaks finger along face-down spread, winds up with only one card under finger: the selected card.
72 Blind Peek: Spectator selects card, closes eyes, magician's fingers on closed eyes, card revealed by magician and/or audience.

74 Coins
75 The Silver Elevator: Four coins penetrate one at a time from table to center of deck, last coin penetrates up onto exposed surface of pack.
86 Quarter Caper: Quarter borrowed from spectator, placed on back of magician's hand, covered with other hand, half dollar appears under
quarter, covered again, second half dollar appears under first, third half dollar plucked from air, three coins squeezed into two, then one, then back into quarter.
96 P.D.Q. #2: Four half dollars travel one at a time from one hand to other.
101 Four Finger Finale: Coin visibly appears on table beneath tip of finger.
104 The Betz Poker-Roll: Four half dollars held between thumb and forefinger, cartwheeled down across fingers, flipped across table, caught with other hand.
107 Free-Flight Revisited: Four half dollars vanish from hand, appear under playing card, last one appears under spectator's hand.

114 Guest Stars: The next few routines were developed by others
115 Looy's Superman (Looy Simonoff): Magician holds sheet in front of self with Superman outfit depicted on it, performer visibly levitates.
119 Daniel's Butterfly (Daniel Cros): Selected card cut into shape of butterfly, levitates above magician's palm, butterfly given to spectator as keepsake.
123 King Solomon's Drink (King Solomon): Magician repeatedly vanishes coin within folds of hank, producing it from various places, eventually glass of beer produced from hank.
125 Ackerman's Face Lift (Allan Ackerman): Prediction card placed between two Jacks changes to spectator's card, then vanishes, invisible card placed between Jacks, spectator's card appears.
134 Okawa's Cellophane Surprise (Allan Okawa): Cellophane removed from pack of cigarettes, one removed, cellophane restored, pack is unopened.

139 P.U.S.H.: Utility move for exchanging one up-jogged card with another.
143 The Acapulco Thinker: Deck spread, spectator mentally selects card, deck turned around, one card up-jogged, spectator names card, up-jogged card matches.
146 A Card In the Hand Is Worth Two In the Deck: Three cards selected, indifferent card inserted halfway into deck by spectator, cards on either side are two of the selections, up-jogged card turns into third.
148 Stretch: Rubber band around deck, top card visibly penetrates band.
152 The Castle Conspiracy: Four cards balanced against each other on table to make "castle", fifth card displayed, placed in deck, exchanged for one of the cards in the "castle" without knocking it down, other three cards in "castle" seen to be mates of it.
160 Instant Castle: Two cards held in each hand, performer is able to instantly construct a "castle".
164 Wax Lips: Spectator blows kiss, caught with deck, lip marks appear on card, lip marks slid off card, magician's hand opened to reveal set of wax lips.
169 The Pinochle Solution: Not an actual routine, just a singularly loony joke.