Principia

Amy

I got the book for Christmas and I loved it. There is so much to digest in here; there is something for everyone. However, to perform everything in the book, you should know/learn these sleights beforehand:
- Aaron Fisher 1H Popover move
- Elmsley count
- Jordan count
- Ascanio spread
- Piet Forton popout move
- Pinky count
- Spread cull
Seek out tutorials of these if necessary; it will probably enhance your learning experience.
There are a lot of gimmicked routines in the book, e.g. Extensions on the Cheek to Cheek Deck, several sandwich routines using Bro. John Hamman creations and the like, etc.
I don’t generally like sandwich routines, which there are a lot of, but there is something in this book for everyone. Harapan also offers several refreshing Triumph handlings.
The style of the book is charming; it is like a physics paper, it has an “Abstract,” and the effects are written like papers too. The illustrations are very helpful, and they are in all the right places.
Several more ‘esoteric’ (?) sleights such as Andi Gladwin’s Deja Vú count, the Marlo ATFUS switch, and Patrick Kun’s Morph Change are explained within the book very well too.
I would recommend to get the gaff cards, along with some red Rider Backs; it really helps to be able to pull out the exact cards to practice an effect as you read it.

TL; DR
Good book, lots of sandwich effects. Lots of gimmicks, and some sleights not explained. The gaff cards work with Red Rider Backs; I would suggest picking them up.

Dimitrios

One of the best books I have ever had in my library... harapan is definitely a very creative magician, taking, pretty often, a very simple principle, idea or sleight and transforms it into a miracle!!! His material, in this particular book, has something for everybody, no matter if you are a beginner or an expert, you will definitely find something that suits and challenges you. And, if you want, at the end of the day, a quality magic book about cards, do yourself a favor and buy one as soon as possible!...

Erik

The book is great, every effect is quick straight to the point 80% impromptu other effects include set-ups or gimmick cards, there is a lot of sandwich style effects which im not a fan of generally but otherwise the book is amazingly designed, overall its great book.

Laura Bautista

This is one of the books that should be part of any magician's shelves. One of those books that you go to from time to time in search of the muses and from which you learn a little more every day. The edition is so beautiful... I couldn't be more satisfied with finally getting it. Furthermore, the fact that it is accompanied by almost an hour of video content adds even more value than it already has. It's really essential. If card magic is your thing and you want to improve your technique and skills and learn new routines, this is without a doubt your book.

Geoffrey

35 pages into this book and it’s absolutely incredible! The book is clearly written, easy to understand, and comes with videos that show how the effect should look. These routines are fun to practice and will be fun to perform! Do yourself a favor and purchase this today!!

Mark

Gerhard

This is my favourite magic book I have ever purchased. I have about 200 magic books. The writing is outstanding and one can see that Harapan is a magic lover. There is so much thought put into this. Some classic plots with excellent ideas. This book reads like a dream. All the effects and I mean all the effects are killer! Absolutely love this book.

Brandon

A plethora of excellent card magic. If it gets reprinted, definitely pick it up.

Lawrence

This a outstanding compilation of card tricks . Easy to follow and learn . 60 tricks to choose from to add to your routine . It had a beautiful cover and feels great in your hands . Must have for the card magicians

Christopher

The book's production value is absolutely stellar. It's a very beautiful book. It's clearly written in a format that is new to magic books. The effects are strong and worth performing. I can't say anything bad about this book. I highly recommend this!

Phillip

I'm late to the party on this purchase. It will take me a while to digest all of the excellent material in this outstanding book. The effects cover quite a broad range of card magic genres. There are some nice effects that you will be able to master in minutes. Others require some sleights that I'll need to apply myself to ("pink count" !) There are some effects which require crafting (an aspect in which I find great satisfaction!) Others require standard and readily available gaffs (that I have aplenty in "my drawer", and you probably do too).

Extremely pleased with this book, which beside its amazing content also has superb production qualities.

In the mean time Harpan's sequel "Opticks" has been released. This time I'll be earlier to the party!

Danny

Oliver

One of the best card magic books I have in my collection. Plenty of routines, so for sure you will find many routines that you like. And the ones you don't, it's still interesting to read them to get new techniques or ideas for the existing routines you have. New card tricks and classic plots as well. 5 stars!

Nathan

This is such a good, entertaining video. I have learnt much from it and will continue to do so for some time. A video you can continuously go back to. Great watch. A must but for most magic people! You should buy it now!!

Jorge

H.P. has a masterpiece with this book. Everything is carefully laid out and explained in complete detail. One of my modern favorites.

Brian

There is a reason there is so much hype around this book. It's because it delivers. I wouldn't suggest this for beginners but if you know your way around cards this will either push you to be better or open you up to different approaches you may not have thought of previously. As stated by someone else it would be great it the video has time markers to easily bounce around to the trick you are looking for rather than scrubbing.

Steven

I first "met" Harapan Ong during Vanishing Inc.'s SHARE MAGIC LIVE and knew I would need to order "Principia." There is something about the intelligence communicated in Harapan's writing and instruction that really sets this work above many card pros. He knows how to teach - probably because he's a professor.

One feature (or possible limitation) is that Harapan doesn't tip every move he mentions when it belongs to someone else. He credits it and by reference exhorts the student (guys like me) to think and act intertextually. Expand your horizons and immerse in the breadth of great card magic instruction.

A worthy investment.

Ryan

I don't typically enjoy magic books. I prefer to learn visually with DVDs and downloads. This book, however, is amazing. The instructions are so clear and the pictures so well staged that I have no problem following along. The gimmicks included are a really high quality. This book belongs in every magician's collection for not just the effects included, but also because it looks so gorgeous on a shelf. Very highly recommend.

Andreas

What a wonderful wonderful book this is...The amount of content is overwhelming! The ideas, the creativity involved and the way it is written...Gaffs included, and also Videos of Harapan Ong performing the effects so that you have a master reference what it looks like in the end, what I think is a generous and genius addition to the book. I visit the book on a regular basis and always seem to find something knew and different...Did not for a second regret the purchase and give my respect for the amount of dedication he has to put into magic to come up with something so unique like this.

Zach

There are so many effects and ideas that it's guaranteed that you'll use at least one of these in your routines. All of the ideas are also varied; with some that are super practical, some that are perfect for social media and some that are just ideas that haven't been fully fleshed out yet. Not to mention that you get all the gimmicks along with it! Overall, Harapan has created an absolute gem of a book that you'll come back to time and time again.

Mason

Holly cow! This book is so amazing! Once I had read this book for a couple days, it became one of my favorites. Everything in it is so useful and fooling, many routines in here have become some of my favorites! I can’t tell you how much you have to buy this book. I have a feeling this book will someday be like By Forces Unseen, (even though it has just been reprinted!) buy this as soon as you can!!

Scott R

This is a great book and it is nice seeing different ways to perform some of the tricks and moves that I have done over the years. Things are done differently than the old books that I have read in the past. It's a new take on several things, along with new things that I had not seen before. Love the book.

The only thing about the book that concerns me is that the book cover does not look like it will last the test of time. I have seen this material used in the past and over time it starts to crack and split. For now, it is in perfect shape. and reads beautifully.

Henza

Stop reading this review and please buy the book right now. One of the best purchases I have ever made - so many incredible, clean effects for beginners to advanced card handlers, from workers to social media magicians. The real gold however, is the essays and the tricks in them at the end of the book. I love Harapan!

Xabier

I couldn't be happier with the book. I like most of the routines, but the best of Principia can be found in its essays. Harapan talks about magic with a new approach, and the result is very inspiring. It is a bit pricey, but there's lots of amazing content to make it well worth it.

Dustin

I love this book! In the first 20-30 pages alone I learned some of the best card tricks I've ever known and will show for years to come.
I think I'd consider myself on the high side of a beginner/low side of intermediate for card magic. To me these effects were easy to understand, very well explained, and there was a move or sleights with just about each & every trick that was new to me that was super fun to learn! There were also effects that I understood right away but are going to challenge me to perfect and I love that. This book got me very excited with each and every trick. The 50 min video download shows each performance so you know how it should look and I found it very helpful.

To explain this book in a nutshell; for every trick, I would watch the video first to see how it should look... And I'd get really nervous and say, "There's no way I could learn that." I'd open the page up and 5 minutes later, I was doing it grinning ear to ear!

Chris

Wow. This book is awesome. I haven’t bought a magic book in a while but took the plunge with this after the live lecture where Harapan Ong showed a couple of things. This book has it all, it’s great for beginners as well as those with more advanced skills and the content is set out beautifully and the book itself is a work of art. Content though is what it’s all about and this one doesn’t disappoint. I literally cannot wait for the next work by Harapan. 5 stars all the way.

Garry

Excellent book, with a very good quality thick padded orange coloured cover, great introduction to the book, including how it came about for the art work & design of the book, continued with easy to follow discriptions of the different tricks, comes with the Gaff cards, which came in a nice presentation box, a good quality video production, demonstrating the different tricks, the page numbers from the book of each trick is shown at the bottom of the video.

Derek

Any product Vanishing Inc. Is involved with, you can trust to be of the highest caliber, and this is no exception. Beautiful book full of wonderful, practical magic. One of the best things about this release is that you are provided access to online performances by Harapan of almost every item in the book — a wonderful way to enjoy the magic and easily ascertain which items you want to delve into.

Thank you Vanishing Inc for giving us such a treasure.

Jeffrey

This book is fantastic. Harapan Ong has a really unique way of looking at magic due to his interesting background. Andy Gladwin designed the book and Joshua Jay handles the introduction and I will tell you the result is a book of really interesting philosophy and magic effects that rocked my world. Highly recommended. So glad I bought this book.
Jeffrey Marks

Ryan

I don't leave many reviews but I need to say something about this book.....its gold. This. book will actually make you feel a little bad about your magic. Harapan has put so much good material in here that it will keep you busy for a long time. And if you're into arts and crafts, there are a few tricks that require some fun stay-indoor hands on goodness you can do to make some fun gaffs to do some amazing magic. Overall...one of the finest books I've purchased. Vanishing Inc Books are the new standard.

Gautier

Had the pleasure to meet Harapan a few years ago when he briefly came to France as an exchange student and at the time, he was already way ahead of his peers when it came to magic. The book reflects on this: from great thinking to absolute pristine execution, all the effects are true workers. My best purchase of this year so far!

Jesse

Just got the book! Amazing tricks and well explained! I really love it

Rick

This is absolutely one of the best best buys I've made in a couple of years. The writing is clear and the illustrations are great. Being a hobbyist with intermediate skills, I have not found any tricks in the book that I can't learn with a little work. Would definitely recommend to anybody into card magic

David

This book is simply stunning. I am halfway through and already it is clear that the material in this book is going to have the most significant impact on my magic of any purchase since moving beyond beginner materials.

I, like many magicians, use books and DVD's as a source of inspiration for my own creativity. There's a ton of inspiration in here but most significantly there's a lot of material that I know I will do forever more exactly as described.

The whole package is an absolute joy and the extras are very much appreciated. 100%, no reservations recommended.

Yeow Chong

I received the book recently and I like the quality of the book and it is also well presented. It is also easy to read and understand, with a good video and gaffs card. If there is content of the effects in the video, that would be nice. Would definitely recommend to my friends.

Chris

Vanishing Inc. and Harapan Ong have gone the extra mile to produce a book of exceptional quality, filled with interesting effects and essays. Providing a forty plus minute video showing nearly every trick really brings the material to life and I hope future products continue to offer this. Providing a good sampling of gaffs (matching bicycle decks) also makes everything really accessible, giving the reader no excuse to not jump in and start learning the material. Harapan's writing is clear, the illustrations are profuse and useful, the citations are good and the material is just plain fun. Highly recommended!

Michael

This is a very nice book with a plush cover and large pages. I tend to like books written in a conversational style; this is a bit more technical in nature but it works. If you like cards this book is definitely worth it. There are two really nice extras as well. Although most card workers will already have the common gaffs needed for some of the tricks, they are included with the book. Also, for those like me that sometimes can't figure out what the trick is supposed to look like, there are video performances of many of the effects. Very nice job.

Tyler

Received my book 2 days ago. It is amazing. The production value is very high; the cover and binding are great and the paper stock is very high quality.
I’ve worked through several effects at the beginning of the book. I love the style in which they are written. They are set up like a science paper from a journal, and the format is very clear and uniform, making it easy to know where to find different bits of information when browsing routines. I love his footnotes and bibliography sections. He cares about magic as an art form with a history.
The effects I’ve worked, Streamlined Pocket Transposition and The Card Across, are very good updates to classic effects. They require some intermediate sleights, but nothing back breaking (yet), and the effects are clean and delightful.
Very pleased with my purchase, I think you will be, too.

Feiyu

Just recieved the book, everything in it is absolutely beautiful! Just a little suggestion, if the online performance videos are sorted in order and have an table of content, it will be wonderful.

Robert

I really do like this book and appreciate the style in which it's written. I do have the packet of gaff cards with it. However, I would say more than half of them are just a little more than I want to do. That said, it looks very nice on my shelf. It's probably worth it for anyone with a real interest in cards, but may be a little pricey for those with just a passing interest.