Daryl’s Ambitious Card Omnibus by Stephen Minch

Here’s a welcome surprise! The Ambitious Card Omnibus by Stephen Minch was a slim but dense volume dedicated to all the best phases of the Ambitious Card plot. There are standard handlings as well unusual phases that have been largely forgotten since its 1987 publication. The book is written by magic’s foremost author, Stephen Minch, so you can expect high-quality and detailed instruction. And Daryl is at the center of the book, thanks to his FISM-winning handling of the Ambitious Card routine.

What’s interesting about this new edition is that it includes a new chapter on Daryl’s “Ultimate Ambition,” which is fantastic ending for the piece, in which the deck is wrapped in rope to “sleight-of-hand proof the pack,” yet the card still manages to rise to the top. This phase itself is thirty years old, yet hasn’t been described in great detail in print…until now.

The Ambitious Card is one of the most magical and compelling in all of card magic. It has progressed since 1987, when this book was published, but this book provides an essential foundation of knowledge on which to build your own Ambitious routine. Highest recommendation for serious students and beginners alike.