The Devil’s Staircase, by Greg Chapman.

A book on artifice and entertainment with cards

FOREWORD by Sal Piacente. 223 pages, and over 50 stunning illustrations. Learn killer routines from a shuffled deck, discover the real work on using stacks and arrangements, and find powerful tools and techniques to apply to YOUR card magic.

What people are saying about The Devils Staircase

“This is an outstanding book and one which I feel all card men should study. Highly recommended.” – Michael Vincent

“Greg knows how to create strong, magical and entertaining effects and it is great that he is sharing his work with all of us.” – Eric Richardson

” I continue to enjoy your book. Honestly, one of the most interesting card magic books I have come across in years.” – Dan Andrus

“There are some magicians who are good technicians; there are some magicians who are good writers; there are some magicians who can illustrate their work well; there are some magicians who can create inventive fooling effects. It is relatively rare though in the world of magic to find someone who is all of the above. I think Greg Chapman is such a magician and his book will become a classic in the field of smart, inventive, demanding but do-able card magic. If you like the work of Darwin Ortiz, Simon Aronson, or Dennis Behr, then this book is for you.” – Jack Shalom

“This book is full of insightful ideas that will provoke new and exciting work. It will make you evaluate what you do and how you can take it further. Greg’s work on the memorized deck is outstanding. Greg does not think like I do and I treasure that! For me his work acts like a catalyst for the re-examination of my magical ideas and has me exploring new solutions or applying his ideas to reinvigorate old applications and presentations. This is a thoughtful and challenging work that will expand your magical horizons.”

– Anton van Helden

“I thoroughly enjoyed the chapter MEMORIZED DECK EFFECTS of your book and I learned a great deal that I haven’t read anywhere else. I particularly enjoyed the mind reading section, especially the information on reading tells and how you tell how many cards are in the participant’s packet. I can’t wait to buy a copy from you when it’s published, as I can see I’m only skimming the surface of this fascinating subject.”

– Richard Webster

“I had the pleasure of reading the section on memorized deck effects in Greg’s book. If you have any interest in this area then I highly encourage you to purchase his book.

The section I reviewed was well written. But outside of the excellent description of the trick, the most valuable part to me were the well thought out ideas and various gambits that he describes. As I read the chapter I often found myself saying, that’s a great idea. Greg has not only described a reputation making effect but he gives you many ideas that will enable you to tailor your presentation to a variety of subjects.

If you only got this one routine out of the book, you would have a blockbuster. “

– Steve Ehlers

“Although being into memorized deck magic for decades I found new routines and extremely clever approaches for this tool. Superb brain food! My highest recommendation!

– Jan Forster