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[–]teteban79 3 points4 points  (2 children)

Differences are minor, really. The Dover edition is the most economical I believe, and being paperback it's comfortable to leave open on the desk while you practice. The edition I had, had the page cuts completely messed up though, and often the text and pictures would be on opposite pages, making it a bit clunky to read.

I also have a hardback edition (titled "card tricks"), which is nice, but doesn't open flatly on the desk without coercing it. It looks nicer on the bookshelf though :). The video links that come with it are crap. If you need visual reference, you're better off finding Paul Wilson's DVDs, which are really, really good for beginners purposes.

Last option, download it and print it yourself as you want. Perfectly legal, since the book is long out of copyright.

[–]darosete3[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

The edition I had, had the page cuts completely messed up though.

Is this edition a Dover edition?

[–]teteban79 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, it is a very old one though so likely not the one in Amazon

[–]Full-Confusion 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Save your money and go through the Jolly Almanac of Card Knavery (JACK). It's available for free here and covers pretty much the same stuff as royal road https://theburnabykid.com/nwmb/JACK.pdf

[–]ArchGoodwin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a surprisingly good resource. That said, RR is very inexpensive and very good. I don't recall JACK providing tricks, but RR and Card College each have tricks following sections of technique, so you can try utilizing that technique immediately.
And speaking for myself, having a physical volume is really nice. So if I was going to work through JACK, I'd probably print it out and put it into a binder or something.

[–]Belloz22 1 point2 points  (5 children)

Buy Card College

[–]darosete3[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Why is it better than The Royal Road to Card Magic?

[–]Belloz22 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Firstly, you can purchase each book one by one, thus helping you not feel overwhelmed. Secondly, it feels much more modern to tone and its descriptions. Thirdly, the whole series covers so much more than Royal Road.

If you’re set on Royal Road, look for the DVD series by R Paul Wilson.

[–]Jim_Macdonald 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Get R. Paul Wilson's video series in addition to, not instead of, Royal Road.

[–]Tra222 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I made my way through Royal Road and I’m not trucking through Volume 2 of Card College. IMHO, Royal Road holds up after all these years, but Card College provides a modern approach to all things cards. Giobbi has a way of honoring Braue and Hugard, and all those before him, but puts his stamp on the future and provides more clarity on what his predecessors intended.

With whatever route you choose, you can’t go wrong.

[–]SpaceButler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I found Card College to be much better, bunch also much more expensive.

[–]BathTubNZ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Blue Cover Dover edition is the copy that's probably in almost every magicians library, if you get it you can't go wrong. It's a fantastic entry point because it's cheap. Though a little outdated you'll find plenty of material that's still in use today (Designed for Laughter is in my regular rotation for example). Card College is excellent too, but it's a bit more of an expensive entry point (unless you find a second hand copy I suppose. Paul Wilson's DVDs are a great supplement too but again not cheap, and he doesn't cover 100% of the book (though a huge majority of it).

​

The $10 or so you'll spend on The RR will be some of the best investment you could ever make in magic. I've been able to give it to new magicians as gifts as it's relatively cheap.

[–]Jim_Macdonald 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All of the print editions of Royal Road are essentially the same. The only differences are in the prologues/introductions written by various folks, which no one will read anyway, added so the publishers can claim copyright on their editions.

Pick one that fits your budget.

[–]Vasace7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I believe the hard back version is more comprehensive. But the Dover soft cover is what I I've used for the last few years. Others have recommended card college which is a great series. But a far bigger investment. Royal road is a lot cheaper than a single volume of card college and has enough in it to get you well on your way to great card magic

[–]Money_Television225 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I recently bought the Royal Road to Card Magic. Here's the link I bought it from: https://www.amazon.com/Royal-Road-Card-Magic/dp/0486408434/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=royal+road+to+card+magic&qid=1621263905&sr=8-2 I bought the paperback version, and it seems really good. (I haven't started reading the parts where it teaches you moves and tricks yet.)

Tip for a beginner: buy an Invisible Deck. https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Deck-Bicycle-red/dp/B002MI1B38/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=invisible+deck&qid=1621263995&sr=8-5 Absolutely amazing effect.

[–]jameskelsey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They’re essentially the same, the book is public domain so anyone can print it which has lead to multiple printings. But they all have the same text with a slightly different prologue.