OVERVIEW
Drawing Room Deceptions was the direct result of a series of specific events. The first ingredient was a young English schoolboy willing to invest a full decade of his young life in the study and practice of close-up card magic. He was not satisfied to mimic the tricks of others so he created a repertoire that was totally original. Along the way, he developed a distinct performing style that was gentlemanly yet steeped in sophisticated humor. Following graduation from university, Guy spent a couple of years traveling around the world performing and lecturing for club meetings and convention audiences. Add to this, television appearances around the world such as The World's Greatest Magic in America. This exposure to thousands of magicians established Guy's reputation for possessing impeccable skill along with an arsenal of original material. And one miracle that stood out among all others was his not-to-be-believed, piece-by-piece card restoration, now known to the magic world at large as The Reformation. The final piece of the puzzle was putting all of this knowledge into a single book, Drawing Room Deceptions. The added fact that this entire book was written, illustrated and designed by young Mr. Hollingworth simply makes this story that much more amazing.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the magic world was desperate for the release of this book and when it finally did appear, the response was overwhelming. The book is now in its fifth edition.
Customers knew they would be thrilled with the sleights, theories and routines that fill the 320 pages of Drawing Room Deceptions but they were surprised and delighted with the book's physical appearance. The two-color stamping on the cover, a frontispiece featuring a formal portrait of the author, marbled end-sheets and distinctive typography and artwork give this book the appearance of a classic, nineteenth century magic textbook.
"This is a magnificent publication that is a major work of perhaps the most prolific British card magician around today... lovingly produced by Mike Caveney's Magic Words ...this is one of the major, original card magic books of the century to be considered alongside Expert Card Technique, The Royal Road to Card Magic and Erdnase that must be required reading and have a permanent place on any card worker's bookshelf. Guy Hollingworth has taken us back to the great days of card magic in an echo of the work of Nate Leipzig, Paul Le Paul, Charlie Miller and Dai Vernon." – Jack Avis and John Derris in ABRA.
"Within the world of magic, the publication of Guy Hollingworth's book has been as long-awaited as this summer's new Star Wars movie. The book was finally published and unlike Star Wars - I wasn't disappointed by the contents! Guy has a wonderfully witty style, which kept me laughing out loud from the devious prologue to the end page. This is an important book and a true delight to read." – Anthony Owen The Magic Circular.
"This is an outstanding book. The material is geared toward the experienced card magician, but there are routines which require little or no skill. Drawing Room Deceptions is one of the best books of the year, and I highly recommend it." – Mike Close MAGIC magazine.
"…exceedingly educational and thoroughly entertaining." – Genii magazine.
[The epilogue of Guy's book runs 38 pages (including 33 illustrations) and focuses on his reputation-making Torn and Restored Card known around the world as The Reformation. To give you a feel for Guy's writing style, what follows is his introduction to this much anticipated effect and even more anticipated explanation.
Rereading the secret to this diabolical mystery is nothing less than thrilling; to see how every problem was so elegantly solved and how every seemingly casual nuance serves to enhance the mystery. Whenever I think of Guy's Torn and Restored Card, I am reminded of the OPUS magazine convention (party?) that was held above a pub in London during the Spring of 1999. Guy generously agreed to present a one-hour lecture wherein he explained every detail of The Reformation. Needless to say, the room was packed to overflowing with a distinguished group of magicians. At the conclusion of the hour, the group recognized Guy's incredible accomplishment with a sustained standing ovation but one man in the front row was the first one out of his seat. He had watched spellbound for sixty minutes and as he jumped to his feet I could hear Alex Elmsley say, "Brilliant!"]