The Universal Hand is a limited edition of 100 signed & numbered books offering easy to intermediate card magic for right and left-handed magicians. There are over 30 personalized sleights, 20+ routines and bits of business and an essay. See more details below.

The title of the book is for the teaching method. The Universal Hand is a simplistic way to teach directions for the left and right hands and fingers that is inclusive to both left and right-handed magicians. Lefties usually need to ‘flip’ all left/right directions and imagine the opposite of what the author is explaining. Not so with the Universal Hand. Both left and right-handed readers will instantly and easily understand without any practice or memorization.  

The book begins with a brief, somewhat humorous and possibly painful explanation of why this issue persists in magic, followed by over 30 customized sleights, 20+ off-beat routines and tips. The book finishes with a thought-provoking or insomnia curing essay on one way we achieve the sensation of ‘real magic.’

Charles Leach is the creator of The Raven, Deck Shell, Die-Cipher II, Buddha Coin Boxes and more. This is his first offering of this personal card magic. 

Sleights include:

* CUSSing, two false cuts that are hybrids of a cut and a pass. Very easy and deceptive.

* KiSS, or Knuckle Sandwich Switch, an in-the-hands Mexican Turnover for forcing a card or shifting a free selection to the bottom of the deck.

* GLIDE Forces 1-4, all are very easy, natural-looking and deceptive.

* The Hindu Criss-Cross Force. Another example of hybrids being better than their originals.

* The GAG Move (Gears And Gravity) and Glide Double Shift. Both moves bring the top and bottom cards of the deck together at the center of the deck with a selection reversed between them. 

* GLIDE Bottom Placement, the easiest and most natural way to secretly shift a free selection to the bottom of the deck.

* RIFFLE Popping shows what you can do with a nervous tic, like catching 1-4 card breaks or visual appearances. 

Routines include:

* The Unambitious Card, a tongue-in-cheek version of the classic trick with loads of climaxes, humor and an explanation of why magicians keep secrets. 

* 3 In 1 Act, a favorite of my evil twin. You explain what you won’t do, then do exactly that in a surprising way. Trust no one.

* The Upside-down Deck, a routine that turns everything upside-down: The card box, the cards and everyone’s perceptions. 

* An Amazing Routine shows that a spectator never needs to be amazing, but a magician does, making him or her a bit neurotic. 

* Pip of Destiny & Cupid’s Arrows are the same routine with different costumes. A spectator inserts a playing card anywhere in the deck and finds two selections or predictions.

* Vernon & Jennings Do The Twist is a merging of routines by these two card legends. Here, the modified Jennings segment uses an Elmsley Count only twice and from a Biddle Grip.

* ACAANA, Any Card At Any Number Almost. For those who don’t take ACANN too seriously.

* Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! A topical and logical routine for Colm Mulcahy’s Triple Deal principle with a fun kicker.

* Karma Card Cousin has a spectator using her ‘karma’ to locate her karma card’s cousin. A twist on a J.K. Hartman routine.

Book specs: 

* 200 Pages

* Perfect-bound, soft cover

* 6” x 9” format

* First Edition, Limited to 100 Signed and Numbered books.