Mnemonica: The Best Book for Memorized Card Magicians
by Alex J. Coyne © Gifts & Games for Card Players
Mnemonica by Juan Tamariz has been called one of the single best titles for card magicians and conjurers, and you’re in luck. The 2004 card book defining the Mnemonica memorized deck is getting a new release – and it’s the perfect book for discovering how magicians seem to get “pick a card” tricks right every time.
My first book about conjure and sleight of hand was Modern Coin Magic (J.B. Bobo), and my first lesson was that I might be a little better at card tricks instead. Even though I can’t pull off a proper French drop, there’s something about your first set of magic books you’ll never forget.
The best type of stage magic can be relatively simple for the magician, though must often look complicated and dramatic to the audience. Magic is about the wonder of the impossible; Mnemonica takes you behind the curtain of card tricks without breaking any rules about revealing industry secrets.
Here’s why Mnemonica should make your reading list if you’d like to learn more about card tricks or have anyone in your life who should.
About Mnemonica and Where to Get It
“Mnemonica is a virtual encyclopedia on the subject of memorized-deck magic, by the world’s leading exponent and one of magic’s acknowledged masters. It is a book crammed with magic from the working repertoire of Juan Tamariz, magic that leaves everyone, public and magicians, utterly astounded. It is a book capable of changing the reader’s entire approach to card magic, and a work that supports Juan Tamariz’s reputation as one of the most important and creative thinkers in magic today.”
– Mnemonica, PenguinMagic.com
There are various types of card magic, and it’s one of the first things you’ll learn if you are new to doing card tricks or conjure.
For example, some card tricks rely on a trick (or gimmick) deck like the famous Svengali or Ultra Mental Deck.
However, this doesn’t always work in street or stage magic situations … A good magician knows how to work with props, but also learns how to work without them – if you’re learning card tricks, imagine you could do tricks using anything passed to you by a spectator instead of using something that you’ve prepared for the trick!
Mnemonica is a “memorized deck” system that can be used with a standard 52-card deck.
The classic title first published in 2004, and the book explains more than a hundred different card tricks. There’s no setup, there’s no trick deck, and the tricks simply rely on specific card arrangements that you can do with any cards in almost any situation.
If you’re just learning your first card tricks, this is useful; and if you’d like to step up your cardistry skills, this book takes the information to more advanced avenues once you have the deck itself memorized.
Here’s a YouTube tutorial for how to learn or memorize the “stacked order” of the Mnemonica deck:
How to Learn or Memorize Mnemonica Stack Order
About the Author: Juan Tamariz
Juan Tamariz (18 October 1942 to 18 August 2026) was a Spanish magician – and often hailed as one of the pioneers behind close-up card magic.
According to the New York Times, Tamariz was described as a “zany, shaggy-haired, snaggletoothed magician whose ingenious card tricks baffled audiences.” Simply, the article headline calls him a Master Magician of Misdirection and Joy.
Magicians Mag called him “a walking encyclopedia” of magic and card tricks.
That’s about right!
Even if you don’t know it, you’ve probably seen some of his tricks before—there are many card tricks he inspired, influenced, or directly created. Thanks to Penguin Magic, you can see some of his most classic card tricks here.
If you want to explore more of his work, you can also look for The Five Points of Magic, The Magic Way, and Sonata.
Magic with Stacks (or Memorized Decks)
A common English expression says that the odds are “stacked” against someone … And from this you can pretty much picture what a stacked card deck would mean.
Stacked (or memorized) card decks are a type of card deck trick that relies on a pre-determined card order. Simply, magicians can calculate exactly where certain cards are, and can usually use any card deck for the purpose.
Mnemonica is one of the most popular types of memorized decks, though you could guess that others like the Si Stebbens stack exist.
Conjuror Community’s blog lists three more types of card stacks and how to memorize them better. The Spruce Crafts lists several more ways to use stacked decks outside of Mnemonica.
Mnemonica is one of those classic card books that allow you to impress your crew, but that also teaches you enough to take your skills to the street or stage once you’ve developed your magic outside of your personal circle.
Are you ready?
