The Definitive Sankey (Volumes 1-3)

Book by Jay Sankey
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Finally available again! A massive three-book collection featuring more than 500 tricks from one of magic’s most prolific creators.

The first edition of The Definitive Sankey sold out quickly and has since been one of the most sought-after magic books in the world. We’ve received 100s (if not 1,000s) of requests to reprint it over the years. So, we are just as excited as you to announce it is finally back in stock!

When Vanishing Inc. was first founded in 2009, one of our first major projects was creating the ultimate collection of Jay Sankey’s work. The idea was simple: comb through Jay’s unparalleled library of material to create a “greatest hits” book. But, we never could have imagined we’d be left with more than 1,600 pages of magic. It’s truly a lifetime’s worth of magic in one place.

It took four years of tireless work from Joshua Jay, Andi Gladwin, and Jay Sankey to bring The Definitive Sankey to life. This treasure trove of practical, worker close-up magic is one of the most comprehensive collections of material ever printed from a single magician.

Tricks for Any Skill Level

What makes The Definitive Sankey so special is the variety of its content. There is a range of material for all types of magicians and skill levels—much of which doesn’t use playing cards.

Like tricks with borrowed bills? There are over 30 effects with borrowed bills.

How about mentalism? There are whole chapters devoted just to that subject, as well as full chapters on magic with rubber bands, coins, bills, finger rings, and more.

Jay also dives deep on restaurant magic, bar magic and other situational magic. It even includes Jay’s magic theory masterpiece Beyond Secrets to help you become a better overall magician.

There is still, of course, a ton of amazing card magic too. From over 70 impromptu card pieces to an entire chapter on the torn and restored plot, no stone is left unturned.

With so much great material available, it can sometimes be difficult to choose where to start. So, we asked some of the most innovative magicians in the world (David Regal, Rune Klan, Richard Sanders, and others) to share their top 10 favorite Jay Sankey tricks. These curated lists are included in the books (along with reference points of what pages they can be learned on). They are the perfect starting point for anyone looking to immerse themselves in the brilliance of Jay Sankey.

Three Beautiful Hardcover Books

Every routine is explained in full detail, and 1,000s of crisp photographs make the learning process as informative and easy as possible. Convenient difficulty markers at the start of each trick, as well as a label indicating if it’s impromptu or not, ensure you won’t waste time on tricks that don’t suit your needs. If a particular trick is included on one of the Top 10 lists, there is a special badge identifying that as well.

These fully indexed hardcover books are printed on treated paper with gorgeous two-color rendering. A complete bibliography is also included in book 3 for anyone seeking to explore a certain topic or plot further.

Since the first edition of The Definitive Sankey was released, much of the source material has gone out of print and is difficult to find. Even if you were able to find it all at face value, you’d have to spend $100s, if not $1,000s to procure it all. With The Definitive Sankey, you get all of Jay Sankey’s best magic tricks in one place. While the books are available to purchase separately, you can save money by grabbing the whole collection at once. Get 100s of effects in a single collection for one low price.

It’s taken us nearly a decade to make The Definitive Sankey available again. So don’t miss your chance to grab it before it’s sold out again!

Vanishing Inc. Exclusive Offer – FREE BONUS DOWNLOAD

Anyone who purchases the complete three-book Definitive Sankey collection from Vanishing Inc. will receive a TWO FREE BONUS DOWNLOADS featuring Jay teaching and performing many of the best-of-the-best effects from the top 10 lists included in the book. This is a digital copy of the DVD that accompanied the first edition, and is only available to those who purchase their copy directly from Vanishing Inc.

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Customer reviews for The Definitive Sankey (Volumes 1-3)

Mike
First review! Probably the first of many.

This is an incredible collection. There is so much incredible material in here covering so many topics, including cards, coins, mentalism, theory, flash paper, etc. It has tricks for the beginner and expert. It is very well-written, but still has plenty of that Sankey wackiness. It is a fun read. There is something for everyone here. You can't read this collection without getting something useful from it.

I predict this will become one of those must-own collections, like Card College, Art of Astonishment, etc. Don't hesitate. Get yours now!
Richard
Wow! Simply wow! I was expecting a great product as it is usual with Vanishing Inc. but I wasn't prepared for this. Three HUGE (and I mean HUGE) books of extraordinary quality with very interesting characteristics such as lists of some well known magicians' favourite tricks and visual indications for those that we can do impromptu. Have I said "Wow!" ?
Leon
Great text, great photos, and great layout. I expected good descriptions of the effects, but the insights into Sankey's career and creative process elevate the book beyond a typical encyclopedia of tricks. In undertaking what must have been an extraordinarily difficult process, hard work and creativity show on every page. I've always liked Sankey's stuff (accepting that there is wheat and chaff), but seeing the directions and volume of his work really makes me respect him in a way I didn't before. There are genius effects in these volumes, but equally important there are insights into magical genius. As other reviewers note here, this set is as much an instant classic in magic as any I've read.
Robert
Absolutely blown away by the magic, layout and quality of writing in these books. I predict these books will not only become a classic, but Joshua's and Andi's formula for putting it all together will be the new prototype of future magic books! Just buy it, you will not regret.
Michael
Wow! I expected great material from Jay Sankey, however it's the amount of great material in addition to an unbelievably well organized 3 set volume. From the moment you open the book it is extremely impressive. First there is a section at the beginning entitled "how to read this book". This shows how each effect is broken down with photos, difficulty levels, source, whether or not impromptu, and top ten recommendations.

Why is the organization structure so important to me? I have some great book collections such as The James Files. The biggest problem is that I cannot find anything without having to read through hundreds of pages to select a great effect. I cannot state too much the obvious amount of detail and time that MUST have been put forth to produce these books.

The effects: There are hundreds of effects/tricks/ideas to choose from that you will be able to include some in your repertoire only days after reading. New takes on bill changes, and ideas with card tricks you already know that will inspire you to think in new directions.

Seriously Andi and Joshua outdid themselves on this one! Brilliant piece of work!
David
I heard about these books close to 2 years ago, and even then I thought. due to the huge volume of work involved; that these books would not be out for a VERY long time. Boy was I wrong! The final result is quite simply beautiful! Andi, Josh, Jay, and everybody else involved in this project must have CONSTANTLY worked on this to in a mere FOUR years, deliver us what we have now. Very much worth the wait!

The biggest surprise for me with this collection is this: I have always prided myself on being incredibly familiar with Jay's work, having invested in the majority of his books, DVDs, etc. You know what, that did not matter one bit. There are tons of unpublished goodies in here. Also, the write-ups of the effects that I was already familiar with blew me away also because there was always that one tidbit of information that breathes new life into the material. Whether an updated presentation or handling, this set has a lot to offer one for their investment, even for the hardcore Sankey buff.

The really crazy part is, as I write this, I'm only half was through the first volume!!! This work is very fun to go through though and I'm looking forward to making my way through it!

Once again, thank you Vanishing Inc. for a stellar product and for exceeding one's expectations!

Liam
While Jay Sankey is often the subject of many magic debates, these three books are massive, and demonstrate why he is one of the most creative forces in magic. The vastness of material is astonishing, and also the quality - even in tricks that you wouldn't use, theres some clever moment, method or line that you can appreciate.

Buy all three at once - they look great on the shelf, contain a ton of magic (both classic Sankey, and more obscure material that is dynamite) and certainly contain a bunch of tricks with literally any prop or situation you can think of. Very highly recommended.
Shaun
Some of the best books I've ever read. I will treasure these for life!
Kyle
The Definitive Sankey set. I did not know if I would like this I have never been a big Sankey fan but now I am. This set is great a lot of good trick's supper easy to read and funny plus some fun to read essays from Sankey. If you are thinking of buying them ( If not what is wrong with you? ) I would buy the set some of the tricks say to go learn a move from book one or book 2 but you are reading from the third. This is not a problem as long as you get all three. Once again Josh and Andi did great!
Geoff
Oh well, i have managed to drag myself away from the Sankey trilogy set. Firstly, the production, photographs, text , covers, info and layout is absolutely awesome. There is so much useable stuff in here, with every object you can think of. I really didnt know where to start. When you work out the cost and amount of real Magic effects, then this book is a must. Worth every last penny. Any young guys out therevwant to learn thevreal stuff, get theses books. These books will be future collectors items. The guys at vanishing inc have excelled with these books. I am one happy magic guy, now where was i?
jonathon
Who is Jay sankey you may ask! Well when you read his 3 books that vanishing Inc have done! You will be a marvel of close up with daytime things that will rock magicians,mentalism minds for a long time! What a big bang of cool magic! And balance that have cards ,coins and stage work too supernova theory that all ages will love!
R.J.
the most beautiful thing to happen to the world of magic in the last three decades maybe ever no exaggeration buy it now
Brandon
These volumes are sooo well done; they are instant classics. They are so well organized and are formated almost like college text books. Lord knows how much work went into these books. If you do magic for real people skip buying the trick of the week or one-trick downloads for a month or two and just get all three of these volumes. You literally will not NEED to buy any more magic.

Note: I purchased the complete set, and it was ordered through my local magic shop. Volume 1 was of the standard set and Volumes 2 and 3 were from the deluxe set. Not really a problem but if you order all three at once there may be a chance they'll be mismatched. Not sure why this happened, but luckily I'm a guy that doesn't care about the way the set looks on my shelf.
Jan
A lot has been said already about this, so I won't repeat it. What is good to know is that the descriptions are very short and clear. Partly because sleights are not included in the trick, but in a separate chapter. Great idea.

Many great ideas by the way. Jay Sankey twists the way you think about every concept that is possible with small objects, cards and coins. By now, many tricks have become classics, so pick it up, study this material and open your mind for everything that is possible. Often with simple methods.
Joshua
I have been waiting a VERY long time for this to be published again, THANK YOU!

The Definitive Sankey has been long known as a must-have for every magicians library, but has also been out of print for a very long time. I was always confident Vanishing Inc would eventually publish and print it again, and I am so grateful that has finally happened!
Joseph
These books look (and feel) great! Just received my copies yesterday and I've been thumbing through them. Excellent format with a fine layout. Very few magic books these days can equal the quality of Vanishing Inc.'s books. I'm used to getting prompt delivery from Vanishing whenever I order, but just one day? I realize that I live in Oakland, CA, less than a hundred miles from Rancho Cordova (near Sacramento) from which they were shipped, but that was still amazing. I placed my order online on Monday, and on Tuesday the shipment was at my door! That's almost as amazing as the books themselves.

They're hot, so get 'em while you can!
Gerhard
I was literally out of my skin with excitement to get these in the post. As soon as they became available on the website (2024) I jumped to buy them and boy oh boy what a set of books. There is sooo much here to cover. What I have read so far is well described. Sometimes the explanations are a bit skant but overall this is brilliant. So so happy to have this finally. Thank you VI!
Scott
I’m so happy and grateful that Vanishing Inc reprinted these books. I bought all three volumes with no hesitation. I’ve been a huge fan of Jay Sankey since I was just getting into magic in my teens. I have more Sankey products and DVD’s in my collection than any other magician. And I finally got to see him lecture live in person at Tannens two years ago. These books are the icing on the cake. They’re big, heavy, beautiful text books of the latest and greatest of Jay Sankey magic across three decades. They’re very well organized and contain bonus content like his Beyond Secrets book which is broken up into each volume and his complete bibliography which is awesome. I can spend hours a day getting lost into these books discovering new magic as well as rediscovering classics. This is a must have for any fan and as of right now they’re still in stock. Do not miss out!
Scot
Just received all 3 volumes and I'm blown away by the quality of these books! Stunning. And huge!! These are like encyclopedias in weight and size. But there's so much more to love. All these little touches, such as using a difficulty rating for each trick, letting you know if it's impromptu, suggesting more/similar tricks, etc. The pages are heavy and glossy. These books constitute a gold mine of wicked good magic that I plan to enjoy for the rest of my life! Sankey rocks. Vanishing....you done did good.
Alex
I got these books when they were first released and had to sell them at the time, I've waited ever since for them to come back into stock and by gosh am I glad they did!
I'm in a completely different place now than last time I bought them, but the beauty of a volume like this is that there's always something interesting.
I'd say I use about 1% of the tricks in the book, not a great percentage, sure, but before I also used about 1% of the book, just a different 1%.
This is a book that grows with you. Based on the material alone I think it would qualify 5 stars, but more importantly than that (to me) this is such a fun book. It's a joy to read. I love magic books and while Sankey is far from my favourite creator, and while the material here isn't among my favourites, I don't think there's any other magic book that's so fun to sit and flick through.

Even if you don't like Sankey (as I didn't when I got this book), I cannot recommend these books highly enough.
Jim
Do you remember way back when, it was Christmas morning, you opened the box from Grandma and Grandpa and found your first magic set? This set is kind of like that experience for the grownups. A new marvelous toy is revealed to you at every turn of the page.
Owen
As soon as I saw this available as an ebook, I had to buy it! Not that I have anything against print books. It's just that until I purchase more shelf space, a collection this big is out of the question.

I do not regret this purchase At All! In fact, ebook is the perfect way to have this collection. I can search for whatever I want, easily! I can bring it with me to read at work or on public transport without worry or back strain.

Although I shall definitely purchase the hard copy eventually, I love the convenience of the ebook version.

As for The Definitive Sankey itself, Sankey is a force of creativity, and these three books are marvelous! I will spend a lot of time going through these books and deciding which are my favorites.
Adam
These books are amazing. My first piece of advice would just be to buy them. There's lots of great work in there and it really does cover every aspect of magic (though obviously there's an emphasis on close-up work). There's a huge amount of variety, and having the top 10 list from various magicians means that it's easy to identify the highlights (e.g. back in time, which made about 4 people's lists). I also love that it specifically flags tricks which are impromptu, as a casual performer that's really useful for me. If you're considering just one volume, get volume 1, as I think it offers the most real-world performable tricks, but all three have some good stuff in there.
Alexei
These books are a treasure trove of amazing effects coupled with deep theory discussion and innovative applications of existing methods (over 500+ effects). This is the best purchase I made this year. Even as an owner of multiple Sankey products (DVD's and books), I still found a wealth of new information to justify the purchase. The illusions are well presented through excellent photos and detailed descriptions. I would recommend the physical books, if you can find them before they go out of print.
John
Love how simple the explanations are
Javier
I have known Jay Sankey’s magic for many years. I have watched a lot of DVD’s or downloads with “ice breakers” or jewels like “In a flash”. But this is not a collection of magic tricks, it is a huge work made by Vanishing Inc. Where you can find techniques, effects and theory, all of them from the fabulous mind of Jay Sankey. ¡I have really liked it!
Anthony
I love how these are available again, I lost my original set in a theft about 10 years ago, and i have been waiting for these to be reprinted since then.
But i seem to remember that the original set had a dvd included with volume 3. Even without that it is great to rediscover the effects and handlings.
William
I love buying from Vanishing. Absolutely the best customer service. These Sankey volumes are a valuable addition to any magicians or enthusiasts collection. The quality of these books are spot on. I always anticipate the offers of new books
James
Been wanting this set for some time. Couldn’t pass up the special pricing. These are one great set of books even though I am still in Vol 1. Talk about heavy, well made books…. I love sleight of hand but I also like to craft special gimmicks or props and Sankey has delivered it all. Lots of non card items I am sorry I didn’t buy them sooner but the sale makes it a real opportunity to take advantage of. I do enjoy Black Friday Days at Vanishing…
Robert
I am so glad these books got reprinted as I missed out on them the first time and the books are so well laid out but Jay Sankey was creative powerhouse and I am sure you will find something in these books that you will add to your repertoire.

Also the fact there is other magicians favourite Sankey routines in these books is really good and the how each effect in these books as a difficulty rating out of 5 stars means you can learn the routine that is to your current skill level at the time and when you have a bit more experience come back to these books and try to learn the more difficult effects

Absolute brilliant material in these books and from one of magic most creative and prolific creators in magic.

Community questions about The Definitive Sankey (Volumes 1-3)

Have a question about this product? It's possible others do too. Ask here and other Vanishing Inc. Magic customers will be able to respond with assistance! Alternatively, email us and we can help too.

  • Alberto asks: What type of pdf is it? Is it ext-Based (True PDFs) from digital creation (searchable), Image-Based (Scanned PDFs) which are just pictures (not searchable), or Searchable Image PDFs (OCR'd)? Do you have a sample?

    • 1. Jim responds:These are searchable PDFs. In my opinion, they are very well done.
    Post an answer to this question

  • Ryan asks: My question is this on this item if it is an eBooks what file does it go under? Thanks so much if you can answer my question.

    • 1. Vanishing Inc. Magic responds:These are downloaded as PDF

  • Michael asks: The 3 volume set is out of stock in physical format and only can be purchased individually. I was wondering if the 3 volume set for $200 will be coming back in stock?

    • 1. Vanishing Inc. Magic responds:It's an error on the site that is being worked on. We have stock. It will be fixed ASAP.

  • Bill asks: I have purchased this set and wonder how the content compares to the original set? Is this a reprint, update or a new edition?

    • 1. Vanishing Inc. Magic responds:It is a reprint of the original set.

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