The Top Change by Magic Christian - Book
Penguin Magic
Once upon a time, magicians discovered the Bottom Change and realized they had something powerful.
Not long after came the Top Change, and card magic was forever richer for it.
Somewhere along the way, these classics were labeled “old-fashioned” and quietly replaced by flashier techniques. That was a mistake. The Top and Bottom Changes remain two of the most direct, deceptive, and versatile tools in card magic—capable of miracles modern sleights still struggle to match.
After more than twenty years studying the work of Hofzinser, and thousands of real-world performances for both lay audiences and magicians, Magic Christian understands exactly what these sleights are capable of. He doesn’t just use them—he relies on them. In fact, he is likely the only magician in centuries to have meaningfully improved the Bottom Change, while expanding both sleights far beyond their traditional boundaries.
With his methods, one card—or several—can be exchanged invisibly, together or individually, without ever seeming to approach the deck.
All of this work, refinement, and innovation is laid out in clear, meticulous detail in The Top Change. What you’ll learn here isn’t just technique—it’s control, structure, and confidence. These are tools that quietly raise the level of everything you perform.
Magic Christian is an international star, multiple FISM award winner, and one of the most respected card thinkers alive. In this book, he shares everything he knows about the Top and Bottom Changes—leading you not just to mastery, but to possibilities most magicians never realize exist.
This isn’t about learning a move. It’s about reclaiming a royal tool—and using it properly.
"I had the privilege this week of reading Magic Christian’s new book, The Top Change – The Monarch of Card Sleights. This manuscript is a scholarly work on an extraordinary card move. He covers dozens of variations and techniques, and this book is destined to become the definitive work on this subject. I highly recommend the book and can say after reading it; I am a better magician." - Allan Ackerman
"Magic Christian’s knowledge of the Top Change is incredible. He left no stone unturned, and I particularly appreciated the amount of history he shared about the move. This is a masterclass on the Top Change." - Ryan Schlutz
"An incredible resource on a move that too many of us magicians could do and understand better. This book helps greatly with that in a very entertaining way." - Jon Armstrong
"I love the top change, and now almost everything I've ever wanted to know about it is contained within this book. Thanks, Christian, for a fantastic resource!" - Chad Long
"In order to advance in magic, we have to be broad and we have to be deep. Broad, in the sense of innovating, looking back in our history and going further in the future, deep, in the sense of looking at a specific topic, and then explore it, looking at it from all sides, discovering its beauty and complexity. In this book Magic Christian does just that. In a way only few of us can, he takes one of the five big operational concepts of card magic, the Top Change, and creates a monograph that broadens our horizons and encourages us to study other topics in a similar way. For this we must thank the author. You can do this by buying this book, which has my highest recommendation." - Roberto Giobbi
"Christian shares rare insights from Hofzinzer and other past masters and provides a wealth of historical perspective. He offers his own detailed technical analysis of the sleight and a surprising number of variations and effects using them. Magic Christian's new book on the Top Change is a graduate course on one of card magic's most direct and powerful techniques and a guide that could make anyone a better magician." - Michael Weber