This book is an English translation of a French book. The original French title is "Comment on nous Vole au Jeu!" I also noticed that Amazon has the name of the author wrong. Unless they fixed it by the time my review is posted they have Alberto Villiod, but it should be Eugene Villiod.

The book is something between a novel and a textbook about card cheating. Instead of compiling technical descriptions of card cheating strategies into a textbook format, the author decided to follow an imaginary character, called Mr. Rakeoff, on his trip through the provinces of France. Mr. Rakeoff takes a train trip through France and fills his pockets with money earned in card games -- by cheating, of course. Each chapter describes different card cheating methods used in different games.

One has to keep in mind that this book was written at the turn of the century (19th to 20th centuries, that is) so for that reason some of the stuff may be a bit outdated. However, this is not a criticism -- it is simply a statement of fact.

If you like good scam stories you should not miss this book. It is a classic.

PS: Eugene Villiod is also the author another good book -- "The Stealing Machine".

THIS BOOK IS NOT REALLY about hypnotysing people its a trick

In Iguana Killer there are several stories of young boys and the growing up they have to do usually without too much financial security and the constant challenges that they meet in a bilingual as well as a bi-cultural setting. Rios has a gift for interpreting what goes on in young boys minds, and the stories themselves make for very good reading.

...but it's a great book. Psyconoir with culture, cold blooded slow hearted carachters that sink in their own lifes. Read it, even if you ignore who he is.

In this little book, the origins of Cairo as a city, its art, its architecture, its museums and monuments are presented. The history of the Fatimids, Mamluks and Ottomans is examined. Mosques, sabils, madrasas and the monuments of al-Ghuri, Khan al-Khalili, the citadel and the nilometer are discussed. Offering a bibliography, a chronological table, wonderful photographs, drawings and maps, this is a useful overview of ancient and modern Cairo; a practical guide for everyone.

I have been to Italy in the past, enjoying it's beauty and splendor. The birds eye view and photography in this book makes Italy even more breath taking.Im going back next year, I will bring the book with me, to see exactly where im standing from the air.ciao.

The most "ignorant" Pessoa heteromy Caeiro is a nature lover who doesn't care of anything else. For him, the senses, his senses, particulary the vision, are of great importance because it is they what give the possibility to Caeiro enjoy the beautiful nature that surrounds him, the nature he loves. In a set of astounding poems he explains his way of thinking, how nature is the most important thing of human existence, his idea that all should be seen, not thought. To think is to be sick with our eyes closed. Caeiro goes on, describing feelings and situations, maybe in a way a naive person with little culture would describe. In fact, this heteronym only has 4th degree and is a very simple person. But his filosofy, contrary to what looks like at first sight, is far from being simple, and Caeiro is far from being a "ignorant" human being. The more we read is poems more we see the greatness of his "simple" ideas. At the same time we ask ourselves about our own lives and the way we see the world. And at the end the question: "Isn't he right?..."

This artist gives us a big gift. He shares with us his perspective of Life. The art of Klee is positive, colorfull, visual, and very meaningfull. Well, this book is a nice substitution to the real collection. The colors of Klee show emotions. He colors the world... with hope...

I wrote a review on this 2 months ago, but I hope this one go's in. I went there, saw it and done it. The book is very accurate and a great guide to the islands, I recommend it to all first time visitors- don't forget to visit the ragga club on the east side, the owner also has great living accomadations on the ocean for the tourist.

Cesaria es una mujer práctica, que conoce sus límites y a quien solo le interesa que sus actividades cotidianas no se perturben. La guerra de Italia con los aliados la tiene sin cuidado, sin embargo cuando se hace inminente que Roma va ha quedar sitiada y los alimentos se agotan en los almacenes, decide que es tiempo de volver a sus raíces, al campo, y refugiarse allí hasta que la guerra pase, al fin y la cabo el run run en las calles es que es cuestión de un par de semanas. Sin embargo, la realidad es otra y han de pasar nueve meses de hacinamiento en una casa de campesinos, en los que todos los referentes bajo los cuales se movía antes de experimentar la guerra, cambiaran de blanco a negro para Cesaria y su hija. Tal vez lo mas impactante es como el autor pone de presente que la bondad cuando se funda unicamente en la inocencia, no es una virtud.

La novela es magnifica, pues a pesar de que no ahorra esfuerzos en hacer sentir al lector lo enajenante que puede ser para el espíritu un estado de perpetua violencia, al mismo tiempo le resalta al lector como la belleza siempre está ante nuestros ojos sin importar las condiciones, solo es cuestión de sintonizarnos con ella.