Alex Elmsley

Alex Elmsley (2 March 1929 – 8 January 2006) was a Scottish magician and computer programmer. He was notable for his invention of the Ghost Count or Elmsley Count, creating mathematical card tricks, and for publishing the mathematics of playing card shuffling.

He began practising magic in 1946, as a teenager. He studied physics and mathematics at Cambridge University; whilst there he was also secretary of the Pentacle Club. He was a patent agent, and later a computer expert, in his day job. Otherwise, he was an amateur card and close-up magician. He was awarded an Academy of Magical Arts Creative Fellowship in 1972.

He created a number of magic tricks, including the Ghost Count, Between Your Palms, Point Of Departure and Diamond Cut Diamond.

He wrote Elmsley's 4 Card Trick (1967) and Cardwork (1975), and was the subject of The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley (vol. 1 1991, vol. 2 1994).

The special count used in Elmsley's 4 Card Trick was renamed after him as the Elmsley Count.