| Item/Manufacturer |
Comments |
Your
Book Review Could Appear Here! |
Contact
us at info@magicreviews.com to get your book or
video reviewed today! |
 Tricks
to Freak Out
Your Friends
Pete Firman
Rating: Fair
WOW: Fair
Method: Fair
Value: Fair |
According to the
publisher, "Pete Firman is a noted magician and
comedian. He has starred on the British television magic
shows Dirty Tricks, Monkey Magic, and The Secret World of
Magic." I never heard of him before.
The book is comprised
of 50 rude, sick, and mind-blowing stunts. The book's blurb
states that with these stunts "any practical joker or
novice magician will be armed with an arsenal of fresh, fun,
and easy pranks to play on friends and loved ones."
I take some exception with the word
"fresh" as there wasn't one new stunt in this book
that hasn't already been covered somewhere else. I was
hoping for something truly new and unique, but this is
basically retreads with no historical credits given
whatsoever. Very disappointing.
Effects described include resurrecting
dead flies, snuffing out lit cigarettes with your tongue,
swallowing table knives, bending spoons with your nose,
cutting off your thumbs with scissors, and making messages
appear on your skin. Hope these stunts play bigger in the UK
than they will in the U.S. |
 The
Dance
Brad Henderson
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
I had
the good fortune of seeing Brad perform and lecture at the
2003 OK City Cavalcade of Magic. His performance style is reminiscent
of Ricky Jay, but his forte is in the area of mentalism --
more specifically cold reading.
I've been interested in this area ever
since reading Buckley so many years ago, and Brad takes the
topic to new depths. This is a well-written and considerate
work that both educates and warns the reader of their
responsibilities when performing readings.
The techniques and sample dialogues and
effects are all well-structured and serve as excellent
examples of the techniques employed. When Brad asked me to
assist during his lecture, he started reading me, and it was
dead on. Very spooky stuff that will leave a lasting effect
on your audience. |
Psychophysiological Thought Reading
Banacek
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
If
you want to learn more about cold reading, muscle reading,
table tipping, and more effects from the world of mentalism
and spirits, then Banacek's book will more than suffice.
The book gives you a great deal of history
and anecdotes as well as practical applications of the
theories discussed and taught.
In the hands of a showman, these types of
effects are sure to elicit gasps from your audience.
Includes second book -- Burlingame's How To Read Minds. Good
reading. |
 Compositions
in Conjuring
Lecture Notes
Eric DeCamps
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
My
childhood friend, best man, and best friend has released a
fine set of lecture notes dealing with the topic of
"natural magic."
There are many unusual effects and moves
in this set of notes. Definitely not for the hobbyist.
Finger-flingers will love the coin work. Theoreticians will
love the care in routining and movements.
He absolutely blew me away with his
hand-to-hand coin transpositions, and his rope restoration
will make you think you need glasses.
Written by David Regal. A great lecture.
Don't miss it. |
 Nursery Rhymes
Volume 2
Lecture Notes
Dan & Dave Buck
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
Dan
and Dave Buck are at it again with their second collection
of unusual card routines and flourishes. This
is the type of stuff your dreams and nightmares are made of
-- if you dig knuckle busting manipulations you'll love this
book, but if you are looking for self-working, easy to learn
routines, you'll hate it. The
material reminds me of the creative gems that Paul Harris
first released with books such as Super Magic way back when.
There are some delightful and entertaining and highly visual
revelations. One of the
easier routines is a four ace revelation (a favorite theme
of the twins) entitled Pandemonium at the Card Table. Sometimes
the twins come off sounding a little mightier than thou --
and perhaps rightfully so. I rather doubt there are very
many people with their close-up manipulative skills. They
obviously put in a lot of time on creating complex moves,
but I wish they would spend more time developing more
commercial, fun routines that entertain the way Paul Harris'
material entertains. |
 Secrets
of a Millionaire Magician
Randy
Charach
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
I'm
so happy that Randy has made the book available in
electronic format.
Secrets
of a Millionaire Magician is
a neat ebook because it does not talk about theory without
also backing it up. Every assertion Randy makes can and is
backed up by his real-life experience and earnings. No bull.
No filler. That's very refreshing.
In this ebook Randy shares his successes
and analyzes why his strategies worked, and shows you how
they can work for you.
Take, for example, his appearance at a
local Chamber of Commerce trade show. I've attended these in
Tulsa, and frankly, was not that impressed by the traffic.
But Randy's small investment in a booth earned him a gig in
a shopping center and eventually a national tour!
Nothing short of amazing, and so easy to do if you just
think about the opportunities that surround you, and
formulate a plan to transform those opportunities into
revenue.
Randy shows you:
How to earn fees that are at least 5-10
times higher than your competitors.
How to easily avoid mistakes that can kill
your business.
How to
get a ton of bookings with absolutely no marketing cost.
And
the 10 essential tips for making money on the Internet.
And there's much more -- too much for me
tell you about in this small space. I recommend -- no,
strike that -- I urge you to visit Randy's
site right now and read the full ebook description. If you
are a performer -- magician or something else -- you owe it
to yourself to learn more about the business of show
business and how to maximize your earning potential.
Randy is selling three different versions:
a Secrets Lite for $97.00, a Secrets Deluxe for $197.00
(over 474 pages with bonuses), and a printed version for
$297.00 (plus $30.00 shipping).
Is this book worth it? Look at this
way. What have you got to lose? Randy is offering a 12 month
money-back guarantee. Click here
for more information. |
The British Close Up Magic Symposium:
The First Decade
1989-1999
Mark
Leveridge
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
This
book is a sensational collection of close-up effects and
essays on performance covering a decade of work.
The over-sized book has been
compiled by Mark Leveridge, it is 214 pages long, and
it contains nearly 100 different routines and articles
written and created by many popular magicians including
Michael Ammar, John Bannon, Roger Crosthwaite, Guy
Hollingsworth, Dan Garrett, Simon Lovell and many, many
others.
In a book this size, you
invariably come to expect some filler material, but like a
perfect record album, there are no bad "tracks"
here. Every effect and article is top notch.
I particularly enjoyed the
opening card effect from Ammar where a selected card appears
stuck to the bottom of your shoe, and then when you offer to
repeat it, it winds up inside your shoe -- folded into
sixths. Other effects are all just as strong.
Could use a few more
illustrations in some places, but most of the moves are
explained in detail. Looks like this one belongs on your
shelf. |
 Invisible Thread Sources
Steve Fearson
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
Here's an interesting little booklet
which is destined to pay for itself and save you hundreds of dollars over your lifetime. It
lifts the veil of mystery by revealing the best source for invisible thread -- the same
kind that you use to levitate dollar bills, cigarettes, etc.
Additional information is supplied for the best source for magician's wax -- the
most important utility item in the world and critical to most invisible thread routines.
Steve tells you the exact type you need, the make and manufacturer, and even
where to buy it. Chances are once you buy this manuscript, you'll never need to buy
invisible thread or magician's wax from a magic dealer again.
Steve has also included a bonus -- his incredible handling for his famous
"Floating Cigarette" routine.
This downloadable booklet offers sensational value and is an excellent magical
investment. |
Nursery Rhymes
Lecture Notes
Dan & Dave Buck
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
Dan & Dave Buck are two of the most
talented young card men I have come across in some time. They have a
unique skillset that enables them to perform very pretty flourishes that can be used to
produce four Aces or selected cards. They must practice 24 hours a day.
This material is impossible to describe without seeing their companion video, Pasteboard Animations, and while the lecture notes
and video are obviously home grown, the quality of the material far exceeds the production
value of the notes and tape.
I'm not going to tell you that the explanations are crystal clear, or that the
average magician will ever be able to learn and recreate these flourishes with the aid of
the notes and video, but it is certainly worth trying.
Not since learning a one-handed riffle shuffle or a four coin roll-out have I
wanted to invest the time in learning new flourishes.
Expect great things from these two guys. Worth your time. The video will make
you giggle with delight. |
 Quarks and Quirks
Ben
Harris
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
I love it when a magician attempts to
stretch the boundaries of card magic. In this brief book, Ben Harris examines the effect
of the torn and restored card, and he brings it to new heights. He
introduces a number of moves and nuances and then presents several different handlings.
None of these are particularly difficult to perform, but as with any card effects, the
more practice the better.
My favorite item in the book is Space Oddity (Advanced Version) which uses a
clever gimmicking of the card case to cleanly add a gaff while performing the effect in
your hands.
The book reads like a work of jazz as it constantly tries to take you in new and
different directions. Well photographed and explained, and a definite addition to your
library. |
 Amazing Tricks
Jay
Sankey
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
This collection of lecture notes features
some new items as well as a few reprints. Whether you are a certified finger flinger or
simply certified, you'll find a few new effects to add to your repertoire. One
of the best effects in this collection is Unscrewed where you visually unscrew a
borrowed dollar bill into two pieces and then restore it. Perfect for getting tips during
tablehopping. |
 Sankedelic Magic
Jay
Sankey
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
This manuscript proves there is only one
Jay Sankey, and the world's a safer place knowing it. The best of these
new and reprinted items is Mental Breakdown which is an amazingly clean version of
the Princess trick in which a card merely thought of disappears from a packet of
cards only to reappear in the center of the deck. Easy to do and well routined. |
 Methodical
Aaron Smith
Rating: Good
WOW: Good
Method: Good
Value: Good |
High brow card magic for the thinking
magician featuring five essays involving card effects influenced by the magic of Brother
John Hamman. There are some very interesting presentations. At times,
Aaron leaves the patter and presentation up to the reader, and instead focuses on the
skeleton of the effect -- the bare bones -- which are carefully linked together to bring
about a most unique and mystifying effect. Good reading. |
 Mr. Gadfly
Aaron Smith
Rating: Good
WOW: Good
Method: Good
Value: Good |
Looks like there's a new publisher in
town! Aaron has elected to publish his own journal focused on card magic. This
initial issue features the works and writings of some well recognized cardicians including
Diamond Jim Tyler, Ben Harris, Brother Hamman, David Neighbors and many others.
Small press magic publications have been known to come and go, but Aaron has a
subscriber base of several thousand people from just the first issue.
Keep your eye on this one. If you're a "card man," you probably want
to pick this one up. Excellent source of material. |
 The Real
Secrets of Professional Comedy
Jay
Sankey
Rating: Good
WOW: Good
Method: Good
Value: Good |
Most magicians know
Jay is a very entertaining, talented and skilled magician, but they may not know that he
makes his primary living as a comedian. Not a comic magician, but an actual stand-up
comedian. Jay has played clubs all over the US and Canada for many years. This book represents Jay's thoughts on what makes things funny, how
to present your jokes, how to deal with nerves, and how to produce "killer"
promotional material.
I was very impressed with the quality of the writing. This
is a great introductory book for any magician who is thinking of crossing over into
comedy. It isn't nearly as easy as it looks! |
| The
Sherlock Holmes Book of Magic Jeff Brown
Rating: Good
WOW: Good
Method: N/A
Value: Good |
This is the perfect
beginners' book for a youngster or retired person wanting to learn magic. Every effect in the book is tied to a different Sherlock Holmes'
tale with suggested patter. This approach makes even the simplest of effects much more
entertaining.
I particularly liked the book prediction effect where a
selected word mysteriously appears on a previously shown blank card which is kept beneath
a hat. As a bonus, the pencil placed beneath the hat which apparently writes the
prediction -- breaks into two pieces while under the hat!
While there are not a lot of illustrations to teach
sleights described in the book, the explanations are clear and concise. Supporting
illustrations for props, though, are abundant. |
| Crayon
Magic Jeff Brown
Rating: Good
WOW: Good
Method: N/A
Value: Good |
If you perform for
children, then this book will be a welcome addition to your library. It's contains 36
magic tricks with crayons of varying sizes and colors. You really can't go wrong with a book like this as it contains a
ton of ideas and routines from many well known magicians including Martin Gardner, Chuck
Leach, Billy McComb and James Swoger. Illustrated. |
| Solving the
Amazing Facets of Magic for Performing Magicians John Calvert
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
Back in June 2001 I
had the pleasure of attending a private performance and lecture by John Calvert, one of
the living legends of magic and a gentlemen among magicians. John has had a mysterious and wonderful life. He is the oldest
living, touring performer (almost 90), and he had the largest show in the world back in
his touring days. He had his own fleet of planes and ships to move his show from country
to country. He was sponsored by Coke for over two decades. And he was a Columbia Pictures
movie star and director having appeared in The Falcon series and even doubled for Clark
Gable once in a film.
His lecture notes teach the "facets" of magic by
way of autobiographical anecdotes. Fascinating and enjoyable reading. If he is scheduled
to lecture in your city, run -- don't walk -- and buy tickets.
You don't see magic like this anymore, and you won't hear
finer stories either. Something to be said about a man who has led such a wonderous life
and still performs after seven decades. |
| Mind Over
Matter Alain Nu
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
This is a neat book
if you are into conceptual magic, mentalism and PSI type of thread effects. It's all
well-thought out, and nicely illustrated. It
comes in just under 100 pages and is spiral bound. It sells for $40. That's a high ticket,
but the reason is Alain does not want everyone doing these routines. They are that good.
Alain pays extra special attention to subtleties. Do not
overlook his routining, body positioning or patter. Every movement and word is precisely
chosen.
Routines include impromptu mentalism effects, effects with
memorized cards, effects and suggested handlings for invisible thread (PSI) and a special
chapter on parlour magic. |
| The Dice
Stacking Book and Kit Todd Strong
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
Entertaining book
on dice stacking basics from a juggler's perspective. Kit is a good value for practice. |
| Folding
Money Fooling Neale/Kaufman
Rating: Good
WOW: Good
Method: Good
Value: Good |
All of the popular
bill folds contained within one well illustrated volume. A little light on routining which
is surprising from Kaufman. I still find many of the folds impossible to recreate,
especially the rabbit in hat. |
| Tarbell 8 Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: N/A
Value: High |
Faithful to the
original series and worth the investment to complete your library. |
| Coney
Island Fakir (L&L)
Rating: High
WOW: High
Method: High
Value: High |
Great book about
Flosso. Must read. You will be impressed by his life and his adventures. Fast reading. |
