Magic & Conjuring: page 359

A fork and a spoon are shown. Someone chooses one leaving you with the spoon (ho, ho!), which you now bend using 'the power of your mind' alone. Actually you do bend it, but by pressing it against your forehead! However, it now visibly straightens (all by itself!) then slowly bends again, whilst held in one hand only, snaps in two and is handed out for immediate examination!

Self-working...nobody does it for you! It is all in the most simple and ingenious gimmick that costs you a penny if you don't already have the right thing somewhere at home.

1st edition 2005; 3 pages.

Way back in 1984 Stephen published a strange looking booklet on the 'Torn and Restored Card' effect called The Torn and Restored Card Book. Three routines formed the content, but the most striking thing about the publication was that the booklet was actually torn in half!

It was still a complete piece of work, but the appearance was that of half a book. It soon sold out, probably due to its novelty value. It was updated and re-printed in 1986 with additional material.

Around that time Stephen's good friend David Britland published a solution to a card-problem of his in his Tearing A Lady in Two manuscript. However, it did...

Two full-color laminated Visa-type credit cards are shown. As you hold one, and move it in a circle, the image of a silver coin appears at its center, which (incredible as it sounds) you then shake off into reality!

You then explain that it can just as easily be deposited back into your bank-account and removed whenever you want it.

Once you've produced several coins, you can use the two Vortex Cards as covers for your favorite matrix routine. Stephen includes his Vortex-Matrix routine.

This is an optical oddity that you will love and use! Pop the two Vortex Cards in your wallet and...

Three face down cards are show and tabled to one side for the moment. Introducing a regular deck of cards, you have one selected, signed across its face, returned and then lost.

The deck is now set aside, as you show the three cards tabled earlier. Incredibly, all three appear to be the signed selection! Then the cards become shy and refuse to show their faces in public, backing away from everyone (all three cards now have backs on both sides!) Finally, they all return to normal!

This is a brilliant routine and easy to perform. Only three cards are used - apart from those in your deck...

Four cards (you could use jumbos) are shown. They are all the same on the face, but one has flipped face down. They are shown again and a second has flipped face down.

This is repeated until only one remains face up. You now ask if they'd like to 'see' the final card visibly flip face down? They would, but aren't too impressed when you simply remove it, and openly turn it over!

However, when the four cards are dealt face up to the table... they are now all completely different, and match the four freely 'forced' cards that they chose earlier!

This routine is great for mastering the...

The core effect is that you play a game of Poker, using just ten cards, with one other player. They choose which five cards they would like, and you take the rest. Incredible as it sounds... they receive a Full House, whilst you always win with a Royal Flush!

NOTE: please don't confuse Red Hot Poker with the old "ten card poker" routine played with three sets of 'three of a kind' and a single 'odd' card. There you had to make them choose the 'odd' card in order for you to win. The routines here are nothing like that!

As a special related bonus item, Peter Duffie has very kindly allowed me to include...

The world's only examinable B'Wave - Two sets of blue Bicycle backed aces are shown. You table one set face down and have someone name any ace. With the other set behind your back, you manage to reverse their named ace (big deal!) However, you now spread the tabled set and their ace has magically reversed there too!

Next, you hand someone your set of aces and, whilst in their hands, the face of their ace vanishes and the backs of the other three change from blue to red! (They are now examinable!)

Finally, someone picks up the tabled set and, with the cards in their hands, their ace becomes...

This is an incredible topological curiosity with a playing card and a third!

Four odd shaped pieces, cut from Bicycle playing cards, are tabled. You explain that three of the pieces marry together to form the shape of a complete playing card. The extra piece is only supplied in case of emergencies (i.e. if you lose a piece!) The extra 'emergency' piece is shown to be the same shape as one of the other pieces and is then set aside.

Strangely, although you easily solved the 'apparently' simple jig-saw puzzle, no one else can!

Comes with a bonus routine: Bomb$hell Deluxe.

1st edition...

The actual experiences of a visitor to the most famous gaming resort in the American metropolis.

Excerpt from the introduction:

This is a wonderful opportunity to experience the life and times of one of the UK's major performance artistes, whose illustrious career started in the 1960's and spanned over 40 years. Not only does this ebook provide a carefully researched and fascinating look at Johnny himself, it also shines a light on the general showbiz scene of the same period, as Johnny rubbed shoulders with many of the greats from the entertainment and TV world.

The ebook runs to over 200 pages and is profusely illustrated with playbills and photographs that really help to conjure up a clear vision of showbiz in...

Ovation is the card act that, for the last few years, Martin Nash reserved strictly for his use in the Close-Up Room at the Magic Castle. For a long time that was the only place one could witness it. Later he also used it for special occasions in his regular public work. This act was designed to impress and fool not only laymen but magicians and magic-wise laymen as well. Its proof of success is the many strations of seemingly unlimited card skill ever devised. It is not a self-working routine. It will take practice. But the end gives an impression far in excess of its means. Once mastered it...

Kings Incognito is one of Martin's least demanding acts, in a technical sense. The sleights required are ones that will be found in the repertoir of the average close-up magician. Any sleights that you may not presently do can be learned within a reasonable time. The most demanding sleights occur, ironically, during the introductory sequence in which nothing happens. In this prologue to the magic, Martin demonstrates several methods in which people shuffle cards. While doing so, he executes a faro shuffle (which needn't be perfect) and a push through riffle shuffle. If these shuffles are not...

One of Martin's favorite routines. This has been one of the most popular routines for Martin's lectures. It concludes with a 13 minute sandwich routine that keeps the audience continually guessing. Available again for the first time in 25 years!

To open, you begin by honestly cutting the four Aces from a shuffled pack in the fairest manner possible. This effect grabs their interest immediately and establishes you as an expert.

The red and black Aces then transpose with each other in an amazing fashion, via Martin's treatment of Dr. Daley's Last Trick. You then go into a poker dealing routine. ...

Martin has used this one at police and government lectures everywhere. It concludes with one of the most deceptive dealing demonstrations possible with a deck of cards. Available again for the first time in 25 years!

The Colors on the March act consists of five interconnected routines. The major theme of the act is that of gambling - a topic that immediately captures the interest of both men and women. Notice how the requirements of each routine are secretly attained long in advance of the routine's performance, thus making the performer always several steps ahead or his audience. Also note...

Included in this index are:

• table of contents of each of the 104 issues
• effect index
• contributor index

38 pages

1. Mahatma – Index – 38 pages
2. The History of Mahatma – Richard Kaufman, July 1994
7. Mahatma Index – Stephen Hobbs
23. Index of Effects
32. Mahatma Contributors

• Mahatma – Volume I – 12 Issues – March 1895 to June 1898 – 184 pages – including: ...

A lucid commentary on the first printed English conjuring text; showing the development of magic tricks from 1584 up to the present day. Written by a magician for magic historians and magicians interested in the beginnings of their art. Including many unpublished references to Reginald Scot with quotations and illustrations from most of the early English books with conjuring from 1584 up to 1784.

The text will show Scot's influence on his contemporaries along with witchcraft beliefs before and after the Discovery of Witchcraft was published. With definitions of old English words in the text, a bibliography of...

This ebook contains bets, puzzles, games and challenges that you can use to entertain, amuse and be the life of the party. Learn how to make metal float on water. How to turn a drink upside down without spilling a drop. How to balance a glass on a note. How to lift a bottle with a straw. How to inflate a bag in one breath. Along with many, many more!

1. Bridge Building
2. Balancing Fork
3. Odd Coin Challenge
4. Blown Away
5. Alternating Drinks
6. Lift Without Touching
7. Drink Turnover
8. Mousetrap
9. Cork to Glass
10. Cup Lift
11. The Drop
12. Balance a Glass on a Banknote
13. Thumbs Down, Thumbs Up
14. Floating Paperclip ...

This ebook teaches lots of simple tricks. Learn to read people's mind and predict the combination of a lock. Push your thumb through your ear and melt away a knot. Read its powerful secrets and master skills within the art. For with knowledge comes great power and this ebook is where you start.

1. Floating Sausage
2. Shrinking Finger
3. Hole in your Hand
4. Thumb Through Ear
5. Legs Through the Floor
6. Colour Prediction
7. Two into One
8. Mind Reading Cards
9. Clipped Card
10. Telekinetic Straw
11. Suspended Pencil
12. Rubber Pencil
13. Rising Ring
14. Jumping Ring
15. The Grid
16. Floating Ball
17. Straw Through Straw
18. Lucky Lotto ...

Have you ever wanted to win that stuffed toy at the fair? Would you like to impress that special someone with your skills? This ebook contains the secrets to many of the most popular carnival, midway and arcade games, along with advice on how to beat them. From the Basketball Toss to Hoopla. Cover the Spot to High Striker. The answers are all here!

The ebook is 68 pages, colour throughout with pictures for every game. It also includes five pages of construction tips for building the games.

1. Ball in the Bucket
2. Balloon Dart
3. Bank a Ball
4. Basketball Toss
5. Belt Swindle
6. Bingo / Lottery
7. Block...

This ebook is an updated version of the Children's Entertainers Guidebook. It answers hundreds of questions you have been afraid to ask of a children’s entertainer. Stephen, a professional magician for over 20 years, gives tips on advertising, child control, show structure and many other key areas. This ebook is the ultimate guide to structuring your show, trick selection and working in the business. Learn how to put a show together and engage an audience, new tricks and routines for your birthday, school, theme-park and library shows. Learn new advertising techniques, business management...

Ten routines performed to a real live audience and then fully explained for you to use in your own show. Templates for all the effects are included in a zip file to be printed out (check your digital shelf). Most of the effects in this video can be customised for the client and themed to suit a Christmas, Halloween, or Easter show etc. The tricks together can form a complete show for your audiences.

• Pencil Madness - A pencil on a board changes direction before revealing two comical pictures.
• Birthday Wish List - A number of items are shown and eliminated leaving one, the gift nobody wants. ...

Blockbuster Book Test is a movie theme book test that can be performed close-up, table hopping, in a children's show or on stage. There are several live performances followed by a full explanation of the variation principles used. There are three stages to my routine including a quick flashback revelation, a first letter type reveal, and a prediction ending.

The book can be purchased from most book shops including Amazon and can be fully examined. Furthermore, the movie title is in an extremely large font making it easy to read without glasses and from a distance. The movie revelation allows...

The Parasol Act was the opening routine in my children's show between 2008 and 2013. It was also featured in my competition act and adult cabaret shows. The routines taught in this download video was perfected primarily for children. It requires no jacket, no restrictive holders, can be performed wearing a short-sleeve shirt, and at the end of the act without fear of the parasols opening early. The only restriction is that your shirt must be tucked out at the back.

For the main routine; I produce five single parasols, and a final triple giant parasol after manipulating cocktail umbrellas....

This is a puzzle ebook featuring numerous picture riddles and quizzes including Say-What-You-See, name the character parts and Murder Mystery Haiku Riddles.

What is a logic picture puzzle? Is it a test of higher intelligence or is it a game of skill and wits to see who's smarter; reader or the writer? This ebook will test all your senses and challenge you to constantly pay attention. If you can always think laterally, you will probably work out some of the tricks and principles that are in play.

1st edition 2015, PDF 32 pages, full color.