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Displaying 1 to 33 (of 1558 reviews)

Fred Kaps' Currency

reviewed by James Macdonald (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 11 August, 2022)

I'm a professional and have been doing magic for decades.

Kaps' Currency is in my program any time I'm in a venue that calls for a suitcoat. It requires, in addition to the suitcoat, a suit-style wallet, and a number of dollar bills. There's a tiny bit of prep required of those dollars, but they're still spendable afterward if you need bus fare home. I'm not certain that this would work with plastic money (e.g. Canadian). Performance requires two volunteers. The trick can be done at any distance, from close up to stage. Angles are good. Not really aimed at children, and child volunteers (due to the height difference between you and them, and their perhaps less-than-fluid ability with handling money) can be challenging.

The effect is as stated: no matter what the magician does, the eleven dollars in his hand become ten dollars. The instructions are clear; the photos, while dark, are useful.

How To Make Big Money Selling Magic

reviewed by Joel Howlett (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 10 August, 2022)

Pitching magic has almost become a "lost art" in my country (Australia). This outstanding audio was informative and entertaining. It taught the language of the 'Grafter', what to do if there are complaints, what to sell and Walt even does a recording of his entire Svengali Deck Pitch. He goes into great detail on how to adapt his pitch for crowds or one or two people.....

Highly recommended.

My Favorite Card Tricks

reviewed by Bill Halmi (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 08 August, 2022)

Good collection of card tricks. Some I was already familiar with but there are notes and techniques that allow me to perform those tricks better. Several of the tricks need a perfect Faro. That is something I will need to master.

The Royal Road to Card Magic

reviewed by Bill Halmi (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 08 August, 2022)

A classic for a reason. Full of all of the moves a magician would want in their repertoire. Great addition to any magic library.

Rough Stuff

reviewed by Bill Halmi (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 08 August, 2022)

OK. The booklet is OK. I am sure it can be helpful for people who want to 'make' totally gimmicked decks. There are several different deck setups that yield several strong effects. I was hoping for more tricks that involved only one or 2 roughed cards. I also was looking for guidance on using roughing fluid. It turns out there is really not too much to learn there beyond what common sense would tell you.

Secrets of a Commercial Card Magician

reviewed by Joel Howlett (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 08 August, 2022)

I really enjoyed the insight and wisdom shared by Paul Gordon in this Audio. Highly recommended.

Magical Gospel Lessons

reviewed by Christopher Reynolds (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 04 August, 2022)

Anyone reading this review will find it odd what I'm about to say: I'm an atheist who loves to read the Holy Bible. For many people, it's a contradiction they can't seem to wrap their heads around, but to me, there's nothing counterintuitive about it.

The Holy Bible is considered the greatest story ever told for a good reason. It's as relevant now as it was in the times of Martin Luther. As you open its pages, you step into a beautiful piece of literature written over thousands of years by dozens of authors. Every page is filled with fantastic stories and complex characters and is steeped in poetry that can fill a person's heart with joy and enduring truths.

As a magician, I found the gospel magic concept fascinating. I think it's a fresh approach to bringing these timeless stories and ancient wisdom to life. But "Magical Gospel Lessons" by Rev. Lawrence Burden was a huge disappointment.

It's not that I was expecting simple magic tricks geared towards evangelizing children to be at the same artistic level as the apostle Paul's writings in Romans and 1 & 2 Corinthians. My problem with the pamphlet was this: All but one of the nineteen tricks presented called for expensive store-bought props.

One thing especially irritated me—the Rev. Burden's insistence on pushing the Abbots Magic Company on his readers. Eight of the tricks called for equipment sold explicitly by that outfit. Here's a list:

Abbott's Flower Tray
Abbott's Baffle Milk Vanish trick
Abbott's Twentieth Century Silk Trick
Abbott's Nite Club Cylinder
Abbott's Disecto (a hand guillotine)
Abbott's Phantom Clock
Abbott's Spurting Rice Bowl
Abbott's Comedy Fire Cracker trick

Only one trick, a gospel twist on the Professor's Nightmare (cut and restored rope), used something you could find lying around the house.

After a while, I began thinking that the Reverend owned Abbot's Magic Company stock or was getting a kickback of the profits.

Maybe someone should have reminded him before he wrote this book of Proverbs 22:16: "Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty."

Sorry, Reverend Burden, but in the Gospels, Jesus met people's spiritual and physical needs through his use of parables, not thumb tips, and magical chafing dishes.

While the messages in this book pushing home the glories of God are commendable, the prohibitive price outlay for the recommended equipment is unnecessary and ridiculous. Spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg.

If you're a minister or Sunday school teacher looking to add gospel magic to your sermons, save the $4.00 price of this E-book and put it in the collection basket. Check out some free online resources instead.

Comedy ala Card

reviewed by Christopher Reynolds (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 03 August, 2022)

I've recently been working through "Revolutionary Card Technique" by Ed Marlo, and I can't find anything funny about it. There's not even one fart joke in the whole thing.

After reading a positive review by Jamy Ian Swiss about the book "Much Ado About Something" by Karrell Fox, I purchased a copy of "Comedy Ala Card" by the same author.

I decided that $6.95 was a small price to pay for some card tricks that could maybe give me a good laugh.

According to Swiss, Fox is a master of comedy magic. But comedy is subjective, and Jamy Ian Swiss and I seem to have a glaring difference in opinion about what we find funny. "Comedy Ala Card" left me stone-faced as silent movie comedian Buster Keaton.

Puns and prop comedy in the right hands, like Tommy Cooper's, can slay an audience. But Karrell Fox's reliance on stale bits using oversized playing cards and wind-up chattering teeth purchased in the toy aisle of the $1.00 store is on life support, struggling to stay alive.

To be fair to Mr. Fox, he wrote this slim 32-page treatise in 1960 when Milton Berle was considered the zenith of comedy. But times have changed, and this book's gags haven't aged well.

But that doesn't mean that "Comedy Ala Card" completely wasted an hour of my life. It was refreshing that someone devoted time and energy to developing a card trick's comedy potential, not just writing another magic book filled with boring sleights that most magicians will only discuss at conventions but never use.

Fox has a discerning eye for visual humor, using simple and practical methods. And his writing is as easy to understand as directions for microwaving a frozen pizza. Some of his best ideas are written in brief, easy-to-digest snippets, no longer than a few sentences.

It's a truism that if you get one useable trick from a book, you get your money's worth. And I got at least three ideas from "Comedy Ala Card" that I can adapt and put into practice.

One gag, in particular, caught my eye. It was a card reveal using a large beach towel with a giant playing card printed on it wrapped around your head like a turban. After forcing a card, you unwrap the towel from your head at the finale of the trick, revealing the card's identity. My version involved gluing a playing card to the crotch of my underwear and dropping my pants to show the spectator's selection.

Now, that's funny!

Cold Reading Lecture 2012

reviewed by Marc Rehula (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 03 August, 2022)

This is the clearest, most practical discussion of cold reading I've ever read. Voodini teaches the why as much as the what, which means you'll get a stronger understanding of the dynamics involved. (Too much magic teaching undervalues the 'why's of what we do!)

Dai Vernon's Inner Secrets of Card Magic

reviewed by Christopher Reynolds (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 29 July, 2022)

It's hard to believe there was a time when Dai Vernon didn't exist, and his name still casts such a large shadow over card magic thirty years after his death.

I feel almost embarrassed about writing a review for Inner Secrets Of Card Magic. What could a ham-and-egger like myself possibly have to say about professor Dai Vernon that better men than me haven't already said? Is it even necessary to write another gushing puff piece extolling the genius of a man who many consider the Pablo Picasso of card magic?

The answer is yes, and I'll tell you why.

I never knew the man or currently know anyone who did know him. Nor have I ever studied under his former protegees like Ricky Jay or Richard Turner.

I've only read about him over the years, and his name pops up like a bad case of herpes in so many magic books that I started to loathe him. I've consciously gone out of my way to avoid anything related to him.

And this complete lack of hero-worshipping makes me the perfect candidate to look at Vernon's work with a fresh eye and give an unbiased review.

I've learned that if you try to take your skills with a pack of cards to the next level, steering clear of Dai Vernon is impossible. So, I decided it was finally time to wave the white flag of surrender and put my willful ignorance and prejudice aside. And brother, let me tell you, am I ever glad I did.

At first, I was a bit hesitant. Vernon's oeuvre has been so mythologized over the years that I was expecting a perplexing dissertation on quantum physics. No person wants to feel that they're too stupid to comprehend a card trick. But as I worked through the chapters, cards in hand, I realized that the only thing I had to fear was fear itself.

This ease of understanding is partly due to co-writer Lewis Ganson. I've read other works by Ganson, and all share a common trait: clear, unambiguous descriptions that leave the reader with a complete grasp of the text.

That's not to say that I didn't find many of the sleights difficult. I found myself regularly dropping cards all over the floor. Some of the moves might even take months to master. But you can safely dismiss any fears that the material in Inner Secrets Of Card Magic is too complex. In Chapter Two: A Little Thought Required, a few tricks require zero sleight-of-hand, relying instead on subtle moves and misdirection.

Even if you were to read this book and not practice one move in it, Vernon's sly sense of humor and breadth of historical knowledge turn what could have been a tedious exercise into something fun and enjoyable.

I've now read the book three days in a row. It's so full of exciting, inventive ideas and subtle touches that I experiment with the information at hand like a mad scientist until my hands begin to ache.

I feel like a guitar player discovering Jimi Hendrix for the first time.

Do I have anything negative to say about this book? No, I don't. But let me make a recommendation that may ruffle some feathers.

After reading Inner Secrets Of Card Magic cover to cover, I believe that only those with a high reading comprehension level will have an easy time grasping this work. While simple to understand, the text has complex sentence structures and is peppered with words like "commence" and "endeavor," which may be over a casual reader's head.

If a college freshman's reading level is too difficult for you, I suggest you purchase a DVD or download one of the many videos featuring Vernon's work. Otherwise, you'll be in for a frustrating time.

If forced to list any faults, it's this: the photos illustrating some sleights can be grainy. But a lack of hi-def photography is a minor, practically nonexistent point to quibble over.

This ebook is more than a bargain at the going price of $9.90. It's the year 2022, and inflation is at a record high. The other day ago, I spent almost eleven dollars on a loaf of bread and two dozen eggs. In the future, if I have to choose between spending my money on food or Dai Vernon, then I choose Vernon.

If you love card magic and take it seriously, buy this book. Now!

Thumb Tip Handling Masterclass

reviewed by Michael Braun (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 28 July, 2022)

Wow...I'm a Busker and use a large purple diamond cut silk to help gather a crowd, been doing this for a while...really cool when 8 quick videos can make an old dog change part of his game. Gonna be using the tip for more than just making 5 year old's jaws drop from now on. If you're a new magician this is a great little course, if you are an old dog you're not gonna learn anything earth-shattering but it'll make ya rethink the versatility of an old favorite. Well Done Hal!!! this is a great little course and I recommend it for both the Rookie and the Experienced Wizard.

Blue Book 1960

reviewed by Ben Van Aerde (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 28 July, 2022)

Very nice and easy way to download old books. Recommended.

Unfortunately, I bought it for a specific page under 'blue book supplement' which was included in the original version after page 40 printed on yellow paper. This supplement contained 5 or 6 additional pages which were not scanned in this version. So I bought it for nothing, unfortunately.

Encyclopedia of Cigarette Tricks

reviewed by Jim Keen (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 27 July, 2022)

There are not many books out on the unique branch of cigarette magic. But, this has to be the definitive guide. Packed full of photos and illustrations, every sleight imaginable, vanishes of lit or unlit, single or multiple cigarettes, and any gimmicks used are revealed. Even in the PC, woke crowd times we live in, the instructions in this book can be substituted and applied, practically, to any dowel-shaped item. Pencils, crayons (both great for children's magic), and more. At 304 pages and the low download price you pay, (check and see how much a physical copy will cost you!), it's well worth adding this to your collection.

It's a Biddle Thing

reviewed by Enrico Varella
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 25 July, 2022)

The cover of Lelekis's latest book reflects its intention: It rocks! I was pleasantly pleased that this prolific author continues to write books on card magic and, more importantly, recognises the creators of sleights. This book is a tribute to Elmer Biddle. One of my favourite tricks by Alex Helmsley is "Fiddle With The Biddle In The Middle", and it is my workhorse routine due to the use of Biddle's sleight. Author Lelekis frames his extensive restaurant performing experience with two main sleights - Biddle Switch and Biddle Steal - into each of his routines. My favourites are "B-Fly" and "E-Z Cards Across", and they rock.