Reviews of products by Harry Leat

Tragic Magic

reviewed by Anonymous
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 27 November, 2006)

Well at least for my $4.00 I worked out why it's titled "Tragic Magic". (Apparently not the original title but came to be named so by its legion of happy readers......not.) Old texts at a low cost cannot be expected to provide anything approaching a well rounded introduction to conjuring for the beginner or a polished source of material for the experienced practitioner. Although cited as having 122 pages when transposed to A4 the printout is 58. Of that a substantial use of space is used by Mr. Leat to lecture on the apparently poor ethics of his fellow colleagues. His approach to his craft rests on negativity toward anything other than his own ego and self righteousness. Many of the routines are in pre development form with the author passing only opinion regarding their viability (the promotional disappearing "Pail of Water"). Mr. Leat explains in the introduction that the book will be a vehicle for his verse/poetry (about 25% of the book), I found the remainder devoted to hypnotizing roosters and describing a con using three "dancing" mussels without their shells threaded on a piece of cotton. Now in case you consider the reviewer to be as negative as Mr. Leat I did consider the placement of a four inch dice into an empty hat with the subsequent production of a glass of wine, cigars, powder puff and a 16 inch by 12 inch cross suitably covered in flowers so as to give the appearance of a wreath which reflected a "Rakes" life and demise of some value. (Page 7) Although I read the whole book I considered going beyond page 8 was of little value.