Reviews: Read What Brad Smithart Is Saying
15 ★★★★★ reviews
14 ★★★★★ reviews
2 ★★★★★ reviews
Number Nonsense
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 11 May, 2025)
These are not magic tricks, but tricks in the sense of stunts or puzzles. Nevertheless, they are entertaining. The inclusion of the PowerPoint file makes it easy to present the first surprising demonstration.
Haunted
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 11 May, 2025)
This video provides a clear explanation for handling for a Haunted Deck effect based on a variation of one of the standard methods. It was easy to follow and would be especially useful for a beginner wanting to perform this classic.
I do wish it contained a little more on the actual presentation, and not just the method.
Easy Lift: no get ready double lift
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 11 May, 2025)
This is a short video, but it provides a technique that might be useful who have trouble with double lifts or are just interested in learning alternative handlings.
It's similar to a technique that I have occasionally used, but I don't recall seeing it published elsewhere.
Psychabulary
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 02 April, 2025)
Psychabulary is a simple system for constructing scientific-sounding phrases to fake expertise in Psychology.
The generated phrases could be used to add some credibility to your patter. The document also gives a handful of hints and tips for using the phrases.
Scientific Cold Reading Intro
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 02 April, 2025)
This video was not at all what I expected.
Dave Arch, rather than being a mentalist, has a background as a pastor, an executive coach, and a magician. So he approaches cold-reading skills from the perspective of making everyday connections, rather than as entertainment.
As an introductory video, it doesn't actually get into cold reading, but rather provides an overview of additional products.
Abraca-Poof December 2017
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 02 April, 2025)
The article "Do As I Do - Not As I Say" makes the intriguing argument that the real offense in copying another magician's presentation is not primarily in the physical actions (which in some ways is limited by the effects) but by stealing the patter.
This issue also contains an interesting article about humility and taking criticism.
Abraca-Poof December 2016
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 02 April, 2025)
Since this is a December issue, it focuses primarily on wrapping up the year and beginning a new one. In addition to the standard articles about organization and planning, this issue includes a fun gag by Aldo Colombini, the "Failed Card Trick."
Unknown Mentalist Product Guide 1
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 30 January, 2025)
I don't know who he is, but the Unknown Mentalist has published a large number of products on lybrary.com, so it's good to have a checklist to keep track of everything.
Miniature Card Magic
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 30 January, 2025)
This updated edition of “Miniature Card Magic,” by “Hen” Fetsch from 1943 contains a short selection of novelty effects with these cards.
It also contains suggested forces and false cuts that can be used with miniature cards.
It even includes a few printable miniature cards if you don't currently own any.
I do wish there were a few more tricks included.
Hints and Tips 3
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 30 January, 2025)
The third volume of this collection contains a plethora of small, yet helpful suggestions, including various DIY holdouts for bills and billets. I'll definitely be using one or more of Larry's ideas.
Abraca-Poof August 2018
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 30 January, 2025)
Another collection of useful hints for the working magician. There's nothing really exciting in this issue, but Brian deals with OCR scanning magic magazines, etc., keeping props in good shape, and making use of the local library for magic learning, among others.
4 Thoughts
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 30 January, 2025)
A nice little mentalism trick released in honor of the late Max Maven.
Abraca-Poof April 2019
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 30 December, 2024)
My favorite article in this issue is on the use of sponsors to fund your magic shows. Although I've been involved in working with sponsors for multiple non-profits, I've never thought about applying the same approach to magic. The other articles were interesting as well.
Abraca-Poof April 2018
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 30 December, 2024)
As usual, the author provides useful, real-life advice for working magicians. Most of the articles in this issue center around building or destroying your reputation.
Fundamental Techniques
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 30 December, 2024)
It's Roberto Giobbi, the modern standard for instruction in card handling, providing 30 minutes of video teaching, and it's free on Lybrary.
What else do you need to know to give this five stars?
4 Most
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 30 December, 2024)
This short book provides four fun effects, three of which are basically self-working, and one that requires an intermediate level sleight.
The author provides the simplest handling and presentation required, but each trick could form the basis for a more elaborate routine.
Low Vision Marking System
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 30 December, 2024)
Don't let the title fool you; this is far more than just a system for those with limited vision. It provides several options for a coded marking system for a standard Bicycle Rider deck. The basic pattern provided allows marking more than just value and suit, with additional markings for one-way, and position and sequences for stacked decks.
At a basic level, the system proposed by the author substitutes some (simple) math for improved visibility of the marks. Of course, it won't be long before identifying the marks will become automatic and the math will become unnecessary.
Although you might be familiar with some of the approaches, it's likely that you will find some things that could spark your own marking system.
I would recommend it to anyone who wants ideas for creating a marked Bicycle deck (though it could even help with ideas for other decks).
Reverse Rings Mystique: Magic More Series
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
This routine reverses the normal linking ring plot of sequentially linking the rings, instead focusing on the unlinking process (or "breaking the chain") and introducing several unique ring handling techniques. It is written in a somewhat scientific tone.
It includes not only the mechanics but also the rationale for the choices made in designing the routine.
Another Sampler: Werner Miller
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
This short ebook contains more well-written and -illustrated samples of mathematical effects from Werner Miller.
It contains over 15 tricks using a variety of different props.
Abraca-Poof August 2017
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
The author discusses three types of magician personalities he has encountered.
He also includes tips for building a backdrop, instructions for making a rip-open change bag, as well as other useful articles.
Abraca-Poof August 2016
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
This issue contains an interesting article on magicians who "steal" bookings by undercutting the prices of other magicians.
It also provides advice on marketing your services as an investment, on non-verbal communication, and on the rewards of planting seeds of kindness.
Abraca-Poof April 2017
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
This issue contains another article on invoicing for charity shows.
It also includes an entertaining article on music licensing, among others.
Scripted #15: cut and restored ribbon
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
The "cut and restored ribbon" (originally done on a smaller scale with a straw and string) is a standard beginner magic trick. The author extends the handling with some new approaches to deal with the larger tube, and provides a full script to provide cover for the idiosyncrasies in the inherent handling of the effect and the his specific approach.
One of the most interesting things in this "Scripted" series is the author's detailed explanation of the thinking behind the creation of the script. His clever solution wraps the performance around the story of the classic "sawing a lady in half" trick.
This is another excellent release in this consistently excellent series.
Multiplying Golf Balls
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 14 December, 2024)
My professional set of billiard balls was destroyed when my workshop collapsed, so I decided to look at a DIY alternative. This product was a perfect fit. It provides solutions for some of the challenges I faced in my own designs.
Keep Calm and Do It Yourself
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brad Smithart (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 13 December, 2024)
A handful of DIY projects.
The most tempting to me was a Magic Painting routine.