Reviews: Read What Others Are Saying: page 29
213 ★★★★★ reviews
145 ★★★★★ reviews
90 ★★★★★ reviews
130 ★★★★★ reviews
Manosutra
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Sean Hoade (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 26 August, 2022)
I really like The Unknown Mentalist's stuff and must have purchased and performed a half-dozen of his effects, but this one is going to the "369” force one too many times. It's getting a bit stale, to be honest, after some of the nice effects based on it in his earlier work.
Also, there are just two many math steps the spectator has to perform -- adding, counting, and other operations which certainly aren't difficult in themselves, but one slip-up on their part and the whole effect falls apart.
From Nothing
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 25 August, 2022)
Ingenious. Most magicians have that gimmick. Nothing to make. Highly recommended.
Bolivian Brain Bafflers
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Michael Nowak (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 25 August, 2022)
This has proved to be a particularly difficult piece of literature to obtain and therefore I am delighted to have found it at the Lybrary here, and at such a reasonable price.
Impossible Motorcycle Appearance
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 22 August, 2022)
Like a Rand Woodbury idea. No tips like using veneer sheets so paint don't need to be sanded off between shows. Type of wood used or how to mount the cycle so it can't fall over and break a leg. Even how to move it unseen. May work for professional magicians who know about this. Andrew Mayne has more workable ideas. I give 3 stars just because it is usable to some degree. He needs 1 whole page detailing the construction of the blocks like wheels and the nesting idea. The screen needs more detail too.
Bottle in Bottle
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 22 August, 2022)
Nice idea. Almost impromptu. I would rather buy a bottle cutter at Hobby Lobby for $20 and glass glue to really put a bottle in a bottle. Then fill the larger bottle with coke. It will hide the reality and sound. Use a latex coke bottle for vanish. I can use this for friends but my idea is t.v. special strong. Recommended for those looking for something new and a little weird.
"Almost" Impromptu Vanishing Car
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 22 August, 2022)
Very similar to the trick where the magician vanishes from a borrowed cellphone picture. It could work. I did some tricks using a device that sends TV images to other TVs to use pre-recorded images on a TV. Easily worth the price.
The Great Apple Heist
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 August, 2022)
Now, this is definitely highly recommended. This is one of Devin's better books. The Apple and candy versions are great. l love the gift bag idea for the kids as it makes it easy to see who has the same amount of candy. The magician does not hide anything. It is an odd and even math trick that goes back to the 1700s that I know of. Like The Problem in Gotham or multiplying card trick or Paul Harris paperclip paradox where they disappear. Those work themselves. Not this. You must give instructions. But so easy. I do recommend leaving a cue card nearby to help when first learning who goes next.
The Aura Effect
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 August, 2022)
Nice little ideas. I do not do spiritual-type mentalism so I cannot say I can pull it off. All I can say is to try it out.
The Mysteries of the Seance
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 August, 2022)
Most of the stuff I already knew. But very educational. The chemical writing and spirit photos are the best. Yes - some chemicals can still be ordered from online markets. Recommended especially if you want something for newspaper publicity.
Dark Matter Secrets: 80 Years of Spooky Magic
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 August, 2022)
Could have left out the magic mummy ideas. It's a cheap toy. Otherwise, with over 400 pages there will be at least a dozen tricks I guarantee you will do. Thurston's spirit cabinet, knit picker, rising broom, Sorcar's flying carpet, impromptu devil Hank, devil production box, knife thru thumb, Grant's magic mirror and spirit knot tying, and It floats are the most creative ideas inside and besides the flying carpet using black art and fake legs. Everyone I named I will do. It does not need a creepy feel if you do not like that. Highly recommended.
Annotated Secret Professional Pseudo-Hypnotic Methods
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 August, 2022)
Good stunts. Some use stooge. The flower trick uses a chemical not available to anyone but surgeons. That is why I gave it 3 stars. If he had other chemical methods. Same with animal hypnosis.
Zenith Spirit Manifestation
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 August, 2022)
It is only $3 for a reason. Nobody will do this stunt. It's like sneaking drugs into a jail. There are better chemical tricks.
The Unknown Silence
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 August, 2022)
Took forever to get the page on my phone. Great idea. Too confused as to why so many letters or words are used for the changing effect. I do not understand it. This should be a video download. But the effect sounds good. How many people have candles out anyway? Should I carry small candles to give away? A lighter is easier. That is the main reason I could not give a higher rating. The red and black letters don't even show up on my phone easy. I do not have a computer or WI-Fi in my area. So I am extremely limited in what I can explore. Why I prefer actual books. They don't freeze up or disappear when my signal goes out. I never get more than 2 bars.
Unbroken
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 August, 2022)
Long routine. Flash paper and friction pen are needed. Other than that-5 common methods are explained. Great for Halloween or home shows. Professionals can use it. Recommended.
The Uncanny Rising and Floating Iron Bar
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 August, 2022)
Another trick where something actually happens. Not all his books are dumb. This could be a real winner at a real show. Do not carry a 4-foot pipe for street magic.
Soumya's Brainstorm
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 August, 2022)
The lady appearance is great. The mindreading tricks are ingenious. Highly recommend for amateurs or even professionals who can afford at least this price.
Secrets of Floating Mediums
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 August, 2022)
I do not recommend it. Mostly a complaint about fake psychics. The only real trick uses a stooge which is not explained enough. My friends would mess the trick up.
Psychic Seed Growth
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 August, 2022)
One of his better ideas. Easy to pull off. May even build your reputation if you can youtube or Twitter it. Highly recommended.
Magic Annual 1937 (Hugard's Annual of Magic)
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 August, 2022)
Great ideas. Walking through beads was my favorite. The card force is little known. Good book for the price.
Le Banconote di Fred Kaps
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Pietro Scarsi (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 19 August, 2022)
Molto interessante, chiaro e di grande effetto.
Exclusive Magical Secrets
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 19 August, 2022)
As an amateur close-up magician, I just seriously got more into illusions. Most books before 1970 had a lot of build-it-yourself tricks. Illusions were expensive and complicated. There are a few using fake legs or some simple sneaky moves. You might find more close-up tricks useful. Maybe 2 illusions at the most. They are no worse than the Osborne illusions or Rand Woodbury books. A lot cheaper really. The history here is the best lesson.
Magic
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 19 August, 2022)
The levitation where you really walk all around the lady and really pass a solid hoop around her is worth a whole lot more than $3. I would never think of that. The other stuff is okay. At least 1 trick I could really use. Need a curtain and a rolling cart. That is all I can say without revealing too much. Oh yeah. 2 chairs and wooden board. I recommend this book a lot.
Tricks and Illusions
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 19 August, 2022)
Mostly illusions covered in other old books. There are some winners like the escape ideas not taught by Abbottsmagic. Most illusions you will not build. Same with the small stuff. You will find a few tricks to use. For the price not bad.
Christ Twist and Mechanical Reverse
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Chris Beason (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 17 August, 2022)
While both moves are unquestionably great, this download is 1 minute and 26 seconds long. I did not look at the run time before purchasing, or I wouldn't have. At first, I thought for sure I'd stumbled on the demo video before the explanation, but alas, that's the entire thing.
Find old Ackerman tapes secondhand so you'll at least be able to see him at work for longer than it takes to microwave a burrito.
How To Move A Mountain
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 15 August, 2022)
Incredible. Now I can move any of the 160 islands in Lake Lanier. It is the largest in Georgia. Created in 1956 by the army. It has the distinction of the most dangerous as 700 people died in it. Great history to go with the trick. I study history so this secret should have been obvious.