Read What Others Are Saying: page 3
145 ★★★★★ reviews
96 ★★★★★ reviews
64 ★★★★★ reviews
96 ★★★★★ reviews
Side Steal To Top
reviewed by Jan Siebold (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 23 September, 2022)
This is way too brief. The video is 1 min 4 sec long and is simply an exposure of the most simple "side steal to top". Not only are no finesses taught, but this video even lacks a sufficient description of the move in its simple form. If you want to learn the side steal look somewhere else! Any description in one of your books is better.
The Creative Tables
reviewed by Christopher Reynolds (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 22 September, 2022)
All entertainers are on the verge of becoming obsolete. That's an enduring truth in show business.
To any creative or imaginative performer, this is a relief. This wisdom implies that there will always be room for something new.
Magic is no different. It's old-fashioned and in desperate need of fresh blood.
While there may not be such a thing as an "original" magic trick, there are fresh, original ways of looking at one. The Creative Tables by C. Golo Naito isn't about sleights or routines; it's about how to think about your magic and apply innovative solutions to your creations.
He starts by listing the ten primary effects of magic: production, vanish, transformation, etc., before giving his list of 31 thought-provoking questions and exercises that will make you examine your current tricks with new eyes. Here are three of my favorite:
Ten ways to use origami Think of ten big illusions that you could make into a smaller close-up version Think of ten things that could end up in a balloon
Naito also offers clever, out-of-the-box advice on time management and motivation.
Even after creating original card tricks for decades, I still found some ideas that inspire me to think differently.
Give a man a magic trick, and you entertain him for a day; teach a man how to create his own magic effects, and you entertain him for a lifetime.
I can't recommend this book enough.
Eddie's Dumbfounders with Cards
reviewed by Christopher Reynolds (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 21 September, 2022)
Eddie Joseph was a night-club magician who lived in Calcutta, India. He authored almost seventy books on magic in his lifetime, cementing his international legacy as a respected inventor and sleight-of-hand master. His pet trick was the cups & balls.
He is the type of writer I admire; he doesn't let silly things like talent get in the way of being prolific. Sometimes, to be prolific, one has to sacrifice perfection.
A few of Eddie's books, like Eddie's Dumbfounders With Cards, are of dubious quality.
The cover boasts:
No Sleights! No Skill! No Moves!
NO FUN!
Reading Eddie's Dumbfounders With Cards by Eddie Joseph made me feel like I time-traveled back to my high-school remedial math class.
Here's how I solve a math equation: 1. Read the problem 2. Cry
Mathematical card tricks are supposed to be fun to learn, not dull. Many of Eddie's dumbfounders are long and tedious, with endless dealing and counting cards.
Joseph's old-timey prose was challenging to understand. At best, his writing is confusing and monotonous. Much of the time, the instructions made no sense, leaving me puzzled.
Reading a novel about paint drying would have been more interesting.
I understand that writing the methods for card tricks isn't the same as writing literature. But, at minimum, the instructions must make things clear to the reader. This point is where the book fails.
Joseph was a more technically accomplished magician than many of his peers. His profound influence as a magic creator suggests that he was a better performer than a writer in the acute sense of expressing and communicating his ideas.
I enjoyed the principles behind a couple of tricks, but regulations don't make lively entertainment:
Memory Phenomenal: Immediately naming the location of a mentally chosen card in an entire deck of fifty-two while blindfolded.
Over the wire: a mental effect performed over the phone.
Maybe, with some imagination and style, you can create a repertoire of card tricks using Eddie Joseph's methods. But, overall, I found the book boring, impractical, and devoid of any actual content.
I can't recommend it to any magician looking for their first trick or advanced performers interested in expanding their magic repertoire. The only people I can recommend this to are people like me: Book collectors. If that describes you, Eddie Joseph is a classic author to add to your digital shelf.
I give it three stars strictly due to its obscure collector's value.
Simple Showstoppers: easy illusion projects for magicians
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 19 September, 2022)
Methods already exist. They are easy. Black velvet is $15 a yard now. The inflation and supply issues mean the $500 illusions will cost $1000 now. Paint is $40 and up a gallon. Otherwise a good book. The price is high considering Grant books are $10 for 3 times more illusions. You will not use all the ideas. Maybe 2. I only slightly recommend it if you are serious about illusions. Don't buy just for the secrets. They are not breathtaking or a revolutionary. Basically concepts you can find in any easy-to-build illusion book.
Life Savers and Dollar Bill Mystery
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 19 September, 2022)
Very similar to impossible bill in lemon. Basic idea to Scott Guinn's pro bill in lemon. Very easy. Have to make a visit to your bank. But you need 6 bills instead of 10 or more as other versions. Does solve the juice problem. Lifesavers are cheaper and last way longer than lemons, kiwis, oranges since those are usually sold by the bag. Recommended.
The Vampire Effect: how to cast no reflection
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 19 September, 2022)
Not bad for the price. If added to Secrets to becoming invisible, Paul Harris's tunnel vision, Steve Fearson's Goodbye Vanish, Andrew Maine's Bisection, and Morgan Strebler's Never There where you vanish from a cellphone picture, you can really edit it all together in a video and guarantee a reputation. The Hollywood method could be done using a fake cardboard wall with wallpaper and picture frame set up. This is somewhat recommended as it's not for everyone. Most rooms are small and furniture is in the way. Too much spectator control. Secret is very simple in the first 9 pages. Why he used the gimmick method for the book's cover. But 3 more pics inside look just as convincing.
The Working Pro's Bill in Lemon
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 19 September, 2022)
The pip and label idea is smart. This is easy to set up and perform. The problem is obtaining the bills from the bank. My bank apparently didn't have a stack available. Larry Becker uses the same idea. This would work great with Grant's Impossible Bill in lemon. They are both different. That way you can perform both on different days at the same location (restaurant) with same customers present without being exposed so easily. Learn million dollar mystery and Dan Garrett's plastic cash updated version and you'll be set for life. Highly recommended.
U.F. Grant's Impossible Bill in Lemon
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 18 September, 2022)
The serial number secret is known. I have seen it in a few books for amateurs. The label idea also isn't new. However, magicians force color labels or numbers to mark the bill. The produce label already exists. Using it is faster and looks more impromptu since you are not removing extra stuff. I would like a signed bill version where I never touch the lemon using no loads. Besides using a stooge or a lot of gimmicks and setup, this is 1 of the best no thumb tip versions. It could be an easy reputation builder. Highly recommended.
Become Invisible
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 14 September, 2022)
The cardboard cut out and vanish from a picture are the highlights. Walking down the road vanish is good. The rest are stage tricks and may use stooge work. The 3 I named may be worth $10 at the most if it gets publicity. Otherwise, I don't think most people would use this.
Popular Card Tricks
reviewed by Christopher Reynolds (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 13 September, 2022)
Many magicians still follow the unwritten, antiquated rule that says there are three ways to learn card magic: practice, more practice, and still more practice.
But, with so much time spent alone practicing, learning intricate sleights, and complex routines, the results can end up disappointing. Constant practice not balanced with live performance in front of an audience can produce magicians skillful at everything except entertaining people.
Walter B. Gibson, considered one of the greatest authorities in the history of magic, created a new rule: the best way to learn magic is to begin by doing it.
Even with years of practice and the best instruction, skill can be challenging to duplicate. Popular Card Tricks is the perfect book for amateur magicians who want to learn (and start performing) well-known card tricks that deceive the eye and mind while further developing their expertise without years of tedious practice.
Here, he reveals the secret methods behind 90 easy-to-learn effects. The emphasis is on subtle deception rather than elaborate sleight-of-hand, assuring success within hours for anyone looking to become a magician.
By carefully following the simple instructions, you'll develop a well-rounded repertoire of astonishing effects on which you can draw for a lifetime of enjoyment.
"To explain how magic is done is one thing," said Walter Gibson, "but to tell how to do it is quite another."
The card tricks comprising this book are self-working and quickly learned, yet still baffling to spectators because of the unsuspecting principles on which they depend. And it's not just beginners who will benefit from this book, but intermediate and advanced magicians, finding new tricks and simplified ways of performing the classics.
Chapter one presents a series of clever card tricks relying on self-working methods. Combined with proper presentation, these simple effects are some of the most baffling in card magic.
Chapter two deals with "Pick a card, any card" type tricks, explaining techniques for finding and revealing cards chosen by spectators.
Chapter three, Mysterious Card Tricks Performed With The Aid Of Special Systems, teaches you little-known mathematical principles used by magicians around the world.
Chapter four deals with one of the oldest principles in magic, the prearranged packs of cards, arranging an entire deck according to a secret method that looks accidental but allows the performer to calculate the exact position of each card.
In chapter five, you'll learn several unique, unclassifiable tricks performed with odd cards, additional packs, and unusual conditions that separate these effects from the typical run of card tricks.
The author drew upon a lifetime spent in professional magic for his expertise. Not only was Gibson well-known as one of the best writers on the subject of magic, but he was also a personal friend and confidant of some of the most outstanding past performers like Thurston and Blackstone.
The book was initially ghost-written for Harry Houdini, which Gibson compiled using Houdini's handwritten notes. The two men were working on a three-volume set on intermediate magic when the escape artist died in 1926. In 1928 the book was released under Gibson's name.
Have you ever been astonished by the flawless performance of a card trick and wanted to learn how they did it? Have you ever dreamed of mystifying audiences with a deck of cards? If so, this eBook reproduction of the underrated 1920s classic is for you.
DIY I-Pad: Do It Yourself Impression Pad
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 12 September, 2022)
This is incredible. Expensive for a download. But as a video it is extremely easy to follow. The pad is shown on both sides during the routine and the test condition method involves the pad, pen, drawing- everything sealed in a large envelope. It is stapled all around and signed. Yet the magician duplicates the drawing. To make things easier, I would use 2 dozen drawings made by kids. They would simply think of 1 to draw so they don't try to get too artistic. Some people are actual artists. Some grocery stores dollar stores and Dollar General sell the gimmick in the toy section. If not, Amazon can deliver within a week at the longest. Best $$ spent.Extremely recommended.
Psychoportation
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 09 September, 2022)
Ben Harris's solid gold easy action is probably the forerunner to impossible location. This has elements of Steve Shufton's emergency cash but more like Paul Harris's window of opportunity using multiple envelopes. Not automatic but relatively easy. Devin spent years on blind spot so he knows the number idea on the envelopes will not draw attention and will fly by everyone. Nobody even magicians will catch it. Not endorsing spending more than I can - this could easily be $25. This can go well with Phoenix rising and Dan Garrett's plastic cash. Even Grant's million dollar mystery. Highly recommended.
Almost Real Mindreading Feats
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 09 September, 2022)
Will take practice. The hand test uses some methods Nefesch uses a lot. Muscle reading works but you do need contact. Diabetes and arthritis can hinder you. Even cold weather. If you do not have those it should work. The card stunts are more sure to work for everyone. They are stronger since 5 to 52 cards are used. The hand test is 1 out of 2 choices maybe done 2 or 3 times. Recommended just for the card effects.
The Basics of Knife Throwing
reviewed by Christopher Reynolds (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 08 September, 2022)
Written in a clear and easy-to-understand language, The Basics of Knife Throwing by Ken Tabor Jr. delivers what its title promises.
Twenty years ago, I watched the 1999 movie, The Girl on The Bridge. It's a French film about an aging circus performer (Daniel Auteuil) who rescues a suicidal young girl (Vanessa Paradis) from jumping off a bridge. He takes her under his wing as his assistant in a knife-throwing act—eventually, the pair falls in love.
After seeing it, I went through a brief knife-throwing phase. I was hooked on the adrenaline and romance of this unique art form but ultimately moved on to other, less lethal pastimes.
The Basics Of Knife Throwing caught my eye while browsing the Lybrary.com catalog and instantly revived my long-dormant interest in what's gruesomely known as the impalement arts.
Knife-throwing acts have entertained crowds at circuses and wild west shows since the 19th century. While those nostalgic days have passed, these days, you can find knife-throwing acts making appearances on tv shows like America's Got Talent and its British Isle counterpart, Britain's Got Talent.
The danger and skill displayed in such performances, especially those involving a blindfolded thrower hurling sharp blades at a sexy, half-naked assistant strapped spread eagle to the spinning "wheel of death," is jaw-droppingly impressive.
While this work has nothing to do with circus-style knife tricks and showmanship, if that's your intended goal, then Ken Tabor Jr. will put you on the right path. He's distilled his 30-plus years of knife-throwing wisdom into a compact 28-page book. It's light on fluff but heavy on basic body mechanics like proper grip, stance, and release, not to mention fundamental safety issues that will help keep you and others injury free.
With simple step-by-step instructions and accompanying photos, it's as easy to read as it is to understand, making learning proper throwing techniques accessible to anyone, which, if you've never tried it, is more complicated than you think.
Learning to properly throw a knife is like learning a card trick or juggling: all the reading and studying in the world won't do the work for you. It's going to take practice: hours and hours of practice.
My first attempts were pitiful. It seemed like I had a better chance of hitting the lottery than I did my intended target.
Eventually, after figuring out the science and the physics behind the spin, the knives started to stick to the mark. After a couple days of practice, I could impale a cheap steak knife into the trunk of a box elder tree 5 out of ten times.
Tabor isn't a "professional" writer. This is strictly an amateur effort born out of love. The grammar is a bit clunky, and there are a few misspelled words, but the information is sound and easy to grasp.
It's worth your time and effort to read this e-book. There may be longer, more expensive manuals on the same subject, but this is an excellent, no B.S. starting point. And, at the low price of $2.99, it was still cheaper than a 12 oz. cup of coffee at Starbucks.
All you need to provide is the knives, a few afternoons, and lots of patience!
Ideas
reviewed by Geoff Williams (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 07 September, 2022)
This is a compilation of some of the most unusual and creative tricks ever by a genius thinker. You can see a video demo of The Standing Card here (https://www.penguinmagic.com/p/3673) but it's fully explained here. If you saw "Lucky Charm Box" performed, you'd have absolutely NO idea how it was done. I was fooled by "The Slate" the first time I saw it.
And that's only a few of the MANY gems in this booklet (many which are also featured in Gaetan's lectures).
HIGHLY recommended.
Kill Bill
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 06 September, 2022)
Nice idea. Basically, Harry Lorayne's Don't show me the money from magic for dummies book. But this has a variation with 2 outcomes. The way he gets around it is ingenious. It is fast-paced and over in 5 minutes. Could be done anytime but also a good opener. Highly recommended. Fake bills could be used. Any normal envelopes. If you don't have bills you could use receipts that add up to the same value or copies of utility bills. Highly recommended.
Tic Tac Toe Top Secret
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 06 September, 2022)
Nice idea. It seems like the stunt where a number on a grid is circled. All the others in that row and column are crossed out. It is repeated until only 4 numbers remain. A 1-16 grid will always add to 34. I don't like the process even though spectators do have 4 choices each step. It is like the T.V. tricks David Copperfield performed years ago where people touched the T.V. screen. It may go well with a memory trick or add a number routine. If you do it make a cue list. Slightly recommend.
Koran's Medallion Reminted
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 06 September, 2022)
The truth. Loading the medallion is not noticed. Neither the other move. The year part makes sense. The actual engraving was so simple. No gold crayons. This used gold carbon paper a really long time ago. But it no longer exists and never should have. Why? I already have the aluminum air conditioning duct tape. The coin used and engraving was worth it. The medallion is $30 or $40 when he wrote this. Maybe $50 now. That is the only downside. But there are so many vendors and used merchandise now that you may get lucky. It is so easy. But there are more tricks using forces and so forth. I recommend this as a real performance and not around the house.
Newspaper Trick
reviewed by Todd E Nice (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 06 September, 2022)
The pictures in this download are a bit out of focus and a little hard to work out, but great effect.
The Mati Envelope
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 05 September, 2022)
Ingenious method. The last greatest concept involved carbonless paper and clear plastic clipboard that was used in the 1980's. But since then most impression or peeks used very special and expensive gimmicks or fishy behavior. Docc Hilford's Dance of Shiva book cost $45. Devin Knight's Devin-ation was $20. Both great. But this is easier and priced right. September this year I bought coin envelopes for about $40 for 500 at OfficeMax. It was for playing card effects but I have a ton to work with. It will take 15 minutes to make. Get 4 and you can make 2 at the same time which saves time. If one didn't work out the 2nd will. Both mine worked and I can't make anything. Recommended especially for part-time professionals. For amateurs in a home setting just stick with your usual methods. As stated, you may have glue sticks and rubber cement, but add the envelopes and you just spent $50 including instruction price. This is not a money maker for amateur magicians.
Clear Perception
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 03 September, 2022)
Devious idea. Numbers r us is my favorite. Sort of a variation of Room Service or Meir Yedid's Predict perfect instead random 3-digit numbers are chosen and random digits are called out instead of having 9 cards chosen. That speeds up the process. Plus-there is a mind-reading part also. The one using photos and songs are also winners. I am worried about doing the music version on Youtube may end up deleted for copyright violation. The pictures are not too bad as long as you don't sell them. Getty images are 1 source. Highly recommended. The price is better than the $25 to $34 for the imp pad and Mati envelope. I will get those but not yet. Easy to make. Not all Office Max may carry.
Improved Devil's Newspaper
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 31 August, 2022)
Most magicians know the hanging load method to produce a dove from a really empty shoebox. The trick is very deceptive. This shows how to make it using very common items. I bet 95% of everyone has the 2 items not mentioned. The shoebox idea I mentioned could be a vanish. Reproduce a duplicate item from paper. I do not think the paper should be used as a vanish. It is too flimsy. Drawing attention to it and having to eventually get rid of it. I could put it in the shoebox and put the lid on after using both. Vanish coke can in box. Remove lid. Show both sides. Reproduce from paper. Put paper in box. Can is empty because of weight. Must switch can. Highly recommended.
The Conversus Clipboard
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 31 August, 2022)
Any clipboard used. The clipboard is not the gimmick. The pad of paper is good. But unless I do 100 shows a week or a lot of writing, I think using a single sheet of paper on a clipboard looks a lot better. Impression devices and page switches are common. I would very seldom use this. A switch can also be a secret peek. So you may be able to use this on stage. Or hand it to an assistant who can write a prediction and sneak it into a box onstage as in Balls! This is not casual mindreading. It could be made using a smaller pad and clipboard. But smaller the pad less bending and less need for a clipboard. Slightly recommend.
The Add-A-Number Collection
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 31 August, 2022)
I would not have thought of the locking idea. It looks similar to a flip-over index card flap - I believe in Tarbell course #7. Both can be used together. I recommend this much more than the envelope books. This is to force a 3 or 4-digit number or predict a total. You could force celebrity names using a numbered list. You can show a list of 10 names and have 5 written down suggesting the force name. Or switch all 5. Then use a number force. Only people not seeing the original list could look at it. Endless ideas. This is one book I really like. Very easy.
Envelopology Part 2
reviewed by Don Jarrard (confirmed purchase)Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 31 August, 2022)
This contains a partial excerpt of part 1. If the first costs $15 and the 2nd also teaches the same but also a bonus routine and you have part 1, then you are basically paying for the extra routine. If part 2 was cheaper, then part 1 would be overpriced. It's impossible to price this fairly. You could have a used printed version bought years ago. No records exist of your ownership. That is where I disagree on partial discounts if you downloaded the first book. I only slightly recommend this as the bonus routine is not as quick and direct as I would like.