Reviews: Read What Others Are Saying: page 46
204 ★★★★★ reviews
144 ★★★★★ reviews
85 ★★★★★ reviews
131 ★★★★★ reviews
Storytelling for Magicians
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Lawrence Goldstein (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 11 April, 2018)
This would be a good $5 physical manuscript and a good $2 pdf. At $20 it is not worth the paper it isn't printed on. Cara Hamilton writes clearly and concisely, but the pamphlet is only 35 pages long (including cover and introductory material) and has a very few useful ideas or bits of advice. I expected a much longer and more detailed work for a $20 pdf. This was not that. I cannot recommend purchase that that price. If the price comes down to $2 or $3, then go ahead and buy it. You won't be wasting your money. But for $20 ... well it wasn't worth that to me.
A Journey Through A History of Magic
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Rick Carruth
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 29 March, 2018)
I am a big fan of David’s book. After publishing a number of his stories in the Magic Roadshow, to the pleasure of many readers, I am glad to get a copy of HOM and read the many stories I’ve missed. I highly recommend A Journey Through The History of Magic..
The Magic of Derek Dingle
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Enrico Varella
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 19 March, 2018)
Paul Lelekis pays yet another thoughtful tribute to his friend and one of the great performers in Close-Up Magic. A recurring theme to Lelekis’s work is that he resolutely recognizes the ‘shoulders of giants’ that he sits on. What he has done with his latest book, and exceedingly well, is to simplify the “work’ so that the effect is retained. As a fan of the late-Derek Dingle (who is a class act), I am grateful that his work lives on, to be appreciated by a new generation of audiences. The classical works stay alive when each piece of magic is expressed in unique ways, through the mindful and respectful interpretations of contemporary artists. I toast to both Dingle and Lelekis for their love of friendship, humour and magic.
The Magic of Derek Dingle
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Mike Powers
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 17 March, 2018)
Derek Dingle is one of the greats and Paul has done an excellent job of selecting some classic Dingle and putting his own touches on it. Great job Paul!
The Magic of Derek Dingle
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christopher Weber
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 17 March, 2018)
The Magic of Derek Dingle by Paul Lelekis
Here is another outstanding contribution to card magic from Paul Lelekis. Written in Paul's pleasant and easy to grasp style he pays tribute to the great Derek Dingle. For those who are new to the magic of Derek Dingle, this book is an excellent introduction and highlights some of his best and most entertaining material. Paul starts each explanation by giving some easy to understand and very practical advice that will help you to improve your magic overall. As always his advice and performance suggestions are very solid "down to earth" based on real-life experience from a person who has as we say in the education field, clearly learned by doing! I particularly enjoyed the Fabulous Jumping Card Trick, Too Many Cards and Paul’s own version of a terrific three card routine called Hypnotic Quick 3-Way. The coin material Slot Machine and Silver Quick are both very strong and very entertaining coin routines.
The routines are all very approachable by the average magician and as with much of Paul's routines, the impact on the audience far exceeds the technical effort the magician has to put into them. These routines work great and they are comfortable to perform with most of your concentration on the presentation. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn some outstanding fun material and a little about one of card magic’s all-time great performers. Here is another solid winner from Paul Lelekis for all of us to benefit from and enjoy!
The Magic of Derek Dingle
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Roy Eidem
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 16 March, 2018)
Derek Dingle was one of the finest sleight of hand artist I studied in my early years. His material, although sometimes technically difficult, never failed to evoke mystery & magic. Paul has taken some of his favorite entertaining workers & without sacrifice of the magical effects, streamlined the handlings to put them into reach. In addition, video links are included to demonstrate by Paul the streamlined sleights. Replete with worker material.
Lager Switch
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Larry Brodahl (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 04 March, 2018)
Like everything Mr. DeCova does, this is simple and clever and clean. It looks as good as it is.
The Wandering Queens
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Fabio Lombardi (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 24 February, 2018)
Really nice trick for parlour or stage shows. It is easy to do, no gimmicks and I think for $3 is a good purchase.
Lucky Deck
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Michael Lyth (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 21 February, 2018)
Because of health reasons preventing from working I had to miss the opportunity to purchase at introductory offer due to funds been extremely tight but after scrimping and saving I purchased at full price!! because I know that this authors works are mind stimulating and very very practical if willing to put the hours practice before performing I also purchased his other two latest books but haven't read them yet
So well done to the author who is nearly reaching his 100 written work on here at the Lybrary...
The Sphinx
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Georg Walter (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 19 February, 2018)
Für historisch Interessierte ist die "Sphinx" unschlagbar und ein absolutes MUSS. Mit halbwegs ordentlichem Schulenglisch wird man sich zurecht finden.
[Translation: For historically interested people, the "Sphinx" is unbeatable and an absolute MUST. With halfway tidy school English you will find your way around.]
Optical Opener
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Devin Knight (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 17 February, 2018)
This is a great opener for any show. I will be using this to open my mentalism shows. I can see this getting a great reaction from the audience. Not just a gag but a real fooler.
A Real Prediction
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Robert Ball
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 14 February, 2018)
I have this book, and it has a lot of great self working tricks, in it as well as some sleights, a little of everything. I find myself going back to this book time and time again. It as some great effects by some well known magicians.
Touch of the Ancients
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Steve Drury
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 07 February, 2018)
In a Touch of the Ancients, Cara provides succinct research and context for some really well devised mystery performance pieces and other creative nuances, all with a genuinely ‘ancient’ principle. The routines demonstrate how practical and diabolical a tool this is for many performance types, and generically a worthy springboard for your own creativity too.
Touch of the Ancients
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Stuart Bowie
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 07 February, 2018)
She has taken an old principle and developed it into a practical and effective way of making a small image appear on a spectator’s hand. The method employed is simple and practical to use in almost any performing situation, uses materials which readily available and is clearly explained.
Using the basic method the remainder of the text is devoted to an explanation of six routines from Cara’s own repertoire. Cara is a working magician and understands that impact and effect is the key to successful performance and theses two elements are central to all six routines. Two things stand out. First, that all the methods are simple, direct and fairly foolproof. Second, unlike many effects you may buy, here there is great attention to presentation, to the words said and unsaid, to the artifacts used, to timing and to the way spectators are used, all developed to create the strongest impact possible.
There is some neat thinking in many of these routines. For example in the Armanen Codex the spectator has a free choice from eighteen different tablets each marked with a different rune. Gazing into a crystal ball a second spectator can divine the shape chosen. Difficult to do? Not at all. A simple method and subtle handling make this miracle almost in the category of ‘self working’.
There is an apparent element of mystery, other worldliness and danger to the routines all created by presentation and style. Well almost all. In the Voodoo Curse the performer invokes the God of Fire. After the appropriate ritual a coconut, held in the spectators outstretched hand bursts into flame! The effect is certainly amazing, but this is one routine where the method is not for the faint hearted!
Overall ‘Touch of the Ancients’ gives you a practical and workable development to the ashes on the palm effect. Even if you don’t want to set coconuts on fire there are other very workable and impressive effects and the general principles of direct methods and dramatic choreographed presentations are adaptable to many other styles.
Klean Force
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by David Burmeister (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 03 February, 2018)
The more I read and think about this effect the more I like it. It is a very unusual but simple force. I really like the first two effects and even the close up effects that can be used. In my opinion you will definitely get your moneys worth with all these effects and then some. I definitely recommend this!!!
WELL DONE UNKNOWN MENTALIST!
Lucky Deck
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by David Burmeister (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 03 February, 2018)
I'm glad to see THE UNKNOWN MENTALIST back again. This is a very good deck stack that you will use or at least you will want this in your card stack library. By saying this I mean that I think those who know the KARMA deck stack and the SLOKA deck stack are spoiled with these particular deck stacks, I know I am. I can only say that those who enjoy deck stacks and THE UNKNOWN MENTALISTS' way of thinking will find this invaluable. I myself, will treasure this and I highly recommend this.
Well done UNKNOWN MENTALIST!
Magic as a Million Dollar Business
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Tommillusions
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 30 January, 2018)
This is the type of teaching I wished I head even before I started out performing magic professionally. If you follow this lecture course with your heart it will definitely make your magic business into a million dollars!
Fez Please
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Michael Lyth (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 24 January, 2018)
Quiz in the picture cover
Can you spot two famous magicians who I knew as a friend?
A famous meeting place
A not so famous magician
And a well-known children’s song
Just for fun your prize a chance to freely download this booklet
Digital Divination
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Terry Smith (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 24 January, 2018)
I purchased this. I found it doesn't work with Windows 10. I told Lybrary. They immediately refunded me.
Good job on their part.
Just be aware, It does not work with windows 10.
Eliminators
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Fabio Lombardi (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 04 January, 2018)
The book is very old, anyway there are good methods to eliminate that sleights, I already knew some of those, but for 5$ is a good book. I had a problem and I texted Lybrary staff, they are kind and fast in answering, so a good feedback also for Lybrary.
The Wandering Queens
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Didier Dupre (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 29 December, 2017)
Hello,
The routine is simple. It reminds me of an effect of my late friend ALDO COLOMBINI. I like the idea...
GOOD YEAR 2018.
ALL THE HAPPINESS OF THE WORLD
D.DIDIER
Fake Gambling Act
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Brian Reaves (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 27 December, 2017)
Not that great of a routine. Each part can be done separately to appear you are an expert in that aspect, but you can't sit down and do this entire routine at once to show all the aspects of your "skill". True, nothing more than a double lift is ever required here, yet there are better full routines out there. If you don't want to put forth a lot of effort or just want to show off one "talent" like second dealing or center dealing, you may find something here to use. Otherwise, keep searching.
Psychic Self
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Marc Rehula (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 14 December, 2017)
I have mixed feelings about this. My experience with this has been less than 'miraculous'. On the plus side, it can be a great opener to get a conversation going with a borrowed, shuffled deck that you never touch. But it does not work with any consistency, so I've had to do some convincing of the 'miracles'. I do recommend this, though, since the thinking behind this is excellent. It has indeed inspired me to work on personalizing the effects to lead to other things.
Perfection One-Man Mindreading Act
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Michael Lyth (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 13 December, 2017)
A great piece of magic history which can be adapted if felt necessary? and used to a large stage audience.Read for the History Part and even better practice to suit own style and perform a classic.Not to be over looked because of its age!!
Ahead
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 10 December, 2017)
Three masters of mentalism each give you a routine using a classic mentalism technique. For me J. Prager's routine of divining the first number of a spectator's credit card and the first number of its PIN is the best, most useful one in the book. I was familiar with the thinking behind this (It's in one of Thompson's Naked Mentalism books), but had never thought to routine it this way. Once you read how it's down, you'll be able to do it immediately with two pieces of paper, a pen, and a spectator with a credit card. It's excellent.
Peter Turner uses the same technique in a prediction effect, where you give someone an envelope a week ahead of time and tell them to bring it along with them later for the demonstration. This one shows Turner's clever thinking, but even he admits, it's really for promotional value or auditioning for a job since it is a one-on-one routine.
Lastly, Luke Jermay gives you his oldest close-up routine, again using the same ancient technique. Little wonder, he's been using it so long: It's just a variation on Cassidy's Name and Place routine, spiffed up a bit. You might find Jermay's subtleties to your liking--or you may not. In any event, there's nothing new here.
In summary, this will probably be worth your while if you use Prager's routine and at least one other. I'm going to add Prager's routine immediately to my wallet repertoire. I already do Name and Place and would like to do Turner's prediction routine if I ever find a situation for it. So for me, it was a good, but not earthshaking, purchase.