Reviews: Read What Others Are Saying: page 73
170 ★★★★★ reviews
120 ★★★★★ reviews
78 ★★★★★ reviews
123 ★★★★★ reviews
The Psychology of Magic
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Peter Prevos (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 20 January, 2012)
Every magician should listen to this tape. Bill Nagler provides an excellent explanation HOW to ensure that audiences do not see you as a simple trickster, but as an entertainer.
Contact Colors
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by David Kay (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 19 January, 2012)
This is an amazing, almost self working card trick. There is minimal setup, but enough that you couldn't do this impromptu, however the resulting effect is worth it. The dirty work, which is next to nothing if you have any experience with cards, is done at the very beginning, and allows you to focus your attention on giving a good performance. It is a magician fooler too, as I couldnt see anyone reverse engineering this. A MUST BUY!
Encore: three easy effects
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Danny B.
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 16 January, 2012)
I can not believe that this kid is 16 years old, his material is solid and very clever!
Support him and buy this, you will not be disappointed! Give him a few years to see him grow all over the magic market!
Card Shark Issue 3
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Skott Hughes (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 11 January, 2012)
After getting this yesterday and performing EDGY last night all I can say is :
Kevin Schallers Edgy is my new favorite worker.
This 1 effect killed my supporters last night at my show. At this price how could you not "give it a try".
I did, and will now be buying all of these pdf gems.
All of the effects are well thought out. Mike Gelasi has several w/ video links to YouTube for the actual performance.
Skott Hughes
Magigram Volume 11 (Sep 1978 - Aug 1979)
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Henri
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 01 January, 2012)
This is by far the best way to spend three dollars in magic I have seen so far. Not just this particular issue (Or 12 issues) but the magigram in general. Everybody (Absolutely everybody) will find something they like in this magazine. Magigram 11 is almost one thousand pages long. There is every kind of magic you can think of. I loved this PDF and I guarantee that you will be pleased, if you like silk magic, rope magic, mentalism, dove magic, children's magic, stage, parlour, or almost any other kind of magic. Except maybe escape magic, though I haven't even finished the 1000 pages and there might even be some of that. And only three dollars!
This is the best three dollars I have spent in magic so far.
Casus
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Radoslaw Makar (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 20 December, 2011)
This is one of my personal favourites :) Mike told me about it some time ago but I wasn't that impressed at the beginning - it's a well known plot after all and there is a lot of different variations of it on the market. I wasn't impressed until I saw the final outcome! You can be sure this one is a real worker and it will get you great reactions! Trust me - Mike knows his craft and he made this one stand out from the crowd of other effects. It's $7.99 well spent.
PS. Have a look at other ebooks Mike offers!
Who's Who In Magic
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Rataj
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 16 December, 2011)
Great book and resource of magicians.
Eastern Moves: Video Vol. 1
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Skott Hughes (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 08 December, 2011)
This is a fantastic download..were for $2 are you gonna get this? Radek is a great coin worker with a very creative mind. Do your hands some justice order this now!
Skott Hughes
Snap: A Treatise on Drawing Duplications
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Aire Allegro
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 07 December, 2011)
I own both 'Devious Realities' and 'Dare to be Bold' and these are by far some of the best drawing duplications (in my opinion) I have ever read about. I have used mind plant live several times; including in front of other performers and it fooled everyone I have ever performed it on! This book will really open your eyes to the clever way Turner's mind works and I could not recommend it enough.
Would rate more than 5 star if I could.
Michael Close Signature Effects: Workers & Power of Palming
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Skott Hughes
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 01 December, 2011)
This is a real nice 2 on 1 dvd from former Magic Magazine product and trick reviewer Michael Close. This is as he say's in the Workers dvd time tested effects that will leave them scratching their heads. Of great note is the Dancers at the end of Time and the Origami Frog Prince is worth the price alone.
Then there is the Power of Palming portion as a Bonus. Very in depth look at well The Power of Palming. All in all a very nice but dated (shot in the early 90's) dvd.
I still will give it 4/5 stars and worth checking it out.
Into Thin Air
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Skott Hughes (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 01 December, 2011)
This has some really smooth moves involved in this routine. Radek is very clever and offers a very stunning update to the classic assembly of 3 coins.
Don't wait, get this today, It'll be the best $5.00 investment you can make. I was very pleased with the clear instruction and over the shoulder camera angle.
Practical Mental Effects
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Peter Turner
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 26 November, 2011)
This book is a fantastic resource for anyone in the mentalism industry, I have been performing proffessionally for several years and a huge part of the way I perform is down to this book. I always reference this book everytime I think about creating a new effect, after what seems like a million times of reading the book I still find something new and interesting in here!
The material is often slated as being out of date, but take it from me when I say the material and principles are only a stones throw away from being rejuvinated and turning into clean mental miracles!
If you don't already have this in your collection, you need purchase it, lock yourself away into a room d study it and get out and try it!
Peter Turner
The Magician's Dream: a practical solution for any card at any number
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Paul Philavong (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 21 November, 2011)
There are eight tricks in this booklet and neither of of them is a full hands off "ACAAN" as the original Berglas effect.
The cards are being too much "handled" as in a self-working mentalism card trick by either the spectator or magician in the process to make the trick work. For example:
Trick #1 - Random ACCAN - This involves 2 sprectators: spec #1 think of a card, spec #2 think of a number. So far so good, but then the deck is introduced and spec #1 deal the cards down and when he sees his card he is asked to remember the number where his card falls and cut the deck a certain way. Then spec #2 is given the deck and count down to the number he was thinking of and remember the card that fall in that position, blah-blah-blah and etc.... In short convoluted, boring and definitely not close to the Berglas ACAAN.
Trick #2 - ACAAN on Demand - Cards are not shown from the get go, ask spec to think of a card, then get a deck of card and have a number chosen.
Trick #3 - Perfect ACAAN on Demand - Cards are not shown from the get go, then they come out of magician's pocket uncased.
Trick #4 - Mixed Revelation - After thinking of a card and a number, spec is asked to do something with a certain card and then guided to do a shuffle.
Trick #5 - Final Cut Version #1 - Memorization is needed, cards are not shown from get go, when they are shown the magician touched it too long.
Trick #6 - Final Cut Version #2 - No memorization needed, cards are not shown from the get go and a set pattern and some calculation need to be done to get the trick to work.
Trick #7 - Dream - Make use of the "Oops I made a mistake let's do over" excuse and use sleight of hands to get the card to the desired position and bet that the spec will stay with the same card in the do-over phase - silly.
Trick #8 - Lucifer - Make use of a different trick to get the card to the desired position and then suggest to spec, let's do try and ACAAN trick - as silly as the one above.
Overall review: very disappointed.
Attacking ACAAN
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Paul Philavong (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 21 November, 2011)
There are 4 Tricks in this booklet, neither one of them will give you the satisfaction that you came very close to the Berglas Effect.
Trick #1 - Psychometry Cards - Not ACAAN by a long shot but has a good potential to be a classic of magic.
Trick #2 - T Minus 1 - It is an ACAAN but at the end you, the magician, will never get the full satifaction of feeling like being the "hero" of the show.
Trick #3 - ACAAN OCD - Not an ACAAN because the cards are not shown from the get go, and when they finally make their appearance, they are uncased and it involves sleight of hands.
Trick #4 - Almost ACAAN - The world "Almost" in the title should give you a hint. This method involves additional props.
My last word on this booklet: if you are seriously seeking for something close to the "original and acclaimed" Berglas effect, you will be disappointed. I was.
42 Amazing Tricks and Stunts with Rope
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Don Bursell
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 17 November, 2011)
As an owner of the actual printed copy of this book, I have to say that it is really good. The basics are covered, all the way up to a decent handling of Professor's Nightmare.
Whenever I teach magic classes, this is one of the best resources, and also to have for sale afterward. The actual printed copy sells for $3.00 also, and can be found via quite a few magic shops.
This is a great book for someone beginning to explore rope magic. And it is very well illustrated.
Dissolving Aces
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Mr. Gimmick y
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 09 November, 2011)
Not impressed with anything Mr. Knight has offered. His effects are easy to learn but are of poor quality. I think he's more interested in selling his products then creating good magic. Dissolving Aces is no exception. At his lecture, I saw each ace as it fell into the lap. I don't believe these moves are even new! If you do buy this effect and practice it, please have the decency to add a presentation. If Mr. Knight had done this, dissolving aces would have been some what entertaining, instead of a mere display of skill... or lack there of. Not recommended.
Google Effect: for iPhones
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Joe Libby (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 01 November, 2011)
This is a great magic trick that has an odd logic too it. Google is always being refined and having new features added, so why shouldn't it be able to do magic tricks?
Very easy to use interface and the convincer is that your volunteer types the question into the search box. Since real Google search results are brought up, this should be a real baffler.
A minor quibble is that the fake Google screen doesn't quite resemble the current iPhone version; hopefully, Alan will update that soon. But I don't think it's a deal breaker, since your volunteer will be focused on typing the question. You should be careful about doing this for kids, since some of the search results may not be kid-friendly. At least make sure a kid doesn't click on an inappropriate link!
While I do use my iPhone in professional performances, I think this trick is best suited for informal situations. But think of the fun you can have, and the wonder you can create, when you tell your friends about the latest enhancement to Google! Great job, Alan!
Building a Tip
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Makoto Halver
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 21 October, 2011)
I spent my first month and a half busking having little to no clue as to how to gather a crowd and start my show. A good 25% of every hour I spent standing around trying to get people's attention. Among the vast amount of study material I bought with my earnings on the street, I purchased this video. It looked too simple. Don just... gets a crowd. A big crowd. Just like that. I wrote down notes from Zachary Strange's excellent analysis on how the bally is constructed and modified it to fit my personality. The first day I went out after studying this video, I made $45 more than I usually do. I spent a minute to get people to stop and watch before getting my show started. This video more than paid for itself the first time I used the concepts taught. A must buy for any street performer.
Wave Trio
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Matthew Jackson (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 21 October, 2011)
Great tricks which were written and explained very well. His easy to follow instructions make all the tricks quick to learn. I found myself performing all 3 tricks within around half an hour!
Midnight Side of the Mind
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Dek El
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 15 October, 2011)
I've enjoyed reading Voodini's books in the past, and this is decidedly one of his greatest works. It allows you to take any mentalism performance to unforseen depths. Midnight Side of the Mind allows your spectators to visit worlds in their minds that are too awe inspiring to put into words. They will meet people they meet in 19th century England, they will use remote viewing to see inside of the room of another spectator, they can see past versions of themselves in perfect 3 dimensional clarity, as if they were walking in the past. I've never read anything like it and doubt I will again. With no gimmicks, Paul allows you to weave visions for your spectators that they will accept as reality and never forget, he allows you to landscape dreams that your spectators experience first hand. These ideas (and there are many) are some of the most pure and beautiful demonstrations of our art that I have ever read.
2 Can Play At This Game
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Matthew Jackson
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 09 October, 2011)
I love this book. I do though believe that Gelasi and MacNeill make different types of magic and I don't think they should be combined in the book.
Not to say that MacNeill's magic is bad, but I prefer Gelasi's as it is more simple but I understand that many may prefer MacNeill's.
I just don't think the two different types of magic should be mixed as I found myself only being attracted to Gelasi's stuff as they are nearly all easy setups whereas MacNeill's seem to be gimmicked or needs duplicates etc.
Overall, the book is great despite my opinions.
The Color Change: the arcane art of transfiguration with playing cards
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Chet Cox (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 11 August, 2011)
This is to color changes (a misnomer) as the Big Book of Rising Cards is to the Rising Card theme. There is simply no better book or video, and the scope of the book is fantastic.
Rupert Howard Magic Course
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Arthur Tuffee
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 14 July, 2011)
I have used these books for many years. They were purchased by my father in the 30's. They are excellent training material on most aspects of conjuring.
The Little Green Lecture
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Madison Hagler (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 11 July, 2011)
Wow what a book! I love any and all of Pit Hartling's material. He is a true genius. He comes up with amazingly clever methods ranging from easy to difficult. But thats not the main reason I love Pit. I love Pit because he isnt just creative with the methods, he is also very creative with the presentation. This man can take some of the most illogical, outragous, drawn out tricks and make them look like a true miracle and you are entertained the whole time. With that being said, Mr. Hartling has done a great job with this book. Its a very easy and fun read. And the tricks in this book are to die for. They are instantly going into my act.....especially triathlon. All the tricks have that moment of awe in them. Great job Mr. Hartling, I was entirely impressed.
P. S. ADD TO YOUR CART RIGHT NOW AND GET TO READING THIS WONDERFUL BOOK!!
~Madison
Be
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Feras A. Alkharboush
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Tuesday 14 June, 2011)
After reading/watching lots of books/dvds, its not unusual to use only one item from a book I just read or get inspired to work out my own ideas. "Be", by Kyle MacnNeil, is a rare case for me: with the exception of 2 items that I didn't really care about, the other 6 I did end up either use or play a lot with, refine then later, use. that's the majority of the ebook, and its been awhile since this happened to me.
Lets get rid of the technicalities: Its all card magic. Some effects use blank cards though you can easily just use the jokers instead. No gaffs. The descriptions are very clear and to the point. In contrast with his other Kyle ebooks I have ( Hands Hof! and Wild at Heart ) this one is very well edited and has a very elegant design. He did spend some time on this issue. There are few pictures though they're more than enough to understand the explanations. There's a video of one of the tricks which is always nice.
The ebook starts off with an essay on creating magic that stimulates different reactions. Don't expect Eugene Burger for the author isn't old enough to grow a beard, but it is indeed a nice read. And you thought Kids today aren't smart. ( feels odd saying this and I'm only 25 )
After reading some of Kyle's material I have to say that I'm impressed. Some plots are indeed off-beat and the methods are so simple you'll end up hitting the wall for not coming up with them. For me, this seems to be Kyle's strength: Simple methods leading to good ( and sometimes big ) results.
The first trick,Cheddar + Chutney, is a very neat sandwich plot. A card vanishes from a sandwich then you do the opposite, the card becomes the sandwich! You use this card to find the cards sandwiching the 2nd selection. This is inspired by Dave Forrest trick ‘Piccalilli’ which I'm not familiar, so I'm not sure of the originality of this. I loved The first two phases are killer and indeed a nice twist to sandwiches.
Box + Deck is a routine I ended up using as written. Its a multi-transposition routine with signatures on the backs, or you can change that and go with the very slick presentation. The highlight for me was Kyle's clever use of one of my favorite sleights: He uses it to visually have a card penetrate the box AND to set up a clean vanish of a signature. Very clever.
I'm a big fan of Everywhere and Nowhere and perform different versions of it, Everywhere Prediction is a version that I will use. Its a great opener that can be done with any deck. This is the first E&Nowhere routine I've read that adds a prediction and it actually makes sense. With the playful presentation that fits my character, This is a decent twist on Everywhere and Nowhere that fans of the plot should check out.
Blank You Very Much is a very interesting principle. The effect sounds like a miracle: Spectator places a freely thought of card in his pocket, you show a joker/blank card and place it in your pocket. With a snap, you name the freely thought of card, and you take it from your pocket. The spectator himself reaches to his pocket and pulls out the card: its the blank. That's exactly how the effect plays out.
This is simply genius if you make it work ( picking the right spectator and careful audience management are key ) and is only 1-on-1. This is something I heavily played with just thinking of different ways to apply it. Its not a magicians fooler but its simply brilliant. If you like having laymen doing sleights for you ( Las Vegas Leaper? ) you'll want to check this out.
Sandwich Triumph is a Triumph mixed with a sandwich with a climax of finding the mates of the selection. The plot isn't new though the method here is very direct and to the point. Some setup is needed though you can work around it( if you own Card College ). There's a weird sandwich load that's credited to Cameron Francis, I didn't think it'll fool laymen though it did in my test performances. Anyways this is a trick I ended up not using, the magic world is full of Triumphs and while this is simple, it wont make you switch from the method you're already using.
Cricket is a version of Paul Harris's Grasshopper. This is something that needed a bit streamlining to become a great worker and indeed this is a version that I now use in a larger routine. The highlights here are the sandwich reveal and the one handed Fandango move ( the original sleight is Ben Harris's ). Both are good, REAL good, and ridiculously simple. Both of them are explained in a separate section, followed by a video performance for the trick which does help to show off the moves.
Instant Repeat Collectors is a very neat idea that allows you to do a clean repeat phase to almost any collectors routine in existence. This is something that I also ended up playing with a lot, very simple and clever. The explanations could be cleaner and a video would've been helpful.
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There you have it. I'm pleasantly surprised at the quality of the material and the amount I ended up playing with and use.
In a nutshell, get this if: - Want simple card magic, with easy and particularly simple methods. - Interested in a nice transposition with 2 signed backs. - Interested in mixing Everywhere and Nowhere with a prediction. - Interested in ways to make laymen do sleights for you ( as in Blank You Very Much ) - Want to learn a neat sandwich reveal and and one handed Fandango.
Don't get this if: - Interested in more creative methods than creative plots. - You're a move monkey. - Feel sad to find out a kid is almost as smart if not smarter than you.
For 10$, highly recommended.