Bicycle808 wrote:
Does anyone have Scarne's Magic Tricks? Might be worth getting that, too.
I have it and, as it costs next to nothing, I'd say it's well worth having. It contains 201 tricks.
1) Some are useless - relying on things that are American, no longer the case, no longer the case even in America, etc.
2) Some are next to useless - relying on clothing or habits that are now very rare.
3) Some are insane - I won't elaborate.
4) A few, frankly, are terrifying - the one that begins, 'The performer shows two empty clay pipes...' has a method that ought to end, 'Be sure to have the number of the local Accident & Emergency department on speed dial.'
5) Some aren't really tricks at all - just origami, etc.
6) Many, many are the old, old tricks you see in every beginner's book/video/DVD ever made.
However, it's nice to have them all there, for reference.
And, you'll also get lots of stuff that's very nice indeed.
Lots of stuff. There's a Bill to Lemon, for example; I do the Ring on a String all the time - it's a baffler; there's even (if you adapt it a little) a practically impromptu Rising Table (no, your don't use you foot/knee). Basically, I defy you to dip into it for a while and not come away with three or four ideas each time. A fiver well spent, then, I reckon.
by Tomo » Jul 16th, '07, 12:05 
