talkmagic.co.uk

i brought the royal road a couple of weeks ago and i would now recomend it to anyone who hasnt read it.

within a couple of days i hadnt put it down and had read up to part two, mastering every technique i could and as of about a week ago i am now a better card magician than anything else i can do.

I would have to say that anyone who wants to do things with playing cards should start here. There are many places to progress to later like Roberto Gobbi's magisterial volumes but any aspiring cardperson will pick up all the basics here.

___________
why do you always find things in the last place you look?
Because when you find it, you stop looking

Just bought the book this afternoon and I can't wait to get to learning whats in it. Read some fanastic reviews...cant wait

Sir Tally Ho wrote:Just bought the book this afternoon and I can't wait to get to learning whats in it. Read some fanastic reviews...cant wait

You won't be disappointed. It makes a great starting point for any aspiring cardman (and a nice reference for the more experienced too). You will be a better card-magician after reading it, and it also sets you up for further reading, like card college, expert card technique, Hugard's card manipulations etc.

I bought this book a little while ago, and find that although the text can be a bit obscure, everything in the book is gold once you work through it. Probably the best money I've spent on magic.

It's very easy to understand and I've found it very helpful thus far (as I'm still reading through it). A good purchase.

Having recently purchased the book I would say that the effects are first rate but that the descriptions of where you hands or fingers need to be in some effects certainly leaves something to be desired. That, the fact that there are very few helpful diagrams and with no explaination of what is the outer or inner end of the desk is or what a phalanx is etc etc I would find it very hard to recommend this to a novice looking to get into card magic.

Having been into card magic myself for some time I still found I was getting confused and frustrated whilst trying to work out exactly what the author was asking me to do (it felt like twister for fingers).

If you are new to card magic and you want to learn quickly from a text that is comprehensive and easy to follow.....buy Card College Vol 1. If you get to the end and you are hooked, buy the other 4 volumes AND RRTCM.

I have to partly agree with what Strep said there, although in the book's mitigation once you get to grips with "phalanx" etc, I think the dated language adds to the almost academic feel to it. I started off watching several magic videos, and it got to the point where I accrued a big collection of viewing material that I almost became restless and daunted with the material, and perhaps didn't give my full attention to the videos.

Maybe others will disagree, but after reading several reviews of it on various magic forums before making the purchase, I picked up on the reverence that magicians attached to this significant book. Perhaps I in effect hyped the book up, but because of the expectations of this "Bible", it has had the effect of making me want to actually commit to the book and not flirt around with other material. Given this fidelity, I feel that the path it details will eventually make me a better magician. Yes, there are flaws, yes, it can be confusing at times, but I can see the impact on my own magc some chapters in. And yes, given the numerous testimonials I have decdied to go through each cahpter thoroughly before progressing onto the next. For instance, prior to the Force chapter, I in fact used a different technique for the Classic Force, which involved a break ABOVE the forced card. The method detailed in RRTCM absolutely changed my technique. Similarly, I never used to palm cards but now feel I have an understanding of the correct mechanics to palm.

Essentially, what you put in magic equates with what you get out. With some discipline, and an actual hard copy of this milestone of magic literature, I feel this lays the groundwork for you to be a competent performer, after which you would be in a confident and enviable position in which to cherry pick which videos / books / styles you want to follow. I am only a beginner / novice to magic and spent a lot of time haphazardly immersing myself in magic videos, but it is only now that via this book that I feel there is some structure.

Incidentally, you can still buy this book from WH Smith online at a mere £6.50 all in.

We've always said that you need to work with RRTCM, it isn't easy by any means so it takes effort to work through.

That is odd. I could swear that the chapter on classic forcing tells you to hold a break above the force card. In fact I did it that way a long time as a result of reading the Royal Road and then changed my policy to holding a break below the card as a result of reading what Vernon and Ganson had to say about it.

Yup, you're quite right. Royal Road does state to have a break above the forced card. I would like to clarify that I didn't confuse above and below. Rather, I should clarify that i confused previously and currently. I do think the classic force is fantastic tho. Along with the Thought Force, it really is spectacular magic, if used in a trick. Guess I need to practice the classic force a bit more; i don't use every opportunity to incorporate practicing forcing a card during those "pick a card" moments as I'm always far too eager to do a thumb fan. Still, I guess that's why the long suffering friends and family get the practice runs instead.

Strep wrote:Having recently purchased the book I would say that the effects are first rate but that the descriptions of where you hands or fingers need to be in some effects certainly leaves something to be desired. That, the fact that there are very few helpful diagrams and with no explaination of what is the outer or inner end of the desk is or what a phalanx is etc etc I would find it very hard to recommend this to a novice looking to get into card magic.

Having recently started getting into this book, I have found the level of the material to be quite impressive from the get-go. The beginning material is both simple enough to learn quickly, yet good enough to impress with some real skill-based card magic. I do agree that the language can be a little difficult and I find myself re-reading a passage several times before thinking I may have sussed it and also wishing there were more diagrams. Having said that, some terms, such as phalanx, are just plain English words and don't make the book any more difficult. I'm sure that's easy to figure out anyway.
I have encountered one description though, which still has me confused as to the correct way to do it, and unfortunately its not so simple to just ask because thats exposure. Perseverance, I suppose. Its not so much the technique, just a small detail...

Although my understanding of the techniques is coming along nicely, precision execution is proving to be a bit of a problem. Perhaps its the quality of the cards I'm using.
Seeing as we're here and I dont want to start enough topic, just as a quick mention, can Bicycles be bought in shops over here (the UK)? Because I've never seen them before, other than online.

I had wanted to wait til I'd worked through some of Mark Wilson's Complete Course before delving into card magic specifically but as fate would dictate, my copy has been further delayed so I've had to get straight into this. And as a beginner I am very satisfied with this book and probably couldn't ask for much more (asides from some diagrams!).

I've had to re-read a few passages of the RRTCM too, but preseverance does pay off. I've found myself going over something very slowly and suddenly seeing how it fits together.

MagicBell: As to your question...

[quote="MagicBell"]
Seeing as we're here and I dont want to start enough topic, just as a quick mention, can Bicycles be bought in shops over here (the UK)? Because I've never seen them before, other than online.
quote]

I've bought mine from my local magic shops (Alakazam and the Card Collection) who both have an on-line presence. I think Relicant said he'd seen some for sale in Costco. Whether they're for sale in ordinary shops I don't know, I've never seen them there. But you can buy Seconds from Magicbox at a very inexpensive price, and most of the time they are very good quality.

HTH

It's got to be pointed out, as a newbie magician, that the elegance of this book is comparable to that of a thin cigar held in place with a long cigar holder gripped gently by a lady's slender white gloved hand... it really is that spangly. However, what I did not appreciate initially was the way some tricks in particular were structured with precise misdirection at EXACLTY the appropriate moment to take the flak away from burning your hands. The impact on learnign about misdirection then becomes inherent throughout the book, and at the back of your mind, as a newbie, the book becomes a role model as to how to (potentially) design your own or enhance other effects. On reading and perservering with the effects to practise the sleights taught, the patter / actions really are quite ingenious - many effects work due the sleights being well placed and economical, and used when the spectator is otherwise distracted, as well as making sense logically. Further, it is so satisfying to incorporate the explained sleight into a trick, as there is a sense of achievement and building of a repetoire.

However, it occasionally appears that various effects do not explicitly state certain steps for the trick. For instance, Card to Pocket (this is not exposure incidentally; it just details the effect from the spectator's point of view) doesn't point out that you should deal out the last card for the spectator to turn over: it is clear from the instructions. Similarly, however, whilst this example may be obvious, it is nonetheless symptomatic of the book's shortcomings in that several descriptions (particularly for flourishes if you were learning about them for the first time) requires repeated readings. Personally i actually find that this makes reading it all the more joyous as there is that sense of: "yes, I've got it now - you say that part then, and then you do this... yes...". The subsequent "translation" from the text to silent internal scripting and imagining a role play between you and the future spectator then becomes incredibly fulfilling as at that point creativity kicks in and you can't help but play around with the plot as you begin to imagine your tone of voice emphasising one aspect, pausing at that point, etc..

Just my 2 pence's worth, like. Threads on this book are always riveting.

Personally i actually find that this makes reading it all the more joyous as there is that sense of: "yes, I've got it now - you say that part then, and then you do this... yes...".

I agree. I just recently went back to the book and had a quick flick through and found several effects I can remember ignoring because of lack of understanding or skill. Some real gems in there.