talkmagic.co.uk

This book, published in 1979, seems to be selling on E-Bay for some fanstastic sums of money when it is available. I have seen it sell for over £60 and currently one is attracting bids and the price is climbing well. There is a 'Buy it Now' option for a copy for £95.
Before I take out a second mortgage and buy a copy I would like to know if the book really worth these amounts?

Peter W.

I haven't read that one in particular, but Martin Gardner is a true legend, and credited in more magic books than I can shake a stick at.

But before you buy, you should be aware that Gardner's field is almost exclusively mathematical.

Given the nature of his other works, I very much doubt that his Impromtu Magic book will be of much interest to you if you're looking for skillful sleights or physical eye-poppers.

If you're after more cerebral sledgehammers, Gardner's almost certainly your man.

Hope that helps a bit.

Pete W

I have seen it. I had the chance to buy it years ago at the then going price of £25, but didn't bother. It's a large, very thick book of impromptu tricks culled from a wide range of sources, not just the mathematical ones that feature in most of his books. You probably already know a lot of them. Unless you want it as an investment, I would suggest you're possibly better off buying a full set of Karl Fulves's self-working books. Better still, for that price, buy a set of Tarbell.

Barry

Don't buy it!!!! (yet)

There's supposed to be a re-print coming out soon at a reasonable price.

But before you buy, you should be aware that Gardner's field is almost exclusively mathematical.

This book is a collection of tricks, most of which didn't originate from Gardner.
The range of effects is huge and varied.

Thanks for the info. I had heard that Martin Gardner was keen on his mathmatics. I agree that the Karl Fulves Self Working books are excellent as I already have one or two of them.
I think I will wait for the re-print as I am more into magic than investment.
Thanks again

Peter Wright

Having just managed to snaffle a copy of this at a convention (from a dealer's personal collection), it's fantastic.

The Encyclopaedia is a massive collection of principles and effects, a lot of which are simple novelties, useful only to bulk out a routine or for a quick sight joke - but some are fantastic principles which entire routines or acts can be built around, often summed up in a single paragraph.

It's arranged alphabetically in order of object - so the first two pages contain "Apple", and 10 numbered paragraphs of effects or stunts using apples - breaking apples in two with your bare hands, peeling an apple and discovering it pre-cut, party games involving apples, a better technique for apple-ducking, the illusion of an apple bouncing, and a divination technique using apple skin, among others.

It's a wonderful reference, and there's nothing else quite like it. Not all of it is magic, and not all of it is strictly "Impromptu", although everything involves everyday objects.

I imagine that it's not worth paying some of the more exorbitant prices that are offered for it. I would agree that a full copy of Tarbell, for example, would represent a better investment, but it's a wonderful book all the same.