talkmagic.co.uk

The boring bit:

Priced at £14.99 hardback and recently released in floppy-back too no doubt at a much lower price.
For State-side viewers it's priced at $24.95

ISBN 1-84442-532-0



The Review type bit:
If I was a girl, I'd have Paul Zenon's babies. But I'm not, so forget I even mentioned it.
I've always found his informal style of presentation a real pleasure to watch, though have you noticed, he always goes for the young, good looking girls to perform his tricks on?

Don't let is innumerable appearances on that programme for old duffers, Countdown, put you off buying this book. After all the Great Suprendo himself Mr Geoffrey Durham did it too...

Anyway.

The book.

Handily broken down into chapters for ease of reference like all the best books on magic it covers:

1. Auto Magic - a selection of simple to perform magic tricks which help you to settle into a routine and relax into "patter-mode", concentrating on your performance rather than the mechanics of a trick.

2. The Midas Touch - An introduction to some sleight of hand with coins. From the classic French Drop to a "Snapshot" sleeving method.

3. Top Secret Gadgets - An overview of some of the "gimmicks" out there on the market. Cigarette through Coin, Swami and TT are all there. Find out what they're all about before you rush out and buy one!

4. Hands on Deck - No book of magic would be complete without a chapter or even TWO on card tricks now would it?! The chapter teaches a few card tricks that rely on no sleight of hand. Just goes to show that such little gems as "Dead Mans Hand" can be just as good as some of the more comlex technical tricks. (Top tip: find something a little smaller than a cap gun and your laughing...I use part of my .22 bullet catch trick to create the gun-shot...a nice surprising addition to an already pretty strong trick.

5. Shark attack - Introduces some more complex card tricks including the Magician's standard...the ambitious card...no book would be complete without it!

6. Cruising - (Pretty much everything you would expect. DL and turnover, one handed cut, pressure fan...it's all there...

7. Mind Magic - Exactly what it says on the tin. It's mental!
I have a soft spot for "Heart Stopper", it's an oldy but goody and Paul also shows "off the shelf" Haunted Keys for what they are. I'm truly glad someone has published this to stop wannabe magicians wasting their money on the commercial variety....
That's what I think anyway...

8. Street Scams- Some old favourites, Three Card Monte, Shells and Pea and a simple chain necklace scam.

9. Party tricks - Some fun bits of tomfoolery to introduce to the next family gathering you go to. Good for a laugh with friends and family.

10. Out of this World - exactly that...In Mr Zenon's own words "Probably the best card trick ever!"



In summary.
A good rundown of what's hot and what's not in this little magical world of ours. Aimed more at the hobbyist than the more decerning Magical connoisseur (after all they're selling it in Borders and WHS Smiths, what do you expect!)
Some great photographic illustrations throughout and some excellent performance tips from Paul on how to vary each trick or a suggestion of another effect to combine it with.
I have nothing but praise for this book. Written in a friendly, informal style it is extremely easy to follow each step and understand exactly what is going on.

Marks out of ten...I'd give Paul Zenon's Street Magic....

37....no...68......double the first number you thought of....take away 7....


9/10 -if you are a beginner/hobbyist...well presented "Classics" throughout... and the section on Secret Gimmicks is well worth checking out.

6/10 -if you are a seasoned magic nut purely for the simplicity of the tricks and effects in the book, though I'm sure many a nut out there could do with some performance tips from Zenon...

Nice review, this is a good book which although aimed at the beginner, is written in a coherent manner and is well illustrated.
I would recommedn this as a primer for anyone interested into dipping their toes into the waters of magic.
If you get along with the things contained within this volume, you will be inspired to move onwards into more complex realms...

I got this book as a present from my wife. I smiled and put on my performer's face and thanked her for it. It collected dust in my magic trunk until I decided to read it out of guilt.

I now do a variation of one of the selfworking tricks in the book. I've even used it for the "Challenge Cup" competition at the club.

I highly recommend...but you have to actually read the book. The gems are between the working of the tricks.

I've looked at this book a few times but never really been sure about it. I might have to have another look with I'm in Smith's again.

Also reviewed at http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic8039.php and it was sold at a lower price in The Works just before Christmas 2005 - there were still some copies in our local store last month.

Nice review. This is the first book I picked up when I decided to learn magic, I chose this over anything else on offer because when I browsed through it in the shop it seemed the easy to understand. For me it was definately the right choice to start me off and I was able to quickly pick up the basics from it.

Clearly this is a good choice for beginners.

I'm a beginner and this was the first book i bought along with a pack of cards in WH Smiths.
Great insight into magic and after doing a few of the tricks in there with spectacular results it made me want to progress further hence more books,dvds,tricks leading to the dreaded CUPS.

It gives a good overview of magic, from self-workers, gimmicks to sleights and for the price it contains a hell of a lot of info. A book like this from a magic dealer would be twice as much.
The illustrations are excellent with very clear photographs and good explanations. Paul clearly knows his stuff and there are some great effects in here, not least the classic 'Out Of This World'.

I thought it was a pretty good book.

ElliottB wrote:I thought it was a pretty good book.

Might treat myself to this! I really like MCM and RRTCM but would rather like a nice glossy magic book to pour over as well!

I happened across this at the local library and was loathe to give it back for some time! Lots of basics, but Paul's attitude towards magic and easy-to-follow pictures and instructions are spot on. There's a very nice 'pick-pocketing' card routine that must seem IMPOSSIBLE to any spectator but is brilliantly simple; and a magic square effect I've confined to memory. Recommended.

I haven’t performed it in quite a while, but I remember that the book had a really swell card routine utilizing a crimp.

sounds like a good book whats the best price i can get for it. i tryed googleing it but the prices seemed to change a lot.

joshua robertson wrote:sounds like a good book whats the best price i can get for it. i tryed googleing it but the prices seemed to change a lot.

If there are any budget book shops (book world, the works etc.) near you it could be worth a try having a look in there.

I got mine for less than £5.00 over a year ago, and every time I go in those places I often see it. I also got Blaine's book for 99p!

The following are all available from The Book Depository Ltd. and prices include delivery


Street Magic Author(s): Paul Zenon Price: £8.06

100 Ways to Win a Tenner Author(s): Paul Zenon Price: £6.29

Paul Zenon's Dirty Tricks: Pranks, Wind-Ups and Practical Jokes - A Guide to Getting Your Own Back! Author(s): Paul ZenonPrice: £6.60

100 Ways to Win a Ten-Spot: Scams, Cons, Games You Can't Lose
Author(s): Paul Zenon Price: £5.22