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At £17.50 it seems quite pricey, but I really do love cigarette magic, and apart from the levitating cigarette which I'm currently practicing, and disappearing one from my fist, I know pretty much nothing else. Has anyone read this book and if so could they recommend it? I would appreciate maybe brief rundown of what you learn as well if possible.

And also, does anyone know of any other books/DVDs about cigarette magic that they could recommend instead? It's payday tomorrow, so I'll have (a small amount of) money burning a hole in my pocket (weak pun very much not intended)

Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

Basically, Clark's book is the "Modern Coin Magic" of cigarettes.

Table of contents:

Chapter 1 is a history of cigarettes and cigarette acts, including a bibliography.

Chapter 2 is a treatise on the principle open positions that will lead to the sleights discussed later (smoker position, shaking position, mouth position) then goes into the principle hidden positions (thumb grip, finger pinch, finger grip, finger hold, transversal finger hold, thumb hold, back thumb grip, back pinch, back grip). 18 pages in all.

Chapter 3 gets into throwing (throwing into the air, throwing into the other hand, throwing into a receptacle, throwing onto the floor). 38 pages in all.

Chapter 4 goes into vanishes (elementary sleights, open hand steals, fist vanishes - one hand and two hand methods, drop sleights, tourniquets, push in sleights, tip-tilts, slip vanishes). 38 pages in all.

Chapter 5 deals with handkerchief vanishes, annhilative vanishes and transformations. 4 pages in all.

Okay, I've already screwed up on the chaptering...There are 15 chapters in all, the book is 304 pages in length and it's everything you ever wanted to know about cigarette magic, including tonguing, reverse tonguing, multiple cigarette tonguing, how to talk whilst tonguing, how to drink with a cigarette tongued, reproductions, multiplications and the final chapter deals with putting together a full show with cigarettes (presentation, opening, closing and constructing a routine).

If you are honestly interested in cigarette magic, you won't go wrong with this book.

Mike.

In view of the whole Anti Smoking thing here, would any of those effects be able to be done with a box of Nicotine Patches, or Nicotine Mints, or Nicotine Gum etc?

No, not really. The book just goes over cigarettes but could be used in conjunction with most any slender, cylindrical item (crayons, pencils, straws, etc.).

Wow, thanks for the swift and thorough response, exactly what I wanted Looks like I may be making the purchase tomorrow.

Not looking to do this in any sort of professional capacity, at least not in the forseeable future (still holding out for that astronaut job) but it's a bu**er that I'll never have the chance to try it in a pub or bar whilst on a nght out.

Book ordered

This is gonna cost me a lot by the looks of it, I normally smoke roll ups cos of the price difference, looks like I'm going ot have to swap now

how much did you end up paying for it? i got mine in america for the equivolent of about £9, i was happy, i like tannens now!
seemed like a wierd buy at the time, since i don't smoke, so i just practice the tricks with rolled up playing cards (they're very cig shaped)

paid £17.50 at www.cards4magic.co.uk as I was gtting a few other bits from there.

should have perhaps shopped around, but not sure I'm patient enough to wait for delivery from overseas.

A promoter informed me that magicians can still use cigarettes onstage as long as they are not smoked as they're considered 'props'.

Can anyone confirm this?

That only makes sense. The cigarettes aren't what people are against, it's the smoke itself that is in question.

But, an unlit cigarette is as dangerous to the people around it as is a glass sitting on the table. The cigarettes aren't banned, the smoke is what is banned. I mean, you are allowed to carry your pack of smokes in anywhere that you please, as long as you don't light one up.

Mike.

Here's an interesting paradox:

You can get cigarette fekes that look lit and even can be puffed with what is an appearance of smoke (like a fine, sugar powder). Handled properly, they really do look real.

So, you do your show with the fekes and the folks in the audience are upset over having to be around smoke. They complain.

If you tell them that you used fekes, you'd actually take away part of the magic that they witnessed...If you keep your secret, you could be prosecuted and subject to hefty fines.

Quite the conundrum, eh?

Mike.

According to Pete Firman, who does an impressive cigarette swallowing routine, he said that if the cigarettes are an integral part of the act, then it will still be fine and legal to use them on stage.

My book turned up on saturday morning, after ordering it from cards4magic on the friday, very very impressed with them. Had a quck read through the first chapter last night and it has me very excited, looks to be an excellent book written by someone who has a LOT of knowledge and experience with cigarette magic

It is an excellent book and certainly a good addition to your library! In the late '90s I picked it up from my local shop (we had a local shop in those days) for the equivalent of £12.00 ($25.00). I never regretted paying that, but my wife was a bit nonplussed (I had a wife in those days, too!).

Regarding the smoking ban as it pertains to performers, I just found out this morning that we are not effected by the ban if we use cigarettes in our act:

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2007/20070765.htm

See Part 2, #6.

Mike.

Excellent stuff, got to love a bit of cigarette magic

With regards to the book, I shall try and write a fullr eview once I've given it a thorough going through, probably a couple of motnhs time at least

In terms of overcoming the smoking ban, remember that david stone's cigarette routine never involves lighting the cigarette...