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FIRST IMPRESSIONS:-

I've taken my time with this review. I've read the book over several times. I've studied several of the effects and I've put them to the test in real performance settings. Having done all this, I am confident that you will love this book!
With so many great books on coin magic available today, it can be very difficult knowing which one to invest your time and money in. Having read 'Great Scott It's Coin Magic' I am left with the feeling that this is definitely worth acquiring and taking the time to study

WHAT YOU GET :-

The book is divided into two sections:-

Part One:- Magic with Coins and Cards

Matrix Four-Play
Repeat Four-Play
Copper Four-Play
Worlds Fastest Coin Trick


Part Two:- Magic With Coins And Other Stuff

Great Scott's Flurry
Essgee Two Coin Production
Invisible Coins ( Colombini)
Sheepish Thieves
Glass Action Suit
I Gotta Hand It To Ya
Magic Western Union
Sucker Trick
None Of The Above
Struck, Packed & Pitched
Pouched CSB
In-Tin-Tin
Silverdusted

What first struck me, was Mr Guinn's attention to the most important aspects of coin magic. Before we get to any of the effects, Scott provides a very useful short essay on misdirection. Quoting from the advise of John Carney and Dai Vernon to name a few. He includes some excellent references for magicians wishing to study further in this area. It's a pity many other authors don't follow this example.

After Scott's advise on how to use the book, we move on to the first section of effects. It's here that I found myself a little disappointed. The first two effects require the use of two moves developed by Mr Guinn himself. However, he fails to teach them in this volume. Instead he advised us that they can be found in Volume One. I do understand that the moves are for card rather than coins, but it would not be too difficult to include them as an appendix at the end of the book. Despite this complaint, the routines are excellent, well constructed and have a flow to them, which I feel comes from performing them many times in public. I'm a real fan of matrix effects. However I'm also used to seeing some very poor versions of this effect too. The routines here and far from poor. If your into matrix, these will definitely be of interest to you.

The Second part of the book is where my mouth really started to water. Scott opens with a FIRST CLASS one coin flurry routine. Fully referenced, well constructed and explained in detail. It's a great place to start if your new to magic, or a more advanced coin magician, wanting advice on structuring a good coin sequence. The book continues with routine after routine of 'workers'. Each effect can be performed to an audience with confidence in it's impact. It's very refreshing to have a book which does not have one or two effects that are good to read, but you would never really perform them for a paying audience.

There is one routine which should get an individual mention. Magic Western Union is not only Mr Guinn's favourite routine, it's probably the best routine in coin magic I've come across for a long long time! I'm in good company too, Larry Jennings when shown the presentation at the A-1 Multimedia convention the year before he died, exclaimed, "That's the best presentation for that @#!? effect I've ever seen! " The full patter is given, together with adult and child versions.

In conclusion I am very impressed with Mr Guinns work. It's packed full of usable coin magic, helpful references, detailed patter and misdirection advise. The book deserves to be presented in a hardback form as you will probably return to it again and again.

Highly recommended

how does bobo's modern coin magic compair with this?

Scott Guinn's work is good but hey bobos is the bible of coin magic.

Bobo's was a reference of popular stuff at the time. Scott's work is his work on some common plot.
Scott is one of the most ardent referencers around, he likes to give credit where it is due.
Lots of this stuff is good (I have the ebooks and they have the moves alluded to in them)
The matrix stuff is good if you like matrices

Esgee coins (see Bobo!) is great as a production as is Invisible coins.
The flurry is solid (although I'm not a fan of his retention pass- stick to the Roth one if I were you). It has all the bits that make a great flurry and patter too.

I quite like the coins across (one is to a glass to play for a larger audience and has a great final move).


If you are curious about workers with coins, get this and think outside the box

Shanester

I agree with the review and what other's say about Scott Guinn. He is an excellent teacher and all his written work is well worth obtaining.

I also liked his DVD too, but beware it isn't as polished as L&L dvd's, in fact his audience is as far removed from an L&L audience as you can get. Don't let that put you off though, the effects themselves, plus the bonus rope routine are well worth knowing.

Scott is a professional performer of some standing. He probably has more consitant work than most and as such all his routines are "workers" (as Michael CLose may have said).

Is the non-L&L thing a problem? I am not too keen on the L&L audience anyway. They overact and seem to think that it's their show a bit.

Shanester