talkmagic.co.uk

The Notebook
or
A collection of over eighty conjuring tricks
with cards including those performed
by Astley, Boaz, Breslaw, Maxwell,
Reay/Rea, Rees and Walton
written by an unknown
author circa
1800.

Cost
£25 (P&P for UK=£3, for Europe=£5, for USA & Canada=7)
http://www.willhoustoun.co.uk/notebookabout.html

Difficulty = 1-4
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

They say:
Hidden in the depths of The Magic Circle in London was a long forgotten notebook, written around the second half of the 18th century by an unknown author. It’s handwritten pages contained over 81 different tricks, sleights and subtleties with cards. What makes this book different to other known magic books from the time is that it’s believed to be one of the first books on magic that was written with the intention that magicians would be able to study and learn from it. This means that a large number of items feel surprisingly modern and would work alongside magic created in the twenty-first century, despite the fact they are over two hundred years old. Some of the material could even be published today and pass for current creations!

Will Houstoun has painstakingly transcribed the original, hard to read handwriting and provides this alongside facsimile copies of the pages. Additional notes are also included that will aid in the understanding of the text as well as biographies of all the performers mentioned in The Notebook. A dating section explains the features of The Notebook that allow the completion date of a two hundred year old, anonymously written, undated document to be estimated.

The Notebook is written and published by Will Houstoun as a high quality 128 page hard bound book with a dust jacket.

If you have any questions feel free to get in touch with Will at notebook@willhoustoun.co.uk

I say:
This is absolutely a wonderful book! On the left page, you have the original handwritten text and on the right page you have Will's "translation" of the text and many of the pages include footnotes for clarification. It's amazing to read that in the 1800's the magicians had terms for the glide, classic force, ribbon spread, multiple outs if a move or a force didn't work, any chosen card at any number ... etc. It might actually be the first book that teaches magic tricks to magicians – note, it's not a book made for the general public to reveal the magicians.

I met Will in the Magic Circle in late April and Peter Lane, The Magic Circle's Executive Librarian, gracefully allowed Will to show me the original book – handwritten with an ink pen – and it's amazing to now have the new book in my hands.

This book is a must for all magicians who are interested in the history of magic and those curious about how individual magic tricks were described in details and taught in the 1800's. What amazed me most of all is how almost contemporary the descriptions are and I dare even say modern.

Overall:
10/10 Highly recommended.

I was going to get this from Will in blackpool, i will get intouch with him this did look like a wonderfull book.

It is wonderful, a joy and absolutely fascinating.

I have a guilty conscience now about my review of The Notebook
Got an e-mail from a long time member here on TalkMagic and he told me after reading the review, he got a CUPS-attack and ordered a copy.

But on the other hand, it's such a good and interesting book, I must say it's a £25 well spent!

Will is a star, a scholar, and a gentleman....I have been trying to resist this!

DrTodd wrote:Will is a star, a scholar, and a gentleman....I have been trying to resist this!

Todd, look into my eyes, look into my eyes, not around them, look into my eyes. 1 2 3 you're under!
You will go directly to THIS web page, press the BUY button and purchase the book, because deep down you know how much you will enjoy it once you have it.

3 2 1, you're back in the room!

Hi Guys,

Just saw this thread, thank you for the nice comments!

I thought I would let you know that the second edition of The Notebook is now available from http://www.willhoustoun.co.uk/notebookabout.html The First edition was in H&R Magic Book's top ten books of 2009 and had great reviews:

"All in all, this well produced volume is a great adventure into the history of card magic and, when you are interested in the development of magic with playing cards, this book is a treasure trove that is a joy to study."
- Denis Behr, Magie.

"Will has done a fine job, and I think serious students of card magic as well as magic historians and collectors will find much of interest in this volume."
- Matthew Field, The Magic Circular.

"Card-trick aficionados and magic historians will be grateful that Will Houstoun has unearthed and published this centuries-old curiosity. Houstoun has done historians and card-magic lovers a great service by publishing The Notebook..."
- Gabe Fajuri, Magic Magazine.

"The entire project is a treat - an inexpensive adventure in time travel for any reader with some imagination and a passion for card magic and, perhaps, an interest in its history. Climbing into its pages, we get to spend some time enjoying our shared passion with another enthusiast, who, far more like us than different, happened to be doing his tricks a couple of hundred years ago. If that isn't magic, I don't know what is."
- Jamy Ian Swiss, Genii Magazine.

Best wishes,

Will