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by **magicofthemind** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 10:44 am

Name: Bill Severn’s Complete Book of Magic

Author:Bill Severn

Price: £6.71 (inc postage!) from Amazon Marketplace

Publisher: Galahad

Date: 1995

Pages: 507 (hardback, with dust jacket)

Difficulty: 3
(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)

Out of 10: 10

Contents:

This is a compilation of three books:

Magic in Mind (1974)

26 effects plus an introductory chapter on presentation. Includes chapters on telepathy, mind control, clairvoyance and predictions.

Magic Money (1977)

21 effects, plus an introductory chapter and a chapter on basic coin sleights.

Magic with Rope, Ribbon and String (1982)

30 effects and full routines, plus an introductory chapter on the materials to use and how to prepare them.

Comments:

I can keep my comments short, as I have really only four things to say about this book.

1. Buy it.

2. At the price this has to be one of magic’s greatest bargains.

3. The word that sprang to mind when I first opened the book was “meticulous”. The descriptions, and accompanying diagrams, are very, very detailed, leaving none of the “what?” reactions I’ve had on reading certain other highly-regarded magic textbooks.

4. Finally, a brief word on the content. I could write pages on this, but as you’re going to buy it anyway it’s probably not necessary. The book is aimed at beginners, but it’s not the sort of thing you’ll find in the usual beginners’ books. This is high quality material, most of which I haven’t read elsewhere. I believe the only “standard stuff” is in the rope section, the longest, including a very detailed description of the effect usually known as “Professor’s Nightmare”, but there’s plenty of new material too, especially for stage use, and two full knot tying routines. You’ll learn how to produce or vanish a rope and how to make it jump. Highlights from the mental section include a simple but effective no-force triple prediction, newspaper and chair tests and a drawing duplication. The money section includes a number of effects with gimmicked bills, one or two of which will only work with US dollars, a brilliant home-made gimmicked coin (took me about two minutes) and some cunning vanishes among other things.

by **Mandrake** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 3:18 pm

At that price, well worth adding to any magician's library!

by **spooneythegoon** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 3:25 pm

So it's not just a revamped mark Wilsons? The effects are mostly pretty different/new? If so, then I will buy it!

by **magicofthemind** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 3:40 pm

It's completely different to Mark Wilson.

Barry

by **spooneythegoon** » Thu Apr 22, 2010 4:28 pm

Yahoo!

by **bananafish** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 7:07 am

Nice find Barry. Ordered.

by **heronjester** » Fri Apr 23, 2010 3:32 pm

bananafish wrote:Nice find Barry. Ordered.

My sentiments exactly, and like bananafish I too have ordered.

Thanks.

by **spooneythegoon** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 3:28 pm

magicofthemind wrote:Price: £6.71 (inc postage!) from Amazon Marketplace

I can't find it at that price anywhere! :cry:

by **jacko** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 3:34 pm

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?an=bill+severn&bt.x=0&bt.y=0&kn=complete+magic&sts=t

Abebooks has been the source of some wonderous finds for me in the past.

Richard

by **magicofthemind** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 3:46 pm

Looks like there's been a run on them!

This is where I first came across it:

http://tinyurl.com/38gqav2

by **Mandrake** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 5:06 pm

magicofthemind wrote:Looks like there's been a run on them!

Indeed there is, my copy ran all the way and arrived yesterday. In the opening pages there's a lot of statements which we on TM hold dear regarding mentialism, acting, personas, props vs no pros and so on. Nice one Bill and thank you for the nudge Barry!