Stars of Magic
Price: £20.00/$25.00
Available from House of Magic UK or Meir Yedid Magic
Difficulty: 3/5
Description
"The Stars Of Magic book is considered by many to be the best book ever written about close-up magic and features some of the best creations from the leading magicians of the first half of the 20th century. Originally released by Stars of Magic, Inc. as separate manuscripts that sold in the 1940s and 1950s for around $5 each they later were bound in this hardcover edition by Louis Tannen, Inc. The rights to the monumental work were later purchased by D. Robbins & Co. and in September 2003 Meir Yedid Magic acquired the rights to the original and current editions.
Written/Edited by George Starke with photographic interpretation George Karger this is a 165 page, oversize hardcover book with dozens of black and white photographs. This is the D. Robbins & Co. edition."
For a full listing of the material included within please click here.
The Review
First things first - a cursory glance at the contributers should be enough to tell you all you need to know about this book. In short - [u]buy it![/url].
The late, great masters share some of their pet routines; with material from
- Scarne
Vernon
Bert Allerton
Leo Horowitz
Francis Carlyle
Dr. Daley
Slydini
Ross Bertram
Nate Leipzig and
Malini
you know this is going to be a good book, and indeed it is.
The material here covers a wide range - from paper balls to cards, to coins, to paper money, there's magic with billiard balls and cigarettes, there is something for everyone here. You'll also find the genesis of several classics - for example Dai Vernon's "Triumph"; indeed, some of the material may seem quite familiar if you've been in magic for a while, but it's all good stuff.
With regards to how hard this material is, it varies, from self-working to moderately advanced. Several effects require a good palm, doulbe-lift, side-steal, Charlier Cut and the like; but as I said, it varies. There's a nice healthy mix of simplicity and the more advanced sleights.
One or two pieces use specially prepared items, but with the exception of Leipzig's "Pride" they're very easy to pull together.
On to the presentation of the book! It's a slim volume, but we're talking A4 size here with 165 pages. It is a beautiful hardback book; the write-ups themselves are reproductions of the original manuscripts. The photographs (of which there are many) are obviously in black and white and a little grainy, but I haven't had any problems understanding them and they compliment the text well. In short, yes the write-ups show their age, but they are easy to understand and follow, detailed and add to the overall charm of the book I feel.
Finally, the price. £20 for over forty effects when today a DVD with just one can cost you in excess of that? This is brilliant value for money, handsomely bound and with some brilliant pieces of magic which I am working on learning right now.
Yes the material is over fifty years old. Is it still good? Absolutely. A few of the presentations might need updating, but apart from that this is gold.
Very highly recommended.
10/10.
