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.