by Lord Freddie » Aug 15th, '07, 14:42
Volume 4
The Effect
This eight volume magic course is highly regarded by many magicians and covers practically everything!
Cost
Between £20 and £30 per volume, depending where you look.
Difficulty
(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)
Aimed at the beginner, this also has some more complex effects. It varies betwen 1 to 4.
Review
I'm trying to get round to covering all eight volumes in this thread - if I can tear myself away from reading them!
Again, volume four is another mixture of diverse areas of magic. I will go through each lesson and point out the most memorable effects.
NOVELTY MAGIC
There are some interesting an unusual effects here, some which will need updating such as Telegram To Flowers as telegrams are rarely used these days, but there are some nice ideas here including some suggestions for the usage of flash paper, a flaming napkin effect, flower production, impromptu cigarette production, a great method for blowing cigarette smoke into one sleeve and it comes out of the other,hydrostatic glass, freeze a glass of water (no, no powder is used!), anti-gravico bottle effect, a series of productions using paper cups,magic stamp & photo album effect, hot rod style effect with a knife, cut and restored necktie and colour changing rabbit.
There are some unusual effects here which make for interesting reading even if you don't use them. Some are simple to make and some use common acessories you can buy from a magic shop.
THIMBLE MAGIC
Not an area I have chosen to explore, but this lesson has made me more interested in it than I was previously. All the moves are taught along with vanishes and even a variation of the Miser's Dream with thimbles!
SWALLOWING NEEDLES AND RAZOR BLADES
Many people have asked about this effect on this and other forums and it's explained here in full detail. It's not that difficult, but obviously precaution has to be taken in performing it.
For those that do not know, the effect is this. Some razor blades are shown and to proves their sharpness a piece of paper is torn with one of them.They are then placed in the performers mouth along with some cotton thread. After taking a swig from a glass of water, the cotton is pulled out of the performers mouth with the razor blades threaded onto it!
This can also be done with needles. What US teens call 'geek magic'. From 1927!
UNIQUE CARD MAGIC
The lessons concerning cards in the Tarbell series always contain some gems and are always well described and illustrated. This one is no exception. One of the effects uses those trick cans of nuts in which a snake jumps out. This time holding the selected (signed if you wish!) card in it's mouth!
I like some of the sleights/flourishes in this section, particularly revolver card, Audley Walsh's Long Distance Spinner and the vanishing bird cage card. Very worthwhile material here.
NOVELTY RISING CARDS
Rising cards in different forms.From envelopes, books, hats and a haunted house! They do take some prep so be warned but nothing too taxing.
CARD TRANSITION
If you like effects like 'Three Cards Across' then you will find lots of other similar effects here. Not only are many effects explained, but also different methods. You can easily come up with your own travelling card routine after studying the principles and methods here.
MENTAL AND PSYCHIC MYSTERIES
I really like these sections. The Himber Book test is not only simple to do, but will cost you nothing and there are no gaffs to prepare!
I have used it a few times and it gets a good response.
There is material on swami writers here and a cheeky way of reading information from a sealed envelope.
The effects in this section are ideal for the intermediate magician who wants to venture into mentalism.
THE THUMB TIE
Your thumbs are tied together but you can catch hoops on your arms and pass your hands through a broom handle, etc. A few different methods are given here of this classic in magic.
CHINESE LINKING RINGS
A wel illustrated and taught section on another classic effect.
MAGIC WITH RIBBON
Cut and restored ribbon, dollar bill on the ribbon and six other ribbon effects are well explained here.
SILKEN TRICKERY
That standard piece of magician's kit, the silk hanky is given a whole section on vanishes,colour changes, productions and the classic 20th Century Silks is explained in detail.
SLATE MYSTERIES
Who sells slates these days? I'd like to know there are some great 'seance' style effects in this section.
ILLUSIONS
Well, just one illusion, which is David Bamberg's 'Girl From The Light'.
A nice effect which would look dated today, I think. The method here could be the foundation for you to devise your own illusions.
Another mixed bag and although not everything will interest you here, it's fascinating to read and there's something for all magicians in these books. I can't help but them all a top rating as not only do they include dozens of quality effects for the price, they are explained in detail and the diagrams are clear and concise.
Overall
10/10
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