talkmagic.co.uk

Though I do occasionally pick up an item or two from various dealers (Stevens Magic being one of my main resources) most of what I require in the work I do can be obtained via the local Office Supply outlet or any number of mega Home Building supply merchants like Builder's Emporium or even the local lumber yards; arts & crafts stores, etc.

I believe that the deeper we move into this field the less we find ourselves needing to patronize the more traditional "merchant" and the more we find ourselves challenged by our own ego, to create and thus, employ alternative resources so that we may fabricate our own materials and thus, have routines that set us apart from "the rest".

Yes, there are those acts that have been amazingly successful doing nothing other than "off the shelf" effects, working the routines nearly word for word how the originator scripted things in the original manuscript. This however is not what you find when it comes to the more successful "in demand" entertainers for the most part. Though they will lean upon the "classics" they almost always offer a clever twist that makes each routine "their own" -- a signature that, as the saying goes, separates the pro from the wannabe.

To Sum Things Up... my primary resource (and first course of action when looking for "new" material) starts with the hundred or so books I have on my book shelves and/or resting upon a hard-drive. I personally believe this should be the primary starting point for all of us, given how expensive it has become just to exist in today's world let alone supporting our hobbies/vocational interests.

Ahh, but where would you buy those books now, Craig?

I can't complete the poll. I buy mainly over the phone or online, but almost entirely from bricks and mortar shops!

Part-Timer wrote:Ahh, but where would you buy those books now, Craig?

I can't complete the poll. I buy mainly over the phone or online, but almost entirely from bricks and mortar shops!

Oddly a large amount of those books were given to me as either a gift or with the request that I review it, etc.

... the last magic related book I actually paid for peeeeeeed me off so much that I've become exceptionally gun shy when it comes to buying anything (let's just say that it was a book by Angelo Stagnaro... and leave it at that... and the fact that I'll not recommend anything that "man" produces or is involved with). Though there is another "writer" and video merchandiser out there from Canada that I've felt burnt by (along with a plethora of others) Stagnaro stands at the fore as an example of what magic is NOT about.

Pardon my little rant, I just get very peeved over people that produce trash products and have the nerve to charge a fortune for them. Especially folks that obviously haven't any kind of sound foundation (experience) supporting their claims or the material they are presenting. In more than one instance over the past ten years or so (since the popularity of On-Line Forums) I've found self-made gurus (a.k.a. Armchair Experts) doing little other than word for word plagiarism of older manuscripts (evidently with the belief that most will not be aware of said sources).

sigh