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Ok guys so its my little brother's birthday in just over a month and I'm struggling to think what i should get for him.

He started magic at the same time as me several months ago, and is still pretty enthusiastic about it. However i thought that to encourage him i would buy him a really nice custom deck of cards, as he only has Bikes. On top of that i thought it would be a brilliant idea to get him a good, quality magic book that he can learn a lot from, because as we all know books are being left out a lot by the younger generations.

He's only twelve, but does read quite a lot, and i was hoping that as you guys have a lot more knowldege on magic than i do, you could give me some good suggestions as to what i should get him.

I already have Mark Wilsons Complete Course in Magic and RRTCM which i share with him. As far as his capabiliy with magic goes, he has learnt all of the fundamentals in card magic, and he likes doing elastic band and coin tricks quite a lot as well.

I don't mind too much about price, as i really want to get him into full swing with his magic now, because i wish i could have started at his age.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated guys!

Cheers,
Steve

Hit him up with Bobo - it'll keep him busy for months, and his coin skills will improve and round-off, no end

get him a load of Karl Fulves books...all keep, most, if not all have something worth learning...

mental magic
most of the card ones
maths
paper

those four+ will probably only cost you 18 quid or so...

or, if you want to really treat him, get him Lewis Jones' Seventh Heaven, cos if he doesnt like it - you will...

Brilliant, the Bobo one looks right up his street and i think the Karl Fulves mental magic book will be great for him too - he loved Derren Brown when he saw his TV show.

Cheers guys!

Mysterio's Encyclopedia of Magic and Conjuring has a good mixture of stuff. Coins, cards, cups and balls and a bit of mentalism.

Sk8r St3v3 wrote:He's only twelve, but does read quite a lot, and i was hoping that as you guys have a lot more knowldege on magic than i do, you could give me some good suggestions as to what i should get him.
Cheers,
Steve

Steve, although Bobo is a great book, it is near enough a university level text book in coin magic. I wouldn't give it to someone who is 12. I just wouldn't.

Bill Tarr's now you see it now you don't, Harry Lorayne's Magic Book, or Mysterio's book are good options.

Having said that, I would recommend you buy a copy of Bobo's book for yourself, though.

If you can get hold of any of Nick Einhorn's books, they're well presented, very pictorial but full of precise instructions, tips and hints.

I do agree with Tomterm8. Bobo is not for a 12 year old.
It is also so long and detailed all he will do is glance through it--maybe learn a couple of sleights then shelve it.

At 12-- Iain is right. All the Karl Fulves.
Plus
Any Bill Severn books. Try Amazon Uk. They do one of his (combined 3 past prints) which has scores of tricks: Mental Tricks, Magic with Coins & Bills & Magic with Rope, Ribbon & String.
The Complete Book of Magic.507 pages with illustrations Cost me about £13, two years ago.

And for Mandrake's author..Nick Einhorn--all brilliant, well explained & with pics..

Then there is Marc Lemezma--again Amazon--'Every Magic Secret In the World Explained' . The title--a bit of flights of fancy but a great book with colour photos on every page. He also does Mental Magic books

Do not let little brother Run before he can Walk
AND KEEP HIM AWAY from dvds.
Books are the right approach & the real key to learning and absorbing that learning in Magic.

Allen Tipton

I agree that the Bobo book is quite unsuitable. It is far too difficult. The Karl Fulves books are good for that age. And when I was around 14 or so I did quite well with the John Scarne book of Magic. There are so many tricks in there that it will give him a basic education. There are bound to be a few that he will be able to do from that book.

Ok guys cheers for all the input, ill keep the Bobo book for myself then because ill probably want to learn some coin magic at some time or other.

I definitely agree with you Allen, and that is why i decided to ask here for suggestions, because id much rather prefer he started out with books than dvds.

Ill give them all a good look through and find the right ones for him, i already got him the self working mental magic book by Karl Fulves, so ill find another one to go with it.

Cheers!

EDIT: On top of all of the great suggestions so far, i was wondering if any of you could suggest a suitable magic book that will ground him in the fundamentals of coin magic. All of the suggestions are great but we have quite a lot of card magic books already, and as i said before he has a keen interest in progressing with coin magic, but as of yet does not have the right source to learn the main coin sleights from. Like you guys said, Bobo is great but not suitable for his age, which would be the best coin magic book for him to begin with?

Some Review links which might help:
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic34913.php
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic1578.php

Both contain some excellent coin work.

Nic’s book was released under various titles and in various book sizes, The Works are a good source and of course good ol’ Amazon!

(flicks through Bobo)

have 12 year olds changed so much in the last thirty years (or was I just a very odd lad at that age?!). I LOVED Bobo in my youth

Thankyou mandrake! I think that Bill Severn's complete book of magic should do it, and hopefully ill kill two birds with one stone as that looks to have a tonne of other stuff too.

EDIT: Cheers for the suggestion Rob! I purchased it anyway because I'm sure it will come in handy for me or maybe for him when he gets older.

Bill Severn's book was a revelation, loads of mentalist stuff in the first chapter, all very straightforward but top class material and most of the props available for a very reasonable sum at your local stationery shop! I've only lightly skimmed the coin section so far but it looks to be equally classic stuff.

Yes robstanley1--you were a very odd lad if you wanted Bobo at 12.
BUT tnere are always exceptions with human beings.

Sk8r
Don't swamp him with too much That is how magicians come to buy stuff for the sake of owning it and why magic cupboards are so full of stuff hardly or never used!
Just let him for the next 18 months to 2 years feast and absorb The Mark Wilson Book, the Bill Severn Book and the Fulves Mental book.

Let him learn the basic card moves as DL, a palm, the little finger break & a couple of forces as the Slip & Cross Cut forces etc.THEN leave Cards alone till he has broadened his Magic Knowledge.

And teach him how to develop the tricks into An Act.
Then how to stand in front of people & perform.

TOO many young magicians think they are THERE just because they can handle a deck of cards!

I've even seen them at lectures, manipulating a deck & ignoring the lecturer.
Goodliffe or Don Bevan remarked on this once at a Paul Daniels lecture.
Magicians at the back of the room were showing each other card tricks & almost ignoring the UK's greatest magician. Rudeness, bad manners & lack of respect,are not even strong enough words to describe them and their ilk!!!!!

Allen Tipton