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Does anyone know anything that were be worth buying at penguin magic? Im looking for close-up,street,card magic.. Mentalism is also good...[/i]

Value is an extremely subjective thing at one level but the journey to getting it looks a bit like this:

1. Decide on one area that you are interested in and select a few tricks.

2. Ask around, read the reviews to confirm your choice, and then

3. take a look at the vendors offerings of your choice. Check out the price and then check out (ask questions) the quality difference.

There are many selling the same trick with great differences in price, this is not a reflection of the kindness of the vendor but useually means that the country of origin, manufacture, material (I've got tricks from a country which have proved to have leaded paint when checked) and the like.

One vendor as the sole source is good if you visit it, have a relationship with the vendors, get extra value for money (tuition, supports, tea!, whatever). Don't get sucked in by the adverts, listen to the magical community and spend more sometimes to save it.

Hope this helps,

Vic

Very useful Vic, should be stickied!
It also depends on originality aswell in some aspects, you dont want to just do everything that people see on TV.

Good point, well made Dan.

Get your own act, don't copy the patter and tricks from DVDs, learn the routine, work out the words that work for who you are and make the trick yours.

You will find dogmatic statements around this and other forums regarding books like Royal Road to Card Magic (RRTCM) - these go like "This is book is rubbish/outdated/badly illustrated, etc."

Reading a book makes you adapt and adopt the trick, I know people don't seem to able to read these days, but it (and RRTCM and other 'old' books) is the way forward if you are to be attractive to audiences.

Thanks again Dan,

Hope this helps,

Vic

Vic - I agree in principle with what you're saying about copying tricks and patter from DVD's but I look at it in a slightly different way.

Most people buy DVD's to learn a particular trick, or set of tricks which is fine, particularly if your new to magic or looking to improve. I also think that using the suggested patter that accompanies a trick is fine when either learning the mechanics and handling of a trick, and as a method of building up confidence where you may be inexperienced and are wanting to learn what does and doesn't work for you. Don't dismiss something until you've tried it for yourself.

We've all probably learnt parrot fashion to some extent in our earlier magic days and in my opinion it is this method, and the learning through this approach that will allow magicians to then begin developing their own presentations and routines as their experience and confidence grows.

Once you get to this stage you begin thinking more and more about individualism and begin applying more thought. You move away from learning parrot fashion, which I think is where you began.

I'd recommend that you use ALL tools at your disposal which includes both books and DVD's.