talkmagic.co.uk

As a newcomer (hi all) and long term admirer of magic and its affiliates, I thought it was about time I tried to get into it for myself.

I am (of course) currently very interested in none other than Derren Brown and am reading his Tricks of the Mind book.

I'm not the overeager type who wants to go head first into the more advanced stuff (although I'd like a little more than common 'pub tricks' to which most know the method anyway), so I'm asking if anyone can direct me towards a starting point. Is there any generally agreed upon literature that all should read? Or just a very good book available that is ideal for me? Or is opinion rather varied?

If my preferences are required then I'm more a fan of close up magic, things that dont need too much preparation or pre-prepared decks, etc and things that can be done on the fly. Coins and cards and other small effects.

And lastly, just out of interest, are books detailing more advanced secrets only available through obscure channels or are they widely available and just so written than only people in the know understand what's going on anyway?

Thanks everyone, I hope this isnt in the wrong section and i hope to become an active member here. Seems like an interesting community.

Welcome to the forum, don't forget to pop over to the Introductions forum to introduce yourself properly.

You have mentioned several types of magic you are interested in in your first post, mentalism, card magic, coin magic, so you'd probably be wise to invest in a magic book that covers all of these.

Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic is just that - complete. You can purchase this pretty much anywhere, Amazon for example:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mark-Wilsons-Co ... 867&sr=8-1

This'll give you a brilliant introduction into the world of magic, and keep you busy for years to come. You will probably be tempted by lots of flashy DVDs etc. but this is one of the best tenners you'll ever make disappear.

There are more specific books for particular branches of magic, 13 Steps to Mentalism (if you want to be Derren Brown), but I would advise you to steer well clear of that particular book until you have a firm grounding in the basics, as it's quite a difficult read, and more of a toolkit, and definitely not a beginner's book.

For card magic, there's nothing better in its price range than the Royal Road to Card Magic, however, there's a lot of good material in Mark Wilson, so you'd probably be better off starting there, and going on to this, and Modern Coin Magic by JB Bobo once you've learned Mark Wilson.

You might also want to check out your local library - I picked up my first copy of Mark Wilson in there, and most libraries have a few beginners books on conjouring there, don't expect to find Tomo's Naked Mentalism, but you may well find something of use.

Have fun, take your time, and enjoy!

MagicBell wrote:I'm not the overeager type who wants to go head first into the more advanced stuff (although I'd like a little more than common 'pub tricks' to which most know the method anyway), so I'm asking if anyone can direct me towards a starting point. Is there any generally agreed upon literature that all should read? Or just a very good book available that is ideal for me? Or is opinion rather varied?

If my preferences are required then I'm more a fan of close up magic, things that dont need too much preparation or pre-prepared decks, etc and things that can be done on the fly. Coins and cards and other small effects.

I'd say check out Karl Fulves. You can get his books for peanuts on Amazon but they're great introductions to all the main areas of magic. THe standards after that are THe Royal Road to Card Magic, Thirteen Steps to Mentalism (with a side platter of Practical Mental Magic), and Bobo's Modern Coin Magic. Google them and you'll answer your second question:

MagicBell wrote:And lastly, just out of interest, are books detailing more advanced secrets only available through obscure channels or are they widely available and just so written than only people in the know understand what's going on anyway?

The main problem is not buying too much stuff rather than where to buy it...

MagicBell wrote:And lastly, just out of interest, are books detailing more advanced secrets only available through obscure channels or are they widely available and just so written than only people in the know understand what's going on anyway?

Well, it does depend on the book, but the internet has taken a lot of the hastle out of finding things these days, although you should try and see if you have a magic shop in your local area first, and develop a relationship with them.

There are many books and DVDs out there that assume you will know the basic sleights etc. hence why Bobo, Royal Road et al are so useful. If you don't know what a particular sleight or move is, then chances are the trick may be a little too hard for you just yet.

Again, if there's something that catches your eye in a magic shop, a good shopkeeper should be able to tell you if it suitable for your level etc. A good basis in the books mentioned by me and Tomo will put you in a good position to further your study in more specialist areas.

Thanks. That already seems enough stuff to keep me occupied for some time.

I already understand your point. Not buying too much stuff!

I've made myself a short list, from those suggestions, of books to check out and will definitely be doing so as soon as.

Thanks again.

no problems, and give one of us a shout if you have any questions, or need any help with moves etc. There's bound to be one of us that can help.

Remember to try the search function first, as if it's a beginner's question, you'll often find it'll have been tackled somewhere on here at some point.

Good luck!