talkmagic.co.uk

Strong Magic-Creative Showmanship for the Close-up Magician.

Author: Darwin Ortiz
Publisher: Kaufman & Company
Price: $40.00 (US)
Rating: 10/10

This is a book that every magician who is serious about entertaining an audience should read, if not own. There are no effects explained in this publication and so will be over-looked by many beginners, indeed, I believe it is more suited for the intermediate to advanced performer.
It is, as the sub-title suggests, a book about showmanship and is filled with stimulating ideas concerning the presentation of an effect, the performer and their character and audiences and how to deal with them.

It is written in a very direct and articulate manner with many "well know" effects used to illustrate each point.

As Michael Ammar put it "the rehearsal of a new effect is 15% technique and 85% presentation". Darwin Ortiz gives you many tools in his book to make that 85% a LOT easier.

Worth pointing out (to anyone who doesn't know) that "Strong Magic" has just been republished and is available from the usual folk.

I'm reading it just now, and am mightily glad I got a copy before it goes out of print again....

This is one of my favorite all-time books. I give it my absolutely unreserved highest recommendation. It was because of this book that a number of my best presentations were created. If you perform at all--paid or not--you will be a significantly better performer by implementing just one of the principles explained herein. Imagine if you studied and implemented ALL of them!

Get it, read it, study it, apply it!

I don't suppose that any of you have the ISBN number to hand?

I can't find an ISBN number on my copy, but all the magic-selling web sites have the book at the moment.