talkmagic.co.uk

Hi there TM, it's been quite a while! I was somewhat active on this site two years ago when I was just a hot headed 17 year old with a decent pass.

To help lay down a solid foundation and improve my general magic skills I invested and read twice through both Card College and the Art of Astonishment in their entireties.

Edit: I guess I should note that I read through and practiced with these books a couple of years ago.

After crawling through hundreds of search entries, I still have no clue where to turn next. So I ask:

What are some of the essential books you read on your way to becoming a more professional magician?

I deal mainly in non professional, surrounded situations - magic is more of a hobby than a viable wage earner for me. Also, I have very small hands - I feel like some things are mechanically impossible for me (although I do realize that some very notable magicians do have rather small hands too).

Thanks in advance!

you should never pitch the books you read, to the level of magician that you think you are.
If you do this, you are going to be missing out on some simply stunning magic.

even now, i am amazed at the hidden gems in some of the books aimed at the beginner. usualy teh writer gives a standard a twist here and there , creating a much more practical effect.

if your going to be serious about your magic, regardless of where you are, you should read everything you possibly can.

Dale's totally right, I picked up a kiddies magic book at the weekend in a charity shop for 50p. Most of it was very basic but I did stumble across 2 brilliant little gems.

Let me think about it...

OR

Magic for dummies is quite a good book you know.

on the subject of your small hands.. have you ever seen max malini’s gloves?


His hands were positively doll like.

Paul Daniels shows them on his evening with malini dvd.

one of the best ways to become better - is to start performing for the punters...even if its just a very small way...its what magic is about...its entertaining enough to practice and see the skills develop...

but it takes on a different feeling once you start doing things for people...

i would say nip over to cards4magic.co.uk and look through their books section, there's some lovely old booklets that would probably have some little gem tucked away in there...and they're normally only a couple of quid or so...

Some Belgian magicians have very small hands too.

If you've gone through Art of Astonishment and CC completely, a good choice would be Real Secrets of Magic by David Stone. There are great routines for the close up performer, and he enlists several tips for restaurant magicians too.

The tricks themselves are not phenomenally difficult, but very visual and hard hitting.

But of course, you can invest in books too. 'By Forces Unseen' by Ernest Earick has some phenomenal card work. 'Close-up Illusions' by Gary Ouellet has some great close-up effects, the master that he is.

Another option would be to maximize your presentational skills. Several books stand out in this regard :
Magic and Showmanship by Henning Nelms
Maximum Entertainment by Ken Weber

I would also check out Exploring Magical Presentations by Eugene Burger.

If you are looking for some groundwork designing your own miracles, nothing more should be said but the two works by Darwin Ortiz : 'Strong Magic' and 'Designing Miracles'

If you're stuck on doing magic with cards and coins, be sure to check out some work by Jay Sankey : 'Anytime Anywhere' would be a good start. Also, 'Harkey on Video' by David Harkey has some great apparently impromptu miracles with everyday objects. If you're lucky enough to find 'Encyclopedia of Impromptu Magic' by Martin Gardner, you have a real gem ( Prices go as high as 400 dollars .. I was lucky enough to purchase it from a young kid on Ebay who didn't know what it was worth )

So there you are, some choices to ponder over..

Surely it depends exactly on what sort of magic you want to learn, cards, ropes, silks, mentalism they've all got their fundamental books that are worth reading. It depends on where you want to go next...

A volume of Harry Lorayne's Apocalypse ought to keep you busy for at least another 2 years...! For that matter, almost anything By Lorayne can only do you good.

Personally, I would try out something other than close up just to experiment with foreign territory. The Tarbell Course, 13 steps, and biographies of famous past magicians are books that can help you be more well-rounded as a magician.