talkmagic.co.uk

Ive done a quick search and couldnt find a thread with the exact thing i wanted in so i hope im not breaking any rules.

Any hints about good books regarding the following would be much appreciated:

Starting Magic, in general.
Close-up magic.
Card magic.
Performing.

Im sure you guys have probably collected a similar list of recommended reading somewhere but im afraid i couldnt find it, so i hope you forgive me if that is so.

As always, a good book is far more resourceful than DVDs or other media forms, so i hope i can ground myself in Magic the traditional way as well as the contemporary.

Thanks in advance,
Steve

There are several threads on similar lines but perhaps not exactly as you mention. Mark Wilson will be one of the first names/books mentioned.....

To be honestly I only learnt from royal road to card magic which is the book to start learning card tricks.

Card College

Card College Light

Card College Lightest (never read this one, but heard its good)


Easy stuff to do and has very good illustrations. Can reccomend them highly.

Card Magic:
-RRTCM: An absolute MUST. This comes before anything else cardiciany.
-Card College
-Expert Card technique
-Expert at the card table

Close Up magic:
-Bobo Modern coin magic
(Largley covered in 'magic in general')

Magic in general: (Includes further close up and card magic)
-Mark Wilson's complete course in magic
-Tarbell course (A touch pricey, but well worth it in my opinion- I have the discs and can reccomend it)

So, despite there not seeming a great NUMBER of books, the books here are very, very concise and concentrated. They will take up time to devour in terms of practice and performing. Once you've got through these you will have very good groundings in magic and understanding of magic in general upon which to expand. It is a bit like global wealth distribution: A huge amount of the useful information is only in a few dozen books, the rest is scattered very thinly all over the place (Although that is not saying that the rest of it up does not amount a conderable pile, if you understand that anaology at all). Learning magic is a long and interesting process filled with many pitholes and pain, if you care about it enough and it prettyy nearly always starts with only a handful of books. Good luck and remember, enjoy the ride.

Card College and Expert Card Technique, etc, are for when you are further along the road. I may be wrong, but I have the impression you are nearer the beginning of your journey. You need two books: Mark Wilson's big magic book, and The Royal Road to Card Magic. On performance get Jay Sankey's Zen and the Art of Stand-Up Comedy, or anything by Gene Parrot (Bob Hope's writer) on comedy. Also Teach Yourself Comedy. Even if you are not into comedy these books contain far more on structuring a routine and selling it to an audience than any magic book I have read.
Finally, Teach Yourself Magic by some obscure Irish magician is being reissued this summer.

Eshly wrote:Card College

Card College Light

Card College Lightest (never read this one, but heard its good)
.

So if you bought the first set why would you buy items 2 and 3 on this list?
just curious.


On a more serious note can I add:
To hell with reading, buy Daryl's Ambitious Card Routine DVD, it's amazing!

TonyB wrote:Finally, Teach Yourself Magic by some obscure Irish magician is being reissued this summer.

I would totally recommend Teach Yourself Magic. One of the best beginner magic books I've come across. Got some pretty good effects clearly explained, and it covers things like scripting and business tips. Fantastic book. Would definitely be a good intro to magic...

Well done to the obscure Irish magician......

Thankyou very much for all of this, much appreciated.

My bank is pretty low at the moment but i will give all of your suggestions a thorough look and purchase the ones that relate the most to what i am looking for.

Cheers,
Steve

You have had some seriously good advice:
But to reiterate,

Magic in general: (Includes further close up and card magic)
-Mark Wilson's complete course in magic (You can pick this up very cheap)
Tarbell course (A touch pricey, but well worth it in my opinion- I have the discs and can reccomend it)

If you are going to buy either of the above i wouldnt bother with anything else for a while.

Upon the advice i recieved above, i chose Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic and the RRTCM., which i managed to get for £10 and £2 respectively.

Im sure they will last me ages considering i have The Trilogy DVD by dan and dave buck, the cardistry blokes from america, which is jam packed with flourishes and card tricks as well. I don't think im going to need anything else for a year!

Starting Magic, in general......Mark Wilson Course in Magic
Close-up magic......Close Up Magic Vol. 1-2 by Lewis Ganson
Card magic...........Royal Road to Card Magic by Hugard
Performing.....Maximum entertainment by Ken Weber

go to amazon...type in magic...

buy the self-working cards books by fulves
oh and the paper magic and mental magic one too...

and this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hay-Henry-Amate ... 00&sr=8-11

thats more than enough, and the entire lot would cost you about 12-15 quid...

Well i got RRTCM and Mark Wilsons Complete Course, both for just over a 10er all together.

Absolutely delighted with both of them, so much, especially in Mark Wilsons Complete Course. Both very well illustrated and good explanations too.

Thanks for all the advice, these will last me a long long time i am sure of that.

Steve

You've got the best two books. They are starter books but so much more. They can bring you a very long way, and they are both so clearly written. Works of genius.
And kartoffelngeist, thanks for the kind words.