talkmagic.co.uk

Hi!

A lot of the time people join this forum and ask, in one way or another, what they should buy. Everybody will have different views on this, so please feel free to add to this list, but here is a selection of some basic things you should buy to get started in card magic. This list is almost only cards; if you want to learn another genre this is the wrong place.

Supplies

Bicycle Cards - £1.75/deck but it varies
The most common brand of deck used by card magicians. It has a special finish which means the cards are much more slippery than the cheap plastic cards you can get in Tesco and last longer besides. Other types are Tally-Ho and Bee.

Books

Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic - Mark Wilson - £10.49
A great book containing some of everything so you can see what types of magic you would like to try.

The Royal Road to Card Magic - Hugard and Braue - £6.99
One of the classics of card magic, containing many basic sleights and effects. Somewhat outdated and complex, but still a great book (though not as some may say the be all and end all of card magic).

Now you see it, Now you don't - Bill Tarr - £9.79
Another collection of many different types of magic, this book contains everything from cards to rope to thimbles, with great illustrations for everything.

13 Steps to Mentalism - Corinda - £16.99
A classic of mentalism - contains everything you will need to know and a lot more.

How to Do Magic Tricks - Nick Einhorn - £7.19
Bit of everything with lots of colour photos and clear explanations. Includes sleights for cards and coins as well as the tricks.

Card College - Roberto Giobbi - £21.99/vol, 5 vol
It's not cheap but it's huge. Everything you'll need to know about card magic and them some.

DVDs

Born to Perform Card Magic - Oz Pearlman - £16.17
One of my personal favourite recommendations, this DVD contains everything from proper deck grips to fans to colour changes to forces. This is a must if you are looking to start card magic - "beginner to pro"!

Complete Introduction to Coin Magic - Michael Ammar - about $40
A great DVD if you are looking to get into coin magic, this beginners DVD will teach you the fundamental coin sleights you need to know!

Crash Course 2 - Ellusionist - $39.95 (about £20 - £25)
The Ambitious Card. Everything you need to know to make your own routine and stun people with this classic of card magic.

Stay tuned for more!

Kati

Books
How to Do Magic Tricks - Nick Einhorn - £8.99
Bit of everything with lots of colour photos and clear explanations. Includes sleights for cards and coins as well as the tricks.

Just as a point of interest - should Corinda's book be described as 'definitive?' I mean, I learn much better from DVDs...

I'm not writing it off as useless, it's just not the be all and end all of mentalism.

Is it?

i see...
kati you getting lazy now? instead of posting in everybody's welcome thing . you make a sticky

Ah...fair enough Zack. I had the impression that it was the "bible" of mentalism - which is probably wrong. Edited.

Kati

Just didn't want anyone to get upset...

Probably a good way to get this going is on subjects name two of each.
That is, books/dvd's becouse you already have a reply like, I prefer learning from dvd.

That was the whole mather why this sticky was coming anyway, becouse one would recommend Book rather than DVD or the other way around.
So best list one or two of each in a few subjects.

Well thats my thought on it, and while I'm at it just maybe name a few things wich in my opinion is worth mentioning.

Card Magic Beginners:
-Books: Royal Road To Card Magic
Roberto Giobbi's Card College series (5 books)

-Dvds: Ellusionist Crash Course 2
Born 2 Perform Card Magic

These I own except I don't have all 5 books by Giobbi.
And I've selected these becouse I think is is value for money.
I learn better of dvd myself and those two mentioned have sleights, routines and a good way of teaching.

Coin Magic Beginners:
-Books: JB Bobo's Modern Coin Magic
It's Coin Magic by Scott F Guin
-Dvds: Encyclopedia of Coin Sleights (3 volumes)
David Stone's Coin Magic (2 volumes both are ok for beginners)

These are what I would recommend, can't recommend anything on mentalism ropes or anything else since I don't own anything of those styles.

Hope this helps.

p.s : If you want to know where to get those things, use the search of review section or use google.

-Dennis

This sounds like a very popular request, and perhaps something we should have had a while back.

Could I please ask everybody to use this thread recommend their top "Beginner" books/dvd's in the various genres of magic. ie, Coins, Cards, General, Mental, Rope etc,

Also, would you prefer a short description of each item (ie, as Katrie has done), or do you think it better to link to a review (assuming there is one of course). Maybe a review and a short description. If there is no review of the book/dvd you are recommending would you be happy to write one?

Well I cannot recommend Michael Ammar's Easy To Master Card Miracles DVD enough. I only have volume one but as a complete beginner I have found it far easier to get to grips with than Born To Perform.

I think Born To Perform will be a better DVD for when I have finished the Easy To Master Card Miracles series. That could be a while though.

All great suggestions, but don't forget supplies!

A TT is a must
A good deck of bikes, or tallys
Scotch & Soda (the drink, not the effect......lol)
Stipper Deck
D-lites
A sharpie marker
One of a variety of small books/booklets on
Ways to force a card
Ideas with a TT

A list could go on forever....but these are some of the things I started with, and continue to use today. I use them in a far different fashion than I started, but they really opened my mind to what is out there!

Oh yeah.....add one very understanding wife!

I went to buy 13 Steps to Mentalism on Wednesday, and it was £20, and that was all that I had with me, and I need new cards

£20 is a good price. I would have snapped it up at that.

I'm getting it next time, but I didn't have enough money as my main reason for going in was to get cards, but Roy Walton suggested that I bought Annemann's book as I didn't have enough for Corinda's

Oh, Did I mention that it was Roy Walton who tolded me this, and he also showed me Phil?

*cough*Roy Walton*cough*

Updated...can this be stuck?

Kati

Just wondering - shouldn't this be under Support and Tips rather than Introductions? And when you say 'Stuck' do you mean locked to stop more posts being added? Methinks perhaps the original message and data could be posted separately and then left locked but will be happy to see what you folks think.