Magic trick books

[Badger]

Good day.

Rustypouch showed me a couple of magic tricks the other day, and I thought they were neat.

I would like to learn some card tricks and some slight of hand stuff. Are there any good books out there for that kind of thing? I'm looking for tricks with a deck of cards, and making coins appear/disappear. The kind of things you could do informally at a party or the kitchen table or something like that.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations you can provide.

[NoZed Avenger]

A good basic all-around book is "Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic" (Not the encyclopedia - not as good). Bobo's "Modern Coin Magic" is the bible for coin work, but is not as much of a 'beginner' book. Ditto for Hugard & Braue's "Royal Road to Card Magic" for cards. The "Magic for Dummies" and "Klutz book of Magic" are surprisingly good if you can't find Mark Wilson. Scarne's "Scarne on Card Tricks" has some interesting stuff, and contains many self-working or almost self-working tricks that have a good effect, but do not require sleight-work.

If you go through and learn the Mark Wilson stuff, you'll be a better magician than half the people calling themselves one - including me.

N/A

[rustypouch]

I do have a copy of "The Royal Road to Card Magic" if you want to use it for a while.

It is very good for someone with no prior experience.

I could also show some other cheap, easy, but good tricks.

[Garrette]

Harry Lorayne's "The Magic Book."

Very clearly written. Covers the basics and only the basics but in a way that lets you expand on your own if you choose to later.

[Badger]

Thanks for your suggestions! I appreciate them!

And, Rustypouch, thanks for the offer. I'd like to search around on my own for a bit first.

Thanks again!

[Brown]

Originally posted by Badger
I would like to learn some card tricks and some slight of hand stuff. Are there any good books out there for that kind of thing? I'm looking for tricks with a deck of cards, and making coins appear/disappear. The kind of things you could do informally at a party or the kitchen table or something like that. Don't rule out videos. Larry Anderson's four "Jaw Droppers" tapes, discussed in this thread (http://www.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28856), are pretty goods sources for magic tricks that can be performed for friends at parties and at the kitchen table.

[Lavie Enrose]

Originally posted by Badger
I'm looking for tricks with a deck of cards, and making coins appear/disappear. The kind of things you could do informally at a party or the kitchen table or something like that.


If you are completely new to magic, but want to learn some good magic tricks you can perform for family and friends (without learning sleight-of-hand), I would recommend the book:

Magic With Everyday Objects by George Schindler.

[Brown]

Consider Martin Gardner's Table Magic. It's a little paperback book that has a few pretty good tricks using everyday items.

I recently re-discovered a card trick created by Martin Gardner. The trick appears in "Scarne on Card Tricks." The first several times I looked at the trick, I didn't think it was all that great, and decided not to bother to learn it. But upon reflection, I think it's actually quite good, and I have added it to my list of favorites.