(Gift) books for magic beginners

volatile · 19th July 2007, 04:04 PM

My girlfriend is currently learning some introductory magic tricks (she's bought some interlinking rings, for example) and I'm looking to buy her a book (or a set? or a trick?) as a gift.

Budget is flexible - what would you all recommend for a beginner? She has few fairly basic introductory tricks books, I think, but they seem generally rather banal. I'd appreciate some helpful hints from those who know what they're talking about.

Thanks!

Bob Klase · 19th July 2007, 09:00 PM

What does she already have?

AgeGap · 19th July 2007, 09:25 PM

Floating match (on card) trick.
Card through card.
Pencil through Dollar bill.
Cups and balls.
Sponge balls.
Banal? It's the presentation that counts. All these tricks are relatively inexpensive.

volatile · 20th July 2007, 03:10 AM

Originally Posted by Bob Klase

What does she already have?

Really not much at all. Some cheap-looking "100 magic tricks" type book, and, as I said, some interlinking rings...

JonWhite · 20th July 2007, 04:41 AM

As an excellent general magic starter book Mark Wilson's "Complete Course in Magic" could be a great place to start.

Much pricier, but Harlan Tarbell's "Complete Course in Magic" is also extremely good.

Is there any area (i.e. cards/coins/mentalism) that she's particularly interested in?

Bob Klase · 20th July 2007, 07:36 AM

My first recommendation is always the Mark Wilson book. Magic For Dummies is also good. You can find both at Amazon.com for around $15.

Agegap is correct- even with the simplest tricks it's the presentation that counts.

Mick Houlahan · 20th July 2007, 01:52 PM

Let me just echo Bob's recommendations - two great starter books. Tarbell, while the definitive collection, should perhaps be reserved for later.

aofl · 20th July 2007, 03:56 PM

Harry Lorayne's "The Magic Book" would be a good starting book, though I don't know how available it is.

A

MelBrooksfan · 22nd July 2007, 10:41 AM

The first book I got was Edwin Sachs' Sleight of Hand. It covers most 'basic' sleights. A lot of it is antiquaited though (many tricks involve a wand and a wand seems hokey nowadays).

volatile · 23rd July 2007, 05:42 AM

Thanks so much for all of these, guys! I'm going to get her the Wilson book - I'll let you know how she gets on!

JonWhite · 23rd July 2007, 05:58 AM

A wise choice sir, if I may say!

She'll certainly get a lot out of it.

Brown · 23rd July 2007, 06:56 PM

I was going to suggest the Wilson book as well. I got mine real cheap at a Minneapolis bookstore (it was on the first floor of the building where WJM-TV supposedly was on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show").

Some of the tricks are extremely lame, but there are some really good ones, too. In a bizarre way, one of the more interesting things about the Wilson book is that you can often devise alternatives to his techniques that will work just as well. And you might want to rewrite virtually all of the patter.

Some good ones that require an average amount of practice:
Sympathetic cards
Genie Cards (I just use my business cards)
Four-Coin Assembly (A classic! All students must learn it, as it is the key to dozens of variations)
One-Hand Knot and Melting Knot (I use them back-to-back! Damn rope won't knot when I want it to, and when I don't want it to, it does!)
Three-Way Test (Here's a great one for modifying the trick to make it your own!)

There are some that require a bit more practice, but if performed well, will knock the spectators' socks off:
Ring Off Rope
Coins Across
Vanishing Glass

dannagain · 25th July 2007, 06:59 AM

what? no one's mentioned the two bibles?

the royal road to card magic and bobo's modern coin magic

both are canonical and available cheaply on abebooks.com

also get her a couple of jay sankey dvd's of his card stuff. he is a very good teacher on video. i learnt a lot from him. to be honest most people find it easier to learn from a dvd than a book because it's (obviously) more visual so i would probably go for the sankey dvd's if anything but the royal road to card magic will verse her in the basic sleights etc.

MelBrooksfan · 29th July 2007, 04:52 PM

Canonical? We have a canon? Who is our savior?

NeilC · 30th July 2007, 05:59 AM

Bobo is not a beginners book really. It's quite hard to get workable tricks out of it if you don't have some knowledge in the first place IMO.

You could do worse to get some of Ammar's DVDs - Introduction to Coin Magic or the card ones. Some wicked (classic) tricks in those. That way you get to be amazed and then see how to do it which is always inspiring. Also highly recommend Sankey's Earplugs vid which taught me a couple of good sponge routines with no prior knowledge. I even fool myself in the mirror now! Once she has one of those sussed and presentable, she will have a good knowledge of major sleight of hand, what you can get away with and a big boost in confidence.

For cards, the Card College series has no equal. You get the most detailed instruction to build skills from the ground up. Lovely books.

As far as tricks go - Roy Walton's Card Warp (also on one of Ammar's vids) is dead simple and totally amazing.

dannagain · 30th July 2007, 08:30 AM

Originally Posted by MelBrooksfan

Canonical? We have a canon? Who is our savior?

from dictionary.com

ca·non·i·cal 3. authorized; recognized; accepted: canonical works.

also, i would disagree about bobo. he covers all the basics as well as the tricky stuff but i guess we'll just agree to differ.

vIQleS · 30th July 2007, 08:30 PM

Magic for dummies. perfect for beginners

Garrette · 31st July 2007, 04:53 AM

You can't go wrong with most suggestions here, but if I were personally asked to provide a beginner's book to an intelligent, reasonable, adult novice, I would do it in this order:

1. Harry Lorayne's The Magic Book because it is better organized than the others, more smoothly written, lays an understandable foundation for moving to more difficult effects, and helps the reader determine in what area of magic his interest lies.

2. Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic because it has so many effects, most of which are easily accessible and clearly explained. What it does not do nearly so well as the previous book is wrap the effects and methods into a presentable whole which allows the reader to determine an area of interest and prioritize what methods on which to devote the most effort.

Recommendations for follow on books would depend on what was learned and determined from these two.

19th July 2007, 04:04 PM	#1
volatile Scholar and a Gentleman Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: The Uncanny Valley Posts: 6,730	(Gift) books for magic beginners My girlfriend is currently learning some introductory magic tricks (she's bought some interlinking rings, for example) and I'm looking to buy her a book (or a set? or a trick?) as a gift. Budget is flexible - what would you all recommend for a beginner? She has few fairly basic introductory tricks books, I think, but they seem generally rather banal. I'd appreciate some helpful hints from those who know what they're talking about. Thanks!
	__________________ - ""My tribe has a saying: 'If you're bleeding, look for a man with scars'" - Leela, Doctor Who 'Robots of Death'.

20th July 2007, 03:10 AM	#4
volatile Scholar and a Gentleman Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: The Uncanny Valley Posts: 6,730	Originally Posted by Bob Klase What does she already have? Really not much at all. Some cheap-looking "100 magic tricks" type book, and, as I said, some interlinking rings...
	__________________ - ""My tribe has a saying: 'If you're bleeding, look for a man with scars'" - Leela, Doctor Who 'Robots of Death'.

20th July 2007, 04:41 AM	#5
JonWhite Muse Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: London Posts: 644	As an excellent general magic starter book Mark Wilson's "Complete Course in Magic" could be a great place to start. Much pricier, but Harlan Tarbell's "Complete Course in Magic" is also extremely good. Is there any area (i.e. cards/coins/mentalism) that she's particularly interested in?
	__________________ "In cases where prior knowledge is available, the alternative to 'an open mind' is not 'a closed mind'. It is 'an informed mind'. In such contexts, any appeal to 'keep an open mind' is an appeal to prefer ignorance over knowledge" Ian Rowland

20th July 2007, 03:56 PM	#8
aofl Critical Thinker Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 488	Harry Lorayne's "The Magic Book" would be a good starting book, though I don't know how available it is. A
aofl Critical Thinker Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 488	__________________ The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses. -Francis Bacon, essayist, philosopher, and statesman (1561-1626) Belief in the supernatural reflects a failure of the imagination. -Edward Abbey, naturalist and author (1927-1989)

23rd July 2007, 05:42 AM	#10
volatile Scholar and a Gentleman Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: The Uncanny Valley Posts: 6,730	Thanks so much for all of these, guys! I'm going to get her the Wilson book - I'll let you know how she gets on!
	__________________ - ""My tribe has a saying: 'If you're bleeding, look for a man with scars'" - Leela, Doctor Who 'Robots of Death'.

19th July 2007, 09:00 PM	#2
Bob Klase Master Poster Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Largo, FL Posts: 2,833	What does she already have?

19th July 2007, 09:25 PM	#3
AgeGap Master Poster Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: St.Helens, UK Posts: 2,386	Floating match (on card) trick. Card through card. Pencil through Dollar bill. Cups and balls. Sponge balls. Banal? It's the presentation that counts. All these tricks are relatively inexpensive.

20th July 2007, 07:36 AM	#6
Bob Klase Master Poster Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Largo, FL Posts: 2,833	My first recommendation is always the Mark Wilson book. Magic For Dummies is also good. You can find both at Amazon.com for around $15. Agegap is correct- even with the simplest tricks it's the presentation that counts.

20th July 2007, 01:52 PM	#7
Mick Houlahan Thinker Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Lion's Pride Inn, Goldshire Posts: 214	Let me just echo Bob's recommendations - two great starter books. Tarbell, while the definitive collection, should perhaps be reserved for later.

22nd July 2007, 10:41 AM	#9
MelBrooksfan Graduate Poster Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 1,011	The first book I got was Edwin Sachs' Sleight of Hand. It covers most 'basic' sleights. A lot of it is antiquaited though (many tricks involve a wand and a wand seems hokey nowadays).

23rd July 2007, 05:58 AM	#11
JonWhite Muse Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: London Posts: 644	A wise choice sir, if I may say! She'll certainly get a lot out of it.
	__________________ "In cases where prior knowledge is available, the alternative to 'an open mind' is not 'a closed mind'. It is 'an informed mind'. In such contexts, any appeal to 'keep an open mind' is an appeal to prefer ignorance over knowledge" Ian Rowland

23rd July 2007, 06:56 PM	#12
Brown Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Twin Cities, Canada Posts: 12,145	I was going to suggest the Wilson book as well. I got mine real cheap at a Minneapolis bookstore (it was on the first floor of the building where WJM-TV supposedly was on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"). Some of the tricks are extremely lame, but there are some really good ones, too. In a bizarre way, one of the more interesting things about the Wilson book is that you can often devise alternatives to his techniques that will work just as well. And you might want to rewrite virtually all of the patter. Some good ones that require an average amount of practice: Sympathetic cards Genie Cards (I just use my business cards) Four-Coin Assembly (A classic! All students must learn it, as it is the key to dozens of variations) One-Hand Knot and Melting Knot (I use them back-to-back! Damn rope won't knot when I want it to, and when I don't want it to, it does!) Three-Way Test (Here's a great one for modifying the trick to make it your own!) There are some that require a bit more practice, but if performed well, will knock the spectators' socks off: Ring Off Rope Coins Across Vanishing Glass
	__________________ Klaatu: I'm impatient with stupidity. My people have learned to live without it. Mr. Harley: I'm afraid my people haven't. I am very sorry. I wish it were otherwise. -- The Day The Earth Stood Still, screenplay by Edmund H. North "Don't you get me wrong. I only want to know." -- Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, lyrics by Tim Rice

25th July 2007, 06:59 AM	#13
dannagain Thinker Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 175	what? no one's mentioned the two bibles? the royal road to card magic and bobo's modern coin magic both are canonical and available cheaply on abebooks.com also get her a couple of jay sankey dvd's of his card stuff. he is a very good teacher on video. i learnt a lot from him. to be honest most people find it easier to learn from a dvd than a book because it's (obviously) more visual so i would probably go for the sankey dvd's if anything but the royal road to card magic will verse her in the basic sleights etc.
dannagain Thinker Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 175

29th July 2007, 04:52 PM	#14
MelBrooksfan Graduate Poster Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 1,011	Canonical? We have a canon? Who is our savior?

30th July 2007, 05:59 AM	#15
NeilC Graduate Poster Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: London, UK Posts: 1,331	Bobo is not a beginners book really. It's quite hard to get workable tricks out of it if you don't have some knowledge in the first place IMO. You could do worse to get some of Ammar's DVDs - Introduction to Coin Magic or the card ones. Some wicked (classic) tricks in those. That way you get to be amazed and then see how to do it which is always inspiring. Also highly recommend Sankey's Earplugs vid which taught me a couple of good sponge routines with no prior knowledge. I even fool myself in the mirror now! Once she has one of those sussed and presentable, she will have a good knowledge of major sleight of hand, what you can get away with and a big boost in confidence. For cards, the Card College series has no equal. You get the most detailed instruction to build skills from the ground up. Lovely books. As far as tricks go - Roy Walton's Card Warp (also on one of Ammar's vids) is dead simple and totally amazing.

30th July 2007, 08:30 AM	#16
dannagain Thinker Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 175	Originally Posted by MelBrooksfan Canonical? We have a canon? Who is our savior? from dictionary.com ca·non·i·cal 3. authorized; recognized; accepted: canonical works. also, i would disagree about bobo. he covers all the basics as well as the tricky stuff but i guess we'll just agree to differ.
dannagain Thinker Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 175

30th July 2007, 08:30 PM	#17
vIQleS Muse Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Auckland NZ Posts: 861	Magic for dummies. perfect for beginners
	__________________ ==--New NZ Skeptical Podcast--== http://thecusp.org.nz "vIQleS, Slap me. Slap me twice." - Foolmewunz

31st July 2007, 04:53 AM	#18
Garrette Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 10,540	You can't go wrong with most suggestions here, but if I were personally asked to provide a beginner's book to an intelligent, reasonable, adult novice, I would do it in this order: 1. Harry Lorayne's The Magic Book because it is better organized than the others, more smoothly written, lays an understandable foundation for moving to more difficult effects, and helps the reader determine in what area of magic his interest lies. 2. Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic because it has so many effects, most of which are easily accessible and clearly explained. What it does not do nearly so well as the previous book is wrap the effects and methods into a presentable whole which allows the reader to determine an area of interest and prioritize what methods on which to devote the most effort. Recommendations for follow on books would depend on what was learned and determined from these two.
	__________________ My kids still love me.