Sunday 31 August 2008

Must have magic books.

Two must have magic books for beginners to pros.

1. The Royal Road To Card Magic. By Jean Hugard & Frederick Braue.
Synopsis:
As a magician, your greatest reward is to astonish and perplex your audience - using just a simple pack of cards. And to do that, you need to master more than just the sleights of hand. You have to learn to perform.
This revised edition of a classic work offers the budding magician a brilliant introduction to magic. From classic principles and practice to the art of presentation and a collection of astonishing tricks, everything you need is here.
An experienced and gifted performer, writer and teacher, Hugard's exceptional combination of skills shines through in the clarity of his explanations. His example has inspired a generation of magicians - and will inspire you to succeed in baffling your audience.

My Opinion:
This wonderful book takes you from beginner to pro in just a week or two. Clear explanations and helpful illustrations teach you all the slights, flourishes and tricks with cards you need to know to put together a anything from a small routine to impress your mates with, to an hour long show. However I wouldn't recommend putting all of your practice time towards card tricks as people can easily get bored of cards, but if you were to combine some of the feats from this next book with your favourite effects from this one then you will almost definitely (with a bit of practise) have a flawless routine to which you can add a bit of your own personality to and really entertain.


2.Modern Coin Magic. by J.B. Bobo.
Synopsis:
The most complete treatise on sleight-of-hand coin conjuring, including best traditional methods and modern innovations. Guides you systematically from basic techniques, through integrated tricks to complete acts, 18 in all. 510 clear illustrations.
( know this isn't the actual synopsis but the real one would take forever to type!!)


My Opinion:
This book is great for beginners because pros will most probably know most of the stuff in there, but I would still recommend buying it as it teaches proper technique and also it has a lot of info on Bobo himself. This is a real book for keeps and a lot of the material can easily slip into your usual coin routine.

Matt Davies

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