Magic Books
I love magic books. When I first started learning magic, the library was my first source. The small community, where I lived, had no magic shops and I was too young to join the magic club. You had to be 18 or older. That gave me 7 years to become really good for when I applied to join the club. Even with its small collection, the library was a great springboard to learning the tricks of the trade.
The Amateur Magician’s Handbook was the first book I bought at the bookstore. It is a classic of magic writing. Covering a broad range of topics, it remains, to this day a really great starting point for magicians, both amateur and professional.
Practical Magic Books
Bill Severn’s Big Book of Magic had a great cover and I also bought this at the book store. It was written with magic tricks that teens could make from supplies around the house. Some of the tricks took a bit longer to make, but a few from this book found their way into my working repertoire. Bill put out a whole series of books for the general public, each covering a different style of magic.
Gifts
In 1977, my Grandfather gave me this book for Christmas. He wrote in it, “Success to your fingers.” It was my first serious book that revealed secrets of close-up magic. Harry Lorayne, was a great writer and made the instructions very easy to understand. He wrote many magic books that contained his creations and also the tricks of other well-accomplished performers.
Some of the magic in this book became the foundation of magic that I present at ice-breakers and cocktail parties. When people witness magic up close, they always have strong reactions!
Advanced Magic Books
The Dai Vernon Book of Magic was one of the first books that I bought that was of an advanced level. Dai Vernon, is considered, by magicians to be the father of modern close-up magic. Many magicians made the trek to LA to study under the master.
When I was in my teens, I met him at a magic convention in Toronto. Dai would have been in his 70’s. I approached him and mentioned that I was from his hometown of Ottawa, Canada. He told me a few stories and gave me some encouragement to keep practicing and performing, and most importantly, to make the sleight-of-hand look as natural as possible. It is great advice from a master that I still follow to this day.
Old Books
Even though much of the new magic is explained on streaming and DVD’s, books continue to be a medium for disseminating new ideas in magic. As such, there is a healthy market for used magic books. Advanced performers try to find hidden gems that can be updated. This makes their act unique in the world of magic.
The book below is the oldest magic book I own. It was printed in 1902 in Britain. Even though the language is a little different, it is still easy to comprehend the tricks and explanations. I love how ideas from one magician can cross over centuries and generations.
During the last 20 years, I’ve been documenting tricks I’ve invented. Some of those tricks have found their way into lecture notes that I have when teaching other magicians. Eventually, all of my ideas will make it into a book. It will be a fitting conclusion to my career and will provide inspiration to future generations of magicians.