How many do you possess?

Sep 14, 2009
85
0
Just wondering, but it seems that there are few and far between people with books these days...

SO.. Just wondering, but how many do you guys posses.. and I am not talking about the ones that you torrented either.. actual books or lecture notes that you possess in physical form on a shelf.


I would start by saying that I have around 80 or so books and notes.

as for out of the 80.. 60ish are actual books.
 

Lyle Borders

Elite Member
Aug 5, 2008
1,604
859
Seattle, WA
www.theory11.com
Erdnase, because you aren't serious about cards without having/studying it, and Paul Harris' AoA series.

The only ones I have worth keeping.

This does not include things like Advocate and the like from d+M and others which are just small pamphlets.

So, 4.

L
 
Nov 3, 2009
132
0
just one at the moment, royal road, gonna get a pocket copy of erdnase for xmas, hopefully lol
 
Apr 1, 2009
1,067
1
33
California
um...

still slowly building my collection but

Art of Astonishment 1
Art of Astonishment 2
Art of Astonishment 3
Strong Magic - Darwin Ortiz
13 Steps To Mentalism
Tricks Of The Mind
Mysterious Stranger - David Blaine
Practical Mental Magic
Psychological Subtleties 2
Psychological Subtleties 3
Expert At The Card Table
Royal Road To Card Magic
Paper Engine
Expert Card Technique
Bobo's Modern Coin Magic
Card Manipulation
Mark Wilson's Complete Course
The Secret Life Of Houdini
Ordered Inside - Daniel Madison

that I can think of off the top of my head.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Penumbra #8
Erdnase
By forces Unseen
Jennings '67
Showmanship for magicians
Classic magic of larry jennings
Vernon Chronicle (which is like 7 books lol)
and I also read expert card techinique on google books.

so like 14 or so.
 
Nov 15, 2007
1,106
2
35
Raleigh, NC
Less than 20. But I've read and studied most of them cover to cover.

Card College 1 and 2
Erdnase
Close-Up:The Real Secrets of Magic
Win The Crowd
The Amateur Magician's Handbook
13 steps
Bobo's
Geoff Williams Lecture notes (included both sets as one book)
Josh Jay's Magic:The Complete Course (I picked this up recently, still haven't gotten to it)
(That's all that comes to mind right now, too lazy to get up and go to my bookshelf)

Should be getting both of Darwin Ortiz's books for Christmas, so I'll have something to read.

Right now I'm reading Blink:How to Think without Thinking, a psychology book that is pretty interesting. I did not include this in the above, but I think everyone should read things that aren't magic related to both become more well rounded (when talking with spectators it's nice to be able to have something to say) and psychology books can often help your magic.

(I also recommend 'The Paradox of Choice' it's a good, short read.)
 
Sep 2, 2007
1,186
16
42
London
Magic related, approximately 100.

Total book collection, approximately 1,000.

And I echo foolzsight on Blink. I found it extremely interesting, and it's definitely made me think about things in a different way.
 
Magic related, approximately 100.

Total book collection, approximately 1,000.
.
You're a lucky man ... :mad:

While not a big fan of pscyhology books, thanks for the suggestions foolzsight, I find them interesting.

Currently, beside magic and college, I'm heavily into Steven Hawking's books, the illustrated versions are fantastic (Brief History of Time being my favorite ). Dan Brown's latest work isnt bad either.
 
Sep 2, 2007
1,186
16
42
London
You're a lucky man ... :mad:

:) Thanks, I was fortunate enough to be born into a family that place great importance on knowledge and intellectual pursuits so I was encouraged to voraciously read and treasure (some would say "hoard") books from a very early age. The only time I regret it is when I move house....
 
Sep 1, 2007
281
2
New Zealand
Not too many

The Paper Engine
Royal Road
Modern Coin Magic
Expert Card Technique
The Collected Works Of Alex Elmsley Vol I
The Collected Works Of Alex Elmsley Vol II
Low Cunning - Alex Elmsleys 1959 Lecture Notes
Alex Is At It Again - Alex Elmsleys 1997 Lecture Notes
Darwin Ortiz - At The Card Table

When I'm stop being a poor student, my book collection will increase
 

RealityOne

Elite Member
Nov 1, 2009
3,744
4,076
New Jersey
I'm getting there. Not including pamphlets and booklets:

Mark Wilson - Mark Wilson’s Compete Course in Magic
Jean Hugard & Fredrick Braue – Royal Road to Card Magic
John Scarne – Scarne on Card Tricks
J.B. Bobo – Modern Coin Magic
S.W. Erdnase – The Expert at the Card Table
Jean Hugard & Fredrick Braue – Expert Card Technique
Arthur H. Buckley – Card Control
Darwin Ortiz – Strong Magic
Kirk Charles – Hidden in Plain Sight
Jean Hugard – Encyclopedia of Card Tricks
Jean Hugard – Hugard’s Magic Manual
Robert Gobbi – Card College (Vols. 1-3)
Karl Fulves – Self Working Handkerchief Magic
Stars of Magic
Chris Kenner – Totally Out of Control
Aaron Fisher - Paper Engine
Paul Harris – Art of Astonishment (Vols. 1 – 3)

I also recommend BLINK. It isn't really psychology, but a book about how people make instant, almost subconscious, judgments (what Gladwell calls Thin Slicing). How does it apply to magic? It makes you analyze your routine to see there are things you are doing (or not doing) that subconsciously impact the spectator's perception of your magic.
 
I love my books, and every day I love them more and more.

Note: my dad was actually a magician when he was my age so books marked with an * are his handed down to me!

*Scarne on Card Tricks
*The Amateur Magicians Handbook
*100 of Scarne's Magic Tricks
*Magic With Everday Objects
*Houdini's Magic
Modern Coin Magic
*Abbott's Encyclopedia of Rope Tricks for Magicians
The Royal Road to Card Magic
Erdnase
Practical Mental Magic
13 Steps to Mentalism
The Alchemical Tools (greatest book ever written)
ParaLies
Mysterious Stranger
*Magic With Cards
Strong Magic
Session- The Magic of Joel Givens
Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic
Magic the Complete Course
100 Easy to do Magic Tricks
Totally Out of Control
Ultimate Street Magic
The Practical Encyclopedia of Magic

I'm hoping to add a couple more that I've had my eye on this holiday season!

All the best,
-Chase
 
Searching...
{[{ searchResultsCount }]} Results