What to purchase.

Jul 18, 2016
11
0
hey guys just wandering if you could only buy 1 book on magic/mentalis. what would it be and why, look for something to go over the basics but will also take to more advanced stuff. any thought or ideas would be much appreciated.
 

Josh Burch

Elite Member
Aug 11, 2011
2,966
1,101
Utah
It mostly depends on where you're at and where you want to go haha!

I heard once that there are more magic books written than any other book with the exception of medical and law books. So that means there is a ton out there!

What do you know already? What are your goals?

Do you want to do magic for your buddies when they come over? Do you want to do magic at the bar? Do you want to start your career as a cruise ship magician?

There are hundreds of avenues I could suggest for any of these options. What do you want to do with your magic?
 
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I am a Magician

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2018
139
66
hey guys just wandering if you could only buy 1 book on magic/mentalis. what would it be and why, look for something to go over the basics but will also take to more advanced stuff. any thought or ideas would be much appreciated.
Are you looking for card magic? Coin magic? Etc.? What do you consider you skill level to be? And what is your budget?
 

I am a Magician

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2018
139
66
It mostly depends on where you're at and where you want to go haha!

I heard once that there are more magic books written than any other book with the exception of medical and law books. So that means there is a ton out there!

What do you know already? What are your goals?

Do you want to do magic for your buddies when they come over? Do you want to do magic at the bar? Do you want to start your career as a cruise ship magician?

There are hundreds of avenues I could suggest for any of these options. What do you want to do with your magic?
Yeah that about sums up all the questions i put down
 

RealityOne

Elite Member
Nov 1, 2009
3,744
4,076
New Jersey
hey guys just wandering if you could only buy 1 book on magic/mentalis. what would it be and why, look for something to go over the basics but will also take to more advanced stuff. any thought or ideas would be much appreciated.

The one book I would buy if I only could buy one book would be different than the book you should buy if you could only have one book.

@Josh Burch's questions are right on point. I'd just add two questions:

Do you want to perform street magic (i.e. close-up without a table), close-up with a table, parlor (think a performance for up to 50 people who are sitting in chairs) or stage?

What age group do you want to perform for?
 
Jul 18, 2016
11
0
hmmm i am not really sure what i want to do exactly. At the moment i am mainly doing sleight of hand with finger rings and i also do have a large arsenal of card tricks and techniques. I want to focus on close up magic. was thinking like cafes, bars, pubs and public places like that. Was thinking of moving away from cards just cause they are so common and known something less known and seen would be nice. I do really like the effects where you magically produce different item like wine bottles cups etc...
 

Josh Burch

Elite Member
Aug 11, 2011
2,966
1,101
Utah
hmmm i am not really sure what i want to do exactly. At the moment i am mainly doing sleight of hand with finger rings and i also do have a large arsenal of card tricks and techniques. I want to focus on close up magic. was thinking like cafes, bars, pubs and public places like that. Was thinking of moving away from cards just cause they are so common and known something less known and seen would be nice. I do really like the effects where you magically produce different item like wine bottles cups etc...

Okay, that's good to know!

I'd look at the Art of Astonishment Volume 2

For random productions of objects that you can do casually or professionally, I'd recommend Earth Shoes. The effect is this, you talk about how you have a rock in your shoe, you take off the shoe, and dump a rock out that is about the size of your foot. You can just about do it anywhere once you get comfortable with it. Jay Sankey does it with a soda can, Calen Morelli does it with a water bottle, and of course, you can do it with many other items.

I love Fizzmaster, which is taught in its pages. Take any soda can shake it up and transfer the explosive fizz to another can. Great!

It also teaches a bottle production. It's tough to do and very bold but great.

There is quite a lot of mentalism in the book and a few things with dollar bills. It also has some card magic that is very out of the box. You should check it out.

Some of the magic is a little more difficult though.

For easier magic, and a broad range of all types of stuff I'd recommend Magic the Complete Course. You can learn Earth shoes in this book as well. It has more mentalism and less card magic than Art of Astonishment. It goes over much more of the fundamentals in magic.

Another great resource is Mark Wilson's Complete Course. It's a big book that you can get at Barnes and Noble. It has a ton of solid material, and you should check it out.
 
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