Brief introduction and asking for advice

Jan 11, 2008
84
0
france
hi iam new to this site, i was hoping i would get to know people a little bit with this thread. I have being doing magic for about 4 1/2 months now. Probably not as long as most people on this site, which is precisely the reason why i joined it.

Since i know there are more experienced magicians on this site iam hoping to learn from them.

I dont have a magic shop near me, as a matter of fact i dont think theres a magic shop in my whole region:mad:! so it is extremely difficult for me to get supplies and learn new principles.

I have managed to work around not having a magic shop for a while, for example making my own IT. ordering books off amazon and doing card tricks.

but its starting to get fustrating not having a local supllier.

if possible i would like some advise on how to homemake gimmicks or just advice on what i should do, if not some advice on what books i should get off amazon.

Or even better if somebody knows of a magic shop in the Cote D'azur Region in france PLEASE TELL ME!
 
Oct 25, 2007
133
0
Check Your Yellow Pages...:d

Nah, Just Kidding. Internet Is Probably The Best Thing For You At The Moment. Just Type In Magic Shops For Your Area. A Shop Close To Where You Live Should Come Up.

Or Your Local Library Is One Way To Start.
 
Dec 4, 2007
1,074
2
www.thrallmind.com
First off, welcome to the forums!

Now, onto your questions...

If you don't have easy access to a magic shop, the best books I could recommend are Paul Harris' Art of Astonishment. Everything in the books can be found around your house (for the most part, those that don't a quick trip to most stores will get them for ya). These effects range from cards, to coins, to cash, and even a Hersey bar...Its a treasure trove of all kinds of material to work with.

The next book is Bobos Modern Coin Magic. This is the bible for coin manipulation, and has tons of material.

As for cards, Expert at the Card Table is an awesome read for card sleights, effects, and the like.

This will be more than enough material for you to practice with and to perform with.

-ThrallMind
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jan 11, 2008
84
0
france
Check Your Yellow Pages...:d

Nah, Just Kidding. Internet Is Probably The Best Thing For You At The Moment. Just Type In Magic Shops For Your Area. A Shop Close To Where You Live Should Come Up.

Or Your Local Library Is One Way To Start.
thanks for the advice but i did try and find shops and the best i found was a toy shop which sells thumb tips :( . Local library not a bad idea though thnx :)
 
Jan 11, 2008
84
0
france
First off, welcome to the forums!

Now, onto your questions...

If you don't have easy access to a magic shop, the best books I could recommend are Paul Harris' Art of Astonishment. Everything in the books can be found around your house (for the most part, those that don't a quick trip to most stores will get them for ya). These effects range from cards, to coins, to cash, and even a Hersey bar...Its a treasure trove of all kinds of material to work with.

The next book is Bobos Modern Coin Magic. This is the bible for coin manipulation, and has tons of material.

As for cards, Expert at the Card Table is an awesome read for card sleights, effects, and the like.

This will be more than enough material for you to practice with and to perform with.

-ThrallMind
thankyou for the book suggestions! i will definately consider buying modern coin magic. Art of astonishment seems really interesting kinda expensive though... i guess i better start saving up...

however can i get a breif overview of effects i will learn from it? i dont want to buy it and realize i dont like the effects, that i already know them, or if i cant peform them, my main weakness in magic is that my hands are rather small.
 
Dec 4, 2007
1,074
2
www.thrallmind.com
thankyou for the book suggestions! i will definately consider buying modern coin magic. Art of astonishment seems really interesting kinda expensive though... i guess i better start saving up...

however can i get a breif overview of effects i will learn from it? i dont want to buy it and realize i dont like the effects, that i already know them, or if i cant peform them, my main weakness in magic is that my hands are rather small.

The small hand thing is no issue. I have the same problem, and have been able to do every effect I have tried in Art of Astonishment (AoA), and the other books.

As for a quick rundown:

AoA
===
This series is not easy to put into one category, or to list the general effects. It ranges from card effects, to money effects, to even a cups and balls routine with a Pringles can that has a surprise ending. There is a trick for inflating a used Hersey Bar wrapper back into a normal, brand new one. The is an effect for a torn and restored DECK. There is even a whole impromptu routine that uses nothing more than a Bic pen. All in all, its a great resource, and you will always have something new to learn.

Modern Coin Magic
=============
Most coin sleights out there have their roots in this book. At the most basic level, anything you want to be able to do with a coin can be found in this book. From all kinds of vanishes, appearances, and effects that utilize them, this is a great book.

Expert at the Card Table
=================
If you work with cards, you should not be without this book. As with Modern Coin Magic, but instead with cards, it teaches all kinds of sleights and effects which can be used with them. The best part of this book, to me at least, is its use as a reference. If you are learning a new effect and it says "Now perform the elmsley count," and you either don't know how to do it, or need brushing up on it, this book will help you.

If there's any other questions, feel free to ask.

-ThrallMind
 
Jan 6, 2008
355
0
54
Seattle
www.darklock.com
You definitely want Erdnase's Expert at the Card Table... in French.

And I'll bet the shipping charges for other things on that site are very reasonable. Ile de France is quite a way from the Riviera, but still closer than most other sites.
 
Jan 11, 2008
84
0
france
The small hand thing is no issue. I have the same problem, and have been able to do every effect I have tried in Art of Astonishment (AoA), and the other books.

As for a quick rundown:

AoA
===
This series is not easy to put into one category, or to list the general effects. It ranges from card effects, to money effects, to even a cups and balls routine with a Pringles can that has a surprise ending. There is a trick for inflating a used Hersey Bar wrapper back into a normal, brand new one. The is an effect for a torn and restored DECK. There is even a whole impromptu routine that uses nothing more than a Bic pen. All in all, its a great resource, and you will always have something new to learn.

Modern Coin Magic
=============
Most coin sleights out there have their roots in this book. At the most basic level, anything you want to be able to do with a coin can be found in this book. From all kinds of vanishes, appearances, and effects that utilize them, this is a great book.

Expert at the Card Table
=================
If you work with cards, you should not be without this book. As with Modern Coin Magic, but instead with cards, it teaches all kinds of sleights and effects which can be used with them. The best part of this book, to me at least, is its use as a reference. If you are learning a new effect and it says "Now perform the elmsley count," and you either don't know how to do it, or need brushing up on it, this book will help you.

If there's any other questions, feel free to ask.

-ThrallMind
thanks so much, the small hand is very re-assuring, sometimes i think it limits me such as palming cards and such. anyway thanks for the book descriptions. iam planning on buying these books ASAP :)
 
Sep 1, 2007
662
2
Expert at the Card Table is not a beginners book. I would recommend the card college series as a starting point for card magic, and on DVD Greg Wilson's Double Take (don't dismiss this even if you know how to do a DL already...)

I'm not familiar with the contents, but the fairly recent reprint of "Secrets of Brother John Hammon" got a lot of magicians excited and contains a lot of gaffed/gimmicked effects, I think with explainations of how to make said gimmicks.

Happy hunting.
 
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