Beginners Book Decisions

[kennethcmerrill]

Hey guys! I have a question for the more well-read members here:

I have been planning to pick up Card College Vol 1 & 2 this year, as they've been at the top of my list for a long time, and I feel like I'm 80% there with a lot of my sleights, and perhaps the detail in those volumes can help me work out the finer points of things.

BUT I recently watched Jason England's video on where to start with magic books, and he has some really good suggestions--not to mention I could purchase all of the more common ones for the same price as the two volumes of Card College.

So, for someone who is looking to expand beyond Royal Road, which would you recommend based on your experience?

Obviously the 2nd choice is so much material it would take me years to get through, and it wouldn't make sense to go buying all those books at once probably... Jason's video just got me wondering about the financial sensibility of Card College when you have these other classics that are so affordable. Would love to hear the pros/cons of each.

Card College Vol 1 & 2

OR

Expert Card Technique, Encyclopedia of Card Tricks, Scarne On Card Tricks, Card Control, Expert at the Card Table, and the Magic of Paul LePaul

 

[DavidL11229]

Buy Card College, then the others. Card College is much more organized and focused, it will save you a lot of time. You will have a good library of indexed sleights and you will avoid learning unnecessary or out of date techniques. Then get the others, they are all great and have things which are not in Card College.

 

[Maaz Hasan]

A lot of the actual sleights in Card College 1 & 2 would have been covered in the Royal Road, which you already have, and a few of the other books you mentioned. Card College goes much further in depth, but the other books do have a lot more info in them collectively. I would go with the latter option.

Both Card College volumes will cost around $70 - $80

You can get all the books you mentioned for around $60, though if you look right, you can get them way cheaper.

Also, don't forget to check your local library. A lot of books are available as online versions as downloads from your library's website, and a few might even be in physical copies!

Also, if you are interested in books outside of just card magic, here is a list of cheap beginner level books.
https://www.theory11.com/forums/threads/cheap-books-for-beginners-list.49213/
You might want to mix those in as well.

 

[RealityOne]

Either path is a good one. I think the Card College books are better for learning from. There is a greater level of detail and nuance and the illustrations are great.

Som notes in the other books:

Scarne on Card Tricks is self working effects. A great book, but none of the material is on Card College.

Encyclopedia of Card Tricks is self working effects plus gimmicks - Stripper, Svengali, Short, Rough/Smooth, Mene-Tekel, ect.

I would add Menzler's Counts, Cuts and Subtleties to your list of other books.

Ultimately, you will want all five volumes of Card College and all of the other books. I would start with Card College.

 

[RickEverhart]

Whichever you decide...do not fall into the trap of overwhelming yourself. This happens way too often and then nothing gets worked on or learned to a sufficient level of expertise. Too many books or trying to learn too many card tricks at once can be frustrating. Your initial excitement say to buy as many resources as you can and you'll be great!
Try to refrain from this. Ha.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

I think we all did that, Rick

I always say that being kind of poor can be a blessing in magic. It forces you to really think about what you're going to buy, and then really study it, because that's all you can get, as opposed to being able to impulsively buy anything that catches your eye.

 

[Al e Cat Dabra]

With all the books/information available out there in the realm of cards, the temptation is to be like the proverbial kid in the candy store. More is not necessarily better, and oftentimes less is more. Many magicians I have known (and this includes myself) have focused on learning moves and sleights in a vacuum, rather than mastering specific tricks and routines. Now who am I to judge if that is what someone wants to do and that is what the enjoyment of being in magic is for them? However, in my view, magic is a performance art, and we cannot entertain laymen by executing a bunch of sleights for them. So, I believe that time (and money) is most well spent on getting down one routine at a time and not trying to learn "every sleight in the book." The truth is that with the sleights and subtleties taught in Royal Road, alone, one has enough in the way of tools to perform the overwhelming majority of card routines in existence. There are some great tricks/routines in that book, some that require the sleights that are taught and others which are self-working. These can be adapted or used as a springboard for your own presentations and creativity. As others have suggested here, there is a dilution effect in trying to absorb too much material from a host of books, the unfortunate result often being that many magicians know a lot of moves and tricks on a mediocre level, rather than a solid core of tricks that he/she can perform masterfully.

 

[kennethcmerrill]

Also, don't forget to check your local library. A lot of books are available as online versions as downloads from your library's website, and a few might even be in physical copies!

Also, if you are interested in books outside of just card magic, here is a list of cheap beginner level books.
https://www.theory11.com/forums/threads/cheap-books-for-beginners-list.49213/
You might want to mix those in as well.

Great suggestion on the library! Though I imagine I'll want my own copies of stuff eventually.

And thanks for the other recommendations!

 

[kennethcmerrill]

Ultimately, you will want all five volumes of Card College and all of the other books. I would start with Card College.

Thank you for your detailed thoughts on the books Jason talked about! That's some of the info I was interested in hearing. I'm definitely giving your conclusion a lot of thought.

 

[kennethcmerrill]

Whichever you decide...do not fall into the trap of overwhelming yourself.

Haha, yeah I've definitely been down this road once (or twice) already. I'm being much more selective this go-around, which is why I want to put myself on the most efficient course from the beginning. Either way I'm not planning on buying all the books at once. I just had to wonder which course made the most sense, as Jason's "curriculum" does have a lot more bang for your buck, it seems.

Many magicians I have known (and this includes myself) have focused on learning moves and sleights in a vacuum, rather than mastering specific tricks and routines. I believe that time (and money) is most well spent on getting down one routine at a time and not trying to learn "every sleight in the book."

I'm really glad you brought this up, because it's true that this is something I struggle with. For me it almost feels like a chicken and egg situation where I can't learn routines without knowing the slights, but it's hard really getting a feel for the slights without sort of practicing them in the context of a routine. It's actually made practicing a bit discouraging, as I try to practice complete routines or effects, but I get hung up on sleights I don't have down smoothly yet, and so it really kills the momentum of the routine. It ends up feeling like I'm not really able to practice the performance or the sleights efficiently because it's hard to focus on both at the same time.

I've been trying to treat it like a musical instrument. I'll drill a bunch of sleights for 15 min and then start into an effect or routine I'm trying to learn.

The truth is that with the sleights and subtleties taught in Royal Road, alone, one has enough in the way of tools to perform the overwhelming majority of card routines in existence. There are some great tricks/routines in that book, some that require the sleights that are taught and others which are self-working. These can be adapted or used as a springboard for your own presentations and creativity. As others have suggested here, there is a dilution effect in trying to absorb too much material from a host of books, the unfortunate result often being that many magicians know a lot of moves and tricks on a mediocre level, rather than a solid core of tricks that he/she can perform masterfully.

This is so true. Royal Road is chock full of material. It's pretty overwhelming on its own--which is why I was planning on Card College this year: because I feel like I don't need more material; I need to take a deeper dive into the techniques I'm already working on. I didn't even think about picking up those other books until I saw Jason's video. I respect his opinion a lot, and it made me hesitate with my plan.

Even though it may not provide a lot more material in terms of routines and effects, I think I'll go with Card College for now, since I'm more worried about mastery of what I'm currently working on than learning new techniques/effects. Hopefully Card College will fill in some of the gaps left in Royal Road and what other materials I have.

I also happen to have a copy of Stars of Magic; so I guess if I get really need a change of scenery, I can venture into that every once in a while

 

[trapeze]

I also happen to have a copy of Stars of Magic; so I guess if I get really need a change of scenery, I can venture into that every once in a while

Stars of Magic is invaluable.