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| Topic: On Robert Neale |
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| So I've just been devouring Eugene Burger's Magical Voyage videos and I have to say, for all the respect I have for Burger and that's immense, the stuff on the tape that really knocked my socks off were the effects and ideas Burger credited to Bob Neale. I've been digging around various online curio shops looking at the Neale work available and I was happy to discover there's quite a bit of it. That having been said, it's a bit difficult to know where to start since I didn't really know anything about him before aside from having heard the name a couple of times. Can anybody give me any good suggestions on where to start reading? |
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| Bob Neale's books are a very interesting read. I highly recommand the book he has written with Eugene Burger and his book on card stories (Life, Death and other card tricks). |
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| High praise from the author of hauntiques, one of my favorite books on magic. I was considering the book with burger as a starting point and with yr recommendation I think that may be a lock. |
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| It is an excellent read. It remains one of my favorites, and I would second the Curator's recommendation. |
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| What's the title of the book co-written by Neale and Burger? Good place to find Neale's books? I'm not finding them at my usual haunts. |
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That is called Magic and Meaning. Much of his works are out of print but not extremely hard to find. I believe most of his books were published by Stephen Minch's Hermetic Press and lo and behold there is now a new expanded version of Magic and Meaning available! WooHoo! http://www.hermeticpress.com/ PS, It looks like most of his stuff is available at that site... Magic and Meaning This is not a Book Tricks of the Imagination Magic Mirror Unfortunately, Life Death and Other Card Tricks is out of print. There is also a great DVD of him available called A Celebration of Sides. Aside from being a great magician and an all-around great guy, Bob is also a noted Origamist and often integrates his amazing knowledge of the properties of paper into his effects for some cool and very weird items to be constructed. He has published a couple of books on Origami. |
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I bought Magic Mirror (which I love) from a nearby magic shop. When I took it up to the till the owner, with contempt in his voice, said, "I thought you were interested in magic..." sneering, he continued "...this is just a bunch of puzzles." "PUZZLES.." he said once more with great emphasis and great disdain. I just smiled and nodded, humoring him. Its a great book. |
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| Oh brother. He was just angry you didn't buy his godforsaken evil card duck. Bob Neale has forgotten more about magic than that guy ever knew. |
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| That would be a magic shop I never shopped in again. What a jerk. Who cares if it was a book of puzzles, why would you be so rude to a customer or disdainful about a product you carry? |
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There's a Neale chapter in SW Paper Magic by Karl Fulves. Barry |
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Happily I Own all of RENs books. HE is a brilliant man. THe basics of many of his effects are so much more than mere puzzles. IF a puzzle is all you see, you are blind to the deeper magical meanings being created with them. Happily, I have the privilege of knowing Bubby as a friend and mentor. Kotah |
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| I agree that they are far more than puzzles. Even something as simple as his Brick Wall can induce wonderment with a compelling story. |
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Another book not mentioned is" olding Money Fooling - Written by Robert Neale - Illustrated by Earle Oakes; Edited by Samuel Randlett - The Art of Origami, when performed with paper money, is one of the most magical and entertaining demonstrations you can give. Now, imagine it combined with tricks and you understand the concept of this book. Robert Neale is one of the most famous men in the field of Origami and a well-known author and creator of magic. Artist Earle Oakes took over one year to draw the 500 step-by-step illustrations that make even the most intricate fold easy to learn. Origami guru Samuel Randlett, the author of two definitive classic in the field, spent hundreds of hours editing the text for maximum clarity. Imagine being able to fold a dollar bill into a beautiful creation, do a trick with it and then give it to the spectator! In Folding Money Fooling, bills change shape, magically transform into six different objects, find selected cards, get stabbed and restored and even shrink! Robert Neale's famous Bunny Bill, where a bunny magically appears from a top hat folded from a dollar bill is included in this text. In addition to magic tricks, this book also contains unique action figures and baffling puzzles, all constructed with nothing more than the paper currency carried in your pocket! Hardbound. |
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[quote]On 2009-04-26 23:06, Thamiel wrote: I bought Magic Mirror (which I love) from a nearby magic shop. When I took it up to the till the owner, with contempt in his voice, said, "I thought you were interested in magic..." sneering, he continued "...this is just a bunch of puzzles." "PUZZLES.." he said once more with great emphasis and great disdain.[/quote] Based on that exchange, I'd infer that he'd never actually read the book. There's no way the first half of the book could be dismissed as being concerned with puzzles. As for the last half, I can see how someone with a very narrow worldview might interpret the effects as puzzles. But any magic presented carelessly is a puzzle. It's up to us to elevate our magic beyond that. I'm glad you read and enjoyed the book despite the shop owner's evaluation. |
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| Working in a magic shop I can tell you now that I love Neales work, in fact I have a little shelf devoted to Bizzare writings. The owner though, he thinks they are all crap, so to each their own....mind you, my other collegue has a similar thought about the neale stuff... |
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[quote] On 2009-04-27 17:33, David Parr wrote: [quote]On 2009-04-26 23:06, Thamiel wrote: I bought Magic Mirror (which I love) from a nearby magic shop. When I took it up to the till the owner, with contempt in his voice, said, "I thought you were interested in magic..." sneering, he continued "...this is just a bunch of puzzles." "PUZZLES.." he said once more with great emphasis and great disdain.[/quote] Based on that exchange, I'd infer that he'd never actually read the book. There's no way the first half of the book could be dismissed as being concerned with puzzles. As for the last half, I can see how someone with a very narrow worldview might interpret the effects as puzzles. But any magic presented carelessly is a puzzle. It's up to us to elevate our magic beyond that. I'm glad you read and enjoyed the book despite the shop owner's evaluation. [/quote] And David should know because he authored it with Robert Neale! No one brought this up so I had to. David is too shy. ;-P Ok, he's not shy at all. |
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While there are many important magic titles in and out of print, I personally consider “Magic and Meaning” to be the most important and influential book on our art to be published within the last fifty years. I’ve recommended it to numerous magicians and in many cases it has altered their perceptions of what magic is, what magic can be, and what is possible in our art-form. Over the years it has been very, very difficult to obtain a copy of the book, it was frequently out of print, and used copies were rare, I’m happy beyond measure that it’s now back in print, and in an expanded edition at that! It is sure to become a rarity once again and probably a collector’s item. I’ve just purchased six copies, for myself and colleagues, so next time someone really needs to read what the brilliant Robert Neale and Eugene Burger have written, I can get a copy into their hands. This for me was the “bible” of the new magic which helped to shape and expand my vision, and indeed my career as a professional entertainer. Right now Hermetic Press if offering a pre-pub price of $32 rather than the list of $40, so now is the time to get your copy(s). Although, I’d even part with $100 for the information in this volume. Magically, Walt |
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Since this is a Neale thread I was wondering if anyone knew where one could find the six-card swindle....was it just published separately or was it included in one of his books? Thanks |
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| 'Tricks of the Imagination' is another Neale book worth reading. |
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| Robert really has clever stuff. |
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| I wonder if there exists a bibliography of Neale's works, at least those dealing with magic. Anyone know of such? |
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| There is another forum that has all kinds of stuff available. But I think it's invitation only. Perhaps there are experts here that contributed there? |
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Magic Matters - Highest reccommendation! Review here for a review on this book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_woxEFVTd4 Go here to Mr. Neale website" http://www.theoryandartofmagic.com/ |
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| Whilst it is a small manuscript, "Frog Tales", is another Neale published piece that hasn't been mentioned here. |
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"Magic and Meaning Expanded" is out of print but still available at this writing as an ebook for anyone searching for it. It is still possible to find hardbacks on the secondary market but it is often quite pricey. http://www.hermeticpress.com/product_info.php?products_id=106 |
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| I had owned most of Bob's books, yet unfortunately am no longer in possession of them (long and depressing story)... Nevertheless, what are people's thoughts on his, [b][i]"Nine Uneasy Pieces"[/i][/b] book? Any thoughts or opinions on it? I'm considering purchasing it, as it is one of the few books I have never had a chance to check our by him. On a side note, Bob Neale is a great and very nice guy, sat down and built with him a many times at a bunch of the ICBM Gatherings in the mid-2000s. One of the most genuine and creative thinkers in magik for sure! |
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[quote]On Jun 22, 2015, Nyama Possessor wrote: I had owned most of Bob's books, yet unfortunately am no longer in possession of them (long and depressing story)... Nevertheless, what are people's thoughts on his, [b][i]"Nine Uneasy Pieces"[/i][/b] book? Any thoughts or opinions on it? I'm considering purchasing it, as it is one of the few books I have never had a chance to check our by him. On a side note, Bob Neale is a great and very nice guy, sat down and built with him a many times at a bunch of the ICBM Gatherings in the mid-2000s. One of the most genuine and creative thinkers in magik for sure! [/quote] I just got "Nine Uneasy Pieces" so its too soon to comment except to say it looks like if you like Bob's other material, you will probably like this too. I'll try and post more after I have spent some time with it. |
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| I just stumbled across Robert's work in Self-Working Paper Magic. Is there a resource for ideas or images to print on the boxes for Stretchit? Can someone recommend which of his books I should start with if I'm primarily interested in puzzles and optical illusions? |