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SMorris Magic New user Manchester, England 51 Posts |
Hi guys,
I was told when I was younger that "To see our future, we must first understand our past." As I delve and become more involved with magic, the more I would like to learn about the history of magic. Whilst Card College gave some interesting facts regarding the history of cards, I am still lacking a more in-depth history. Searches through the Internet has given snippets of magic history and shaping forces but I tend to prefer the company of books - is there any that can be recommended? Thanks |
SMorris Magic New user Manchester, England 51 Posts |
Hi guys,
I also just wanted to post that I also understand that with the above quote, it represents the establishing of solid foundations within our techniques. In order to progress further with cards or IT for example, we must first learn how others have dealt with their experiences before we can begin to grow into our experiences and explore new ideas. But as before , I would love some recommendations for books on the history of magic. Thanks |
DomKabala Inner circle I've grown old after diggin' holes for 2827 Posts |
I know of one very good book by Milbourne Christopher..."The Illustrated History Of Magic". I am sure there are many others. Good luck!
Cardamagically yours, <<<KRaZy4KaRdZ>>>
We don't stop playing when we grow old...we grow old when we stop playing.
God is enough, let go, let God. Gal 2:20 "Anything of value is not easily attained and those things which are easily attained are not of lasting value." |
SMorris Magic New user Manchester, England 51 Posts |
Hi KRZ4kardz,
Many thanks for the recommendation. Having looked around on the Internet, it seems to be recommended by David Copperfield himself citing it to be "the best source on the topic." Having used that as a search term, I also happened to stumble on this page which gives me more than enough learning material on magic. |
Noel M Loyal user San Rafael. CA 208 Posts |
Christopher's book is excellent for history. I read it when it first came out. Another good book that has history combined with methods is Henry Hay's Amateur Magicians Handbook, There is a current book called Hiding the Elephant (author's name slips my mind) that is a good look at magic history.
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Jaypoc New user 59 Posts |
I am reading Hiding the Elephant now. It's written by Jim Steinmeyer and is very interesting.
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molsen Special user Copenhagen 552 Posts |
I found The Illustrated History Of Magic at an outdoor book market 2 weeks ago, and it is a pleasure to read.
I can't find any magic shops or book shops with magic books here in Amsterdam. If anyone knows of a place, I am very interested! Otherwise I will have to buy books online, which I for some reason don't really like. Michael |
Payne Inner circle Seattle 4571 Posts |
Sydney Clarke's Annals of Conjuring, most recently revised and published by Todd Karr's Miracle Factory is one of the best books on the overall history of magic.
"America's Foremost Satirical Magician" -- Jeff McBride.
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airship Inner circle In my day, I have driven 1594 Posts |
I also heartily recommend the Learned Pig Project website. It has archived many of the older, classic magic books from 100 or more years ago. If you're interested in what magicians were doing in the past, and how they were doing it, it's a great resource.
http://thelearnedpig.com.pa/ BTW, you have to apply and wait for membership approval. Be patient. It usually takes a few weeks to get approval back, but it's well worth the wait.
'The central secret of conjuring is a manipulation of interest.' - Henry Hay
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SMorris Magic New user Manchester, England 51 Posts |
Hi Airship,
I have been seeing 'The Learned Pig' popping up here and there and it certainly sounds like a worthwhile membership. I am quite interested in the magic articles they have regarding the magic arts as well as programs from old-time magicians - would love to see what they have to offer. Many thanks, Stephen |
Jaypoc New user 59 Posts |
Quote:
On 2006-07-25 02:53, molsen wrote: I am the exact opposite. I prefer buying the books online. I find you can usually get much better deals. Also, if you're leary about dealing with online vendors, stick to the bigger or more well known ones. I bought Royal Road, Bobo's, Hiding the Elephant, and a few other books all on Amazon.com (They have Illustrated History also). Sure, some of the magic books I've seeked out are not available on there, but I usually listen to experiences of my peers when selecting an "unknown" shop, especially if I'm spending over $100. AND I use PayPal whenever possible so I'm not giving the sellers any credit card/personal information that could be exploited. |
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