Boy this has been some good week for me. I received two treasure chests of magic in the way of two great books from Café members here; Kingdom of the Red by Larry Barnowsky and Coinsomnia by Bill Citino. Both are EXCELLENT!

Kingdom of the Red is a beautifully done hardcover with over 200 pages of interesting magic which includes some great coin stuff by the Good Doctor. This book is as professionally done as any anywhere. The pics are sequentially beautiful and as a matter of fact shot by his lovely wife, Esther. She is a brilliant photographer and brings to life every move from coins, to cards to dice and more. Larry is meticulous and quite the craftsman in his work. It is all wonderfully explained and quite comprehensive. It came with a dvd and is just a dynamic package of magic. It should be on everyones bookshelf. There's something magically there for everybody from the Count. Along with his first book "21st Century Coin Mechanics" this latest offering makes for perfect bookends on any magic shelf from A-Z, from stage to closeup to walkaround or even a quick trick or two. Very well done!

http://www.geocities.com/larrybarnowsky/kotr1.html

Coinsomnia is a small blue paperback but plays extremely BIG! Bill Citino has taken his passion for closeup magic with the coins and delivered a real powerpunch in this book. First off, he is very respectful of the craft and thanks everybody involved with what he has put together, many of which are guys on this forum like Eric Godhandz Jones, Mike Gallo, Marc DeSouza and Joe Cole to name a few. Bill's book has the drawn illustrations and they are really nice and visually explain all moves. I love the drawings. It's the way I remember learning magic. With 3 Tools and 10 Effects, Bill takes you on a great ride with some wonderful magic. This guy is good with some great chops and he shares it all in this glossy little blue book. It's great coin magic and as Marc DeSouza says on the back cover, "You're going to have a lot of fun with this stuff..."

http://www.citinomagic.com/

I recommend you get both these books. Larry and Bill are wonderful guys and noted Café members in good standing. They are helpful and quite creative and just what the doctor ordered. They love this stuff and it comes through in every page they wrote. Both books are quite stunning and beautiful. Great work my friends, exceptional! I'm proud to know these guys. -Mb

Hey MB,
Thanks for the kinds word man! I really appreciate it. I haven't yet seen Larry's book but when I get a chance I'll have to look into it. Seems like it's getting a lot of good words about it.

-Bill

MB-
Thanks for reminding me about these two items. They've been on my agenda, both of them, for about a month an a half. Now that you've mentioned them again and said some good things about both, I'll be persuing both, when time and cash allow.
Jim

Thanks Marion for those positive comments about by book/DVD.

It took over a year to write it, edit it, and months working with my graphic artist getting the manuscript into the final form.

Bill's COINsomnia and your Short Pockets plus Bruce Springsteen's Magic tour are a nice trifecta of coin magic this year for the Jersey Boys.

To quote Bruce in the first few bars (the other Boss) from the title song:

I got a coin in your palm
I can make it disappear
I got a card up my sleeve
Name it and I'll pull it out your ear
I got a rabbit in the hat
If you wanna come and see
This is what will be
This is what will be

:spinningcoin:

This weekend only Café members can buy my book/dvd with a money back guarantee:

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......art=30#6