Hi.

I am sorry for this very noob question.

The question is not for me but for a relative. During this lockdown I have a close relative who has been trying to learn magic. His birthday is coming up and I was thinking about buying him something to help him learn; a kit or book. I want to encourage him and I want it also to be funny.

This relative is my 70 something father, he has plenty of time on his hands

Again. Sorry, I am not making light of your profession, I love good magic. This is an honest question to professionals for good advice on a good gift.

Thanks

What a coincidence. In 1995 my dad was 70. I bought him some tricks from a local magic shop to occupy his time while recovering from a long hospital stay. (I had no "real" interest in magic)
Well in learning those tricks to help him, I got hooked. That was the start of my magical career.

I think it depends on your dad's interests. You can check www.penguinmagic.com they have plenty for beginners.

Thanks David. I see that site is USA. Not a problem usually but I have 2 weeks to get the gift and the giftee is in UK. Post is pretty up and down now, especially international.

Thanks for the suggestion though David and interesting to hear how you started. While I'm looking into this, I'm starting to get interested myself

For online orders in the UK (their physical shop in London has closed), try Davenport’s Magic: https://www.davenportsmagic.co.uk/

Thanks Karnak. Looking through their site now.

Don't laugh but this item looked perfect https://www.davenportsmagic.co.uk/deluxe......-trick-2 but sadly out of stock. Something similar to that would be great.

https://www.davenportsmagic.co.uk/super-......ic-trick beyond my price range but amazing.

Yeah, might want to start out with something with a price tag somewhere in between those two items.

For UK delivery, I would recommend two sites:

Big Blind Media has lots of beginner tricks, including DVDs and downloads, depending on what sort of magic he's interested in. https://bigblindmedia.com

Alakazam is also a good option, especially if he might want something with some interesting props. https://www.alakazam.co.uk

Both sites are UK-based and have sections of "Beginner Magic" or "Self-Working" and "Easy to Do" to browse.

I know there's a list of recommended beginner books and DVDs listed here on the Café.

Good luck.

If you’re looking for something quick, why not download a video or two? LLepub is a good place.
If you want to do card tricks, I recommend Michael Ammar’s card miracles series.

Get Mark Wilson's Complete Course In Magic book, a set of sponge balls, two decks of cards (one red and one blue backed), magicians rope and a cheap set of cups and balls. Get these things and he will be busy for quite awhile.

Magically

Aus

Thanks guys. Lots for me to look at. Much appreciated.

A nice gaffed deck of cards is always a fun one. Many of them have a DVD accompaniment.
Live a Svengali Deck w/ Daryl's DVD. Or an Invisible deck.
Knowing one or 2 amazing card tricks can really give a person a jump start.

I'd caution against getting a magic kit that seems to include all kinds of bits and pieces. Learning magic isn't so much about getting props, but it's especially about good technique, presentation, and being entertaining. A beginner will learn more from some proper magic instruction, such as a good book or video, that teaches some quality tricks with a deck of cards, and explains how to present it well.


This article may help:

Recommended Resources For Beginners In Card Magic

Some good "self-working card tricks" may be a good place for an older guy to get started. There's some fantastically strong magic in this category, and the suggested books and videos mentioned there will help point you in the right direction:

Why You Should Try Self-Working Card Tricks

Thanks for those extra suggestions. The card tricks seem a good way to go. He seems very interested in levitation tricks though. He is never going to be a pro and I can not imagine him being a good performer, but it would be great to get him something he can learn and show the grandkids at Christmas.

THanks again for not taking the **** out of me.