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Erdnase27 Inner circle 2505 Posts |
I did not see a official review topic for these great books, so I decided to make one. First of all, let's start by saying that I will state my opinion of these books and it is just what it is.. my opinion. At the end of this review I will write some pro's and con's for the books. Yes there are some con's , but all with all I liked these books very much! See if you agree!
It is a week ago that I received my bookset of the Definitive Sankey. A huge collection, 1500+ pages, 1000+ clear photographs 500/600 tricks from one guy we all know: Jay Sankey. When I first opened the box it kinda startled me how huge the books actually were. Think Kaufman's Collected Almanac size. Upon opening the books I noticed how fresh and modern the lay out was. The page quality is study book quality, there is more then 1 color in the book instead of the so typical black white books which constitues 99% of the magic books and there was one thing that was a pro for me immediately. Just like with the collected almanac, the pages remained open when the book was opened at the table. There is nothing more frustrating then practising a sleight, book in hand and the book closes! The quality of the books itself is very very good! Let's check out the insides: The books were 150 euro for me total ( a little bit more expensive then in the USA) but I immmediately recognised the value of these books. How can you go wrong with 150 euro for 3 fat books with zillions of tricks and 1 dvd? Well.. you can't ! The books are filled with extra's! First of all the authors asked 10 noteable magicians to list their top 10 Sankey tricks. These are scattered troughout the book and a huge pro for me is the lay out of the book. When a trick is a top 10 trick it displays the picture of the magician who listed it as their top 10 trick on the right side of the page. Also there is an impromptu label added to the upper right corner of the page to denote wether a trick is impromptu or not. The tricks are all classic Sankey tricks ofcourse and all the classics, with an exception of few, are in the book. This is just a huge collection! Quantity and quality in my humble opinion! Everything is ordered for easy reference. There is a chapter on tricks with the Erdnase change, Coin magic, Gimmicked Card Magic, Close up Mentalism etc etc etc etc. Just HUGE! Paperclipped, Omnilope and all the other Sankey classics are in the book! What I liked aswell is that the authors said when a trick isn't actually practical. Instead of saying that everything is good, the authors stated their opinion. I like that honesty. After reading and flipping trough these books I must say I am really impressed. There are some things I did't like but I listed these below (to keep the review as fair as possible). I think you can't go wrong for the price. This is a bargain! Where in the world could you get 3 huge books with 1 DVD for 150 dollars? The quality is excellent, the pictures are clean and all with all I am happy that I bought them. Verdict: Quantity: 5/5 Quality: 5/5 Price: 5/5 Pro's: - Many extra's - 1 free DVD to come along with it - The quality of the books are excellent - Every trick has a star system to indicate the trick's difficulty - Excellent writing style - The book remains open when lied flat on the table! - Jay Sankey is funny Con's: - Think encyclopedic, there are not many really detailled explanations considering the finer details. it is a write up of Sankey's best tricks. - Small writing errors throughout the book - Sometimes the given reference pagenumbers don't match the real pagenumbers the trick is on - Slowmotion Coins isn't in the book - Not all DVD's are in the bibliography (44 and The International Collection aren't in the books) - Sometimes an effect is considered impromptu while you need different gimmicks, while yet another effect is considered non impromptu while it is actually impromptu (think messiah vanish) - Sometimes I don't get the Star system (for example, Tenkai pinch is 4 stars, Pointy transfer is 4 star difficulty, yet mexican jumping coins (which uses both moves) is considered an easy trick at 1 star difficulty?) Final Verdict: 8,5/10 You should buy these books. They are not perfect but I really appreciate all the work and effort that went into these books! You can't go wrong for the price. To me, this is one of the best buys of the last couple of years! Have fun to be Sankeytised! |
Vlad_77 Inner circle The Netherlands 5829 Posts |
Nice review Erdnase. I will add that fans of Paperclipped will love the extended treatment it gets in the chapter devoted to it. Mentalists might want to take a peek (pardon the pun). I am curious too why Slowmotion Coins was excluded from the set which contains a wealth of classic Sankey material. Perhaps Andi or Joshua might enlighten us?
Again, really nice, accurate review Erdnase. Then again, from you I would expect no less. Namaste, Vlad PS: I know some people LOATHE the "namaste" in my posts, but, it's the Truth. |
Tim Hannig Inner circle Chicago area 1147 Posts |
Mine are on the way.... can't wait!
Author of PERFORM, the 2020 Magic Cafe Book of the Year
"I loved this book!" Ken Weber "4 out of 4 stars!" Nick Lewin "This will be a classic of magic!" Mark Pocan performbettershows.com |
ixnay66 Inner circle Denver 1525 Posts |
Slowmotion Coins is a nice trick. I was surprised as well.
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Erdnase27 Inner circle 2505 Posts |
Have fun reading it Tim Hannig! I am sure you will
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Daren Inner circle 2051 Posts |
I think from memory there is a trick in the bok called fifth element which is basically slow motion coins but with an added kicker
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Tim Hannig Inner circle Chicago area 1147 Posts |
My books came today... let me soak in the ideas and I'll check back here in a couple of years.
: )
Author of PERFORM, the 2020 Magic Cafe Book of the Year
"I loved this book!" Ken Weber "4 out of 4 stars!" Nick Lewin "This will be a classic of magic!" Mark Pocan performbettershows.com |
Magiguy Inner circle Seattle, WA 5467 Posts |
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Caliban Special user 727 Posts |
Quote:
On 2012-08-21 14:28, Daren wrote: There is no Fifth Element in the book. The only trick title containing either of those words is The Fifth Quarter in Volume 3, which uses the Pop up Move - but it's not really Coins Across, it's either a vanish of 4 coins, or the change of 4 coins into something else. Is that the effect you were thinking of? I've never seen Slowmotion Coins, but a few people on here have expressed surprise it wasn't included as it's one of their favourite Sankey routines, so I'm curious what it is ... |
Tim Hannig Inner circle Chicago area 1147 Posts |
I started a thread about the "top ten" effects from the Definitive Sankey here:
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......um=110&0
Author of PERFORM, the 2020 Magic Cafe Book of the Year
"I loved this book!" Ken Weber "4 out of 4 stars!" Nick Lewin "This will be a classic of magic!" Mark Pocan performbettershows.com |
michaelmystic2003 Inner circle 3062 Posts |
I love these books, but the "complete" list of Sankey releases at the end of Volume 3 isn't at all "complete". I immediately noticed 3 omissions and there are possibly more.
Learn more about my upcoming book of close up magic and theory SYNTHESIS & SECRETS: A Magic Book in Four Acts: https://www.michaelkrasworks.com/synthesis-secrets
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mindpirate Regular user Northern Virginia 186 Posts |
My set arrived today. These books are huge! I can't wait to dive in. Anyone recommendations on effects from these books they just love?
~MindPirate~
www.magicianschoice.net www.magicofben.com It can not be...and yet...it can - Tommy Wonder |
motown Inner circle Atlanta by way of Detroit 6127 Posts |
What do you like to do?
"If you ever write anything about me after I'm gone, I will come back and haunt you."
– Karl Germain |
thelearner Regular user Bournemouth, UK 187 Posts |
I just got this set for my birthday and I'm already really chuffed. It's such a huge collection and I'm slowly getting through them. I'd definitely recommend them. Awesome set with good detail, good pictures and some fantastic effects. Just need to quit my job so I have time to learn them all.
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smullins Special user United States 678 Posts |
I finally made it all the way through. There is a TON of material in here. Like most Sankey items... Gems are hidden in them!
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JustCraig New user 48 Posts |
I have been tempted with this set for a while. I am a huge fan of Sankey's work and have a lot of his material already which is kinda putting me off as I don't just want to end up duplicating what I already have.
I must admit though, it does look good and from what I have read from the table of contents there are probably hundreds of effects that I have not seen. |
Dirko Loyal user Michigan 287 Posts |
Anyone have the set that is willing to sell......please pm me if you would like to sell these.
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