Hay, H. Amateur Magician's Handbook 50

You have this on your list, good stuff. I think it's the most intimate and best written "teaching" volume on coin magic that exists to this day. Chapters 1-2 give the magician a solid foundation on what sleight of hand is all about, and 6-7 cover the coin essentials in a far less obtuse and much more accurate way than Bobo- who really mucks the basics up rather badly in it's illustrations and descriptions.

What TAMH lacks in sheer volume of routines, it more than makes up for in it's explanation of the foundation theory of sleight of hand, and the accurate teaching of the core mechanics.

I know some advanced magicians avoid the book because it has "amateur" in it's title, but the truth is, it is among the cornerstones of sleight of hand magic- most especially coin work. It is brilliantly written.

That's very interesting! The late Bob Cassidy, mentalist extraordinaire, had very high praise for this book as well, and recommended it to mentalists. He said the same thing about the word 'amateur' in the title.

I've found that the vast majority of books about magic tend to be collections of tricks or routines thrown together in various states. There are very few magical writers who really teach....many tend to "tell" you what to do, and a lot of magic book writers reminisce about past magicians and stuff they have experienced during their careers. Really solid books that present practical theory and the application of that in a friendly and interesting way are gems worth searching out.

TAMH is just that. It is divided into head and hand magic, and does a reasonable job covering all magic- but the chapters on coins, cards, and balls are strongest. The chapter on mental magic is very short, featuring Annemann- but, like the rest of the book, Mussey writes so well and intimately that one learns a great deal in a few pages. The qualities he possesses as a writer is a tendency to draw one into the subject in a personal, charming way as he remains concise, on subject and clear. The book also sports wonderful photos- most especially in the earlier editions on better paper.

Where Bobo tends to write about coins in the loosest and least helpful terms possible using illustrations that suffer from poor anatomy at the most inopportune moments- the very same holds, tricks and routines under Hay are presented with clarity and precision.

Magicians here often refer to Bobo's as the "Coin Bible". The term makes me cringe every time I hear it. Just my amateur opinion, of course!

TAMH is one of the best books ever written, IMHO. I always recommend it to any newbie with an interest in magic.
Worth reading & re-reading multiple times.
But we are wandering off subject...😀

I have two hardback editions of TAMH, the third (British) and the fourth (final). I gather the "amateur" in the title was because it was originally part of a series of "amateur" books on various subjects. Highly recommended, although I wasn't terribly impressed by the paperback version when I saw it.

Barry

Totally out of control by Chris Kenner
Art of astonishment series by Paul Harris
Stars of Magic -ez Robbins
Sessions -Joel Givens