THE TRICK: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det......v=glance

THE NUTSHELL: A surprisingly useful book that I highly recommend to all beginners.

THE REVIEW: I remember the day. In the bookstore, bored out of my mind, I saw Magic For Dummies, after the ten year old had put it down, and I started reading it. I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure that nobody like Paul Harris or Jay Sankey or David Blaine would see me reading such a layman-geared book. I felt like a dummy.

Then, to my shock, as I kept reading, I kept realizing how valuable of a resource this was. The tricks were mostly lame ones, but there was so much other stuff that magic books usually leave out. I bought it, took it home with me, and read it page by page, mystified as to how one of the best beginner books I’d ever seen was in the Dummies Series.

As far as tricks go, they’re not great, but there are a few classics, such as Pencil up the Nose, Salt Shaker thru Table, Ashes thru Palm, and others. There are plenty of flops, and plenty of tricks equivalent to the "seven-columns-seven-rows" BS. I like, however, the great variety of tricks that can be found in the book. Instead of limiting itself to cards, Magic for Dummies’ variety can be seen right in it’s table of contents. There are easy tricks, body tricks, geek tricks, clothing tricks, office supply tricks, money tricks, restaurant tricks, matches tricks, pick a card tricks, party tricks, rope tricks, etc. This book meets everyone’s style (unless you are a stage magician), which is something that few magic books offer.

But the highlight of the book aren’t the tricks. Scattered throughout the books are "Truths of Magic" mini-essays. There are magic cartoons. There are stunts and gags. Icons throughout the margins of the book point out spots of preparation, difficulty, acting, misdirection, risky parts, and tips, within the trick tutorial itself. I haven’t read a book with more precise explanations than the ones in here.

The later chapters in the book are the most valuable for a beginner, or any magician. Chapter 15: Ten Basics of Good Magic. Chapter 16: Ten Classic Moments in Magic History. Chapter 17: Ten Dead Magicians Worth Knowing. Chapter 18: Ten Things to Say When Things Go Wrong. Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Get More into Magic. At the very end are useful appendixes. Appendix A, for example, lists some good Magic Stores, Publishers, Societies, and Magazines. Apendix B offers a glossary of magic words, letting you in on the lingo.

By the way, this book is written with the contributions of "The Advisory Pantheon," which includes several great names, like Michael Ammar, Lance Burton, John Cornelius, Daryl, Paul Harris, Jeff McBride, Gregory Wilson, and Meir Yedid – just to name a few. So if you’re wondering how a book like this is qualified, you can turn to these trusted magicians.

By now, you should see and understand how complete of an education Magic for Dummies is. It offers more than most beginners will get reading Royal Road, or Modern Coin Magic, or even my favorite Now You See It, Now You Don’t! This is not the route to becoming great at flourishes or efficient at sleight of hand. But if you want a solid introduction to magic, there is no better route than Magic for Dummies. It can be purchased at Barnes and Noble and other bookstores. I give it a 9.

I heard that many great things about this book that I had to add it to my magic library

Magic For Dummies was one of my first books, and while I'd like to say it is a useful book for magicians, I'd be lying. If you're just starting out, then it wouldn't hurt to buy it, but if you've been doing magic for more than a few months, you won't find any new effects or theories. There isn't much good advice in it that any intermediate to advanced magician wouldn't already know, hence the term, "Magic for Dummies."

So while I did enjoy it and learned some new stuff from it, four years ago, when I was first starting out, I know now that there are far better books for beginners.

I'd give it a 4.

Shane Wiker

Shane,
I'd be very interested to hear some better books on general magic for beginnners. I've been involved in magic for more than twenty years and I can't think of but one or two that I'd put along side it.

It's fun to read. Filled with good to great magic, easy to find and not expensive.

Other than Learn Magic by Henry Hay or the out of print Magic Digest by George Anderson I can't think of a better beginners book.

Mark Wilson?Lorayne's 'The Magic Book'?Hay's 'Amateur Magician's Handbook'?
Andre

Tarr's "Now You See it, Now You Don't Vols 1-2."

Wsduncan,

The one beginners book I'd recommend over any other would be Henry Hay’s The Amateur Magician's Handbook. I bought it 4 years ago, and still refer to it occasionally.

I'd also recommend Royal Road to Card Magic, Modern Coin Magic, and the Tarbell Course in Magic, but like I said, if you can only get one, get The Amateur Magician's Handbook.

Shane Wiker

Magic for Dummies is responsible for 2 of my all-time favorite tricks to perform. I also get fantastic responses from them.

The tricks are:

1.) Beans through Orifices
2.) Shuffling Lesson

Shuffling Lesson is a superb effect, as well as a lesson in participant management. Whenever I do this trick, the person grabs the cards to examine them, and it is clean as a whistle. I just love this trick.

Jay

Totally agree, Magic For Dummies (MFD) is a great book. It's format is different to most magic books which I found strange at first but then really began to like it. The information hits you in a different way but it has clarity and makes sense. Learn Magic was my first book and still my favourite, I think maybe our first book always becomes our favourite. Magic Digest was an interesting book, at first I never really read it and wasn't a big fan but I found myself going back to it over and over. It's now one of my favourites. I have most of the classics: Hay's AMH, Mark Wilson, Harry Lorayne etc which I acquired to fill out the library, but I guess I was spoiled for first having read Learn Magic and Tarbell first but I will return to MFD over and over.