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John Kokot New user 96 Posts |
If I were to recommend a single book to a serious beginner, it would be one of the following five titles (alphabetical by author):
Bruce Elliott. "Classic Secrets of Magic" (1953). Henry Hay. "The Amateur Magician's Handbook" (1950). Harry Lorayne. "The Magic Book" (1977). Bill Tarr. "Now You See It, Now You Don't! Lessons in Sleight of Hand" (1976). Mark Wilson. "Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic" (1975). These five books were all published in the last century. Based on a cursory search of Amazon.com, dozens of beginners' books have been published in the 21st Century. To list them all, or even a few of them, would be tedious. Unfortunately, in my ignorance, I have not read any of these 21st Century introductions to magic. For those who have, two questions are of interest: Are any of the 21st Century titles you've read worthy of replacing -- not merely being added to -- the aforementioned list of five 20th Century works? (Please name one nominee only.) Which one of the five 20th Century books would you remove from the list to be replaced by your single 21st Century nominee? |
David Todd Inner circle 2328 Posts |
EXCELLENT list of books. I can't think of any more recently published 21st century books on "beginners" or "general" magic that I would choose to replace any of those. But that's a good question to ponder. I'll have to think about that for a bit. (Honestly, I haven't purchased many new magic books , I mostly look for older magic books). I'd probably add "Greater Magic" to the 20th century list , maybe in place of Lorayne's "The Magic Book". (no slam against Lorayne's book, but I have a great affection for "Greater Magic".
I will tell you this: I recently sat down and looked closely at "Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic" again for the first time in years and came away so impressed on what a valuable book it is. I have always liked it , but I think maybe I had forgotten what a wide range of material it covers , with very clear written instructions and illustrations. It would be possible to build several first-rate acts from only the material found in that book. I think I would probably choose that one to recommend to someone beginning to study magic. (and look at the stellar line-up of magicians who contributed to the Wilson book ! Wow. ) When Richard Kauffman publishes the updated and expanded "Greater Magic" in 2022 (I hope) will that count as a 21st century book ? Click here to view attached image. |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Books, Pamphlets & Lecture Notes » » Trapped in the 20th Century (1 Likes) |
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