Hello fellow thaumaturges and tricksters!

I am popping up from my hillside hidey-hole somewhere on an enchanted island.

Wonderment has been a strong element in my life from a very early age. I was captivated [like many of us, I am sure] by a small radiant box of magic tricks. I remember a set of plastic walnut shells and foam pea; a snapper; and a very leaky tiny lota jug.

I started performing magic at children’s parties when I was still a child. I’ve kept a gig journal since I was 12; it’s like a time-travel device, and I am amused to follow my journey with the linking rings, egg bag, and assorted production boxes. Magic has never left me; there have been times when I have performed very regularly, and times when I’ve locked myself away to study, practice, and explore. I think this pattern of activity and meditative crafting has really kept me burning.

My good fortune was to meet some astonishing people in my youth, whose wisdom and kindness still energise me. These magic elders include: Harold Taylor; Harry Baron; Dick Turpin; Alec Pendle; Don and Carol Simpson; Steve Valentine.

Although I enjoy simplicity, I am a great devotee of apparatus. My list of conjuring delights would have to include: rope tricks; rings; silks; and boxes. I am also very much entangled in mechanical puzzles.

I could go on, but that would be self-indulgent. I look forward to joining in a discussion or five, and supping deeply at the infinite tables here at the Magic Café.

Till we meet again, I wish you all the joy and inspiration that magic can bring.

Welcome, Dr. Dee!

When I first started, Harold Taylor's column in Supreme's Magigram was a favorite.

I look forward to reading of your tales and adventures in the world of magic!

Thank you, Jerry! Brilliant you, I had entirely forgotten about Harold Taylor’s appearance in Magigram. I know some of these articles appear in his lecture notes. But it would be fun to explore Magigram for more of his insight.

Have you read his book ‘Angle of a Pro’? It’s full of gems, and his wisdom and kindness shine through.

As a teenager, I felt that time with Harold Taylor was like time with Dr Who!

Dr Dee, with NO FULL PROFILE< are you a He or She. ????????? My Sisters name is Dee.

Thank you for the welcoming, Russo. Best wishes to you and your sister. I am a He.
Dee is a good first name and last name for everyone. And not a bad pseudonym, I hope.

You have reminded me of my favourite Rousseau wisdom:

“The BEST is the enemy of the GOOD.”

I think of this every time perfectionism threatens to paralyse my practice.

Funny how time clouds the brain. I went back to Harold Taylor’s book The Harold Taylor Story: Magic as Entertainment — ‘The Angle of a Pro’ which is really an anthology of lecture notes, memories, anecdotes, top tips, and his writings in Magigram. The Magigram articles make up all of Part Two, p68-229.

Such a bumper collection. Jerry, if you are reading this, grab a copy. Actually, all you good magicians, acquire this for your ‘5-foot shelf’!

Thanks, I never knew that. That was very generous of Harold.

This topic made me a bit nostalgic and I dug out my earliest Magigrams from 1985 and found Harold's columns.

That's when I first discovered Supreme (and Edwin and Ian) and saw that my own style of entertaining children was very much like theirs.

I smiled at all the penciled-in notes I put in the margins so long ago.

I found Magic as Entertainment still available from VM. Thanks for the tip!

For this reason alone I am glad I emerged from lurk….

That’s a lovely trail you’ve followed, Jerry, and you’ll find Magic as Entertainment quite the pot of gold. Although it’s hard to top finding your notes and reflecting on the magic journey!

Here’s a little Taylor-made wisdom:

Magic has an irresistible fascination for all ages. There is no finer form of entertainment than a well presented performance of magic, full of fun, fantasy, mystery and laughter. Believe in this. (Magic as Entertainment p.294)