I have been looking into these books.
I have been performing magic for about a year and a half.
Does anyone recommend this book?
It sounds great.
Thanks.

They are great.
Do a search, you'll find a lot of information about the books.

If I may recommend an inexpensive alternative, the CD at http://www.lybrary.com has the original Tarbell Course for only $37. The hardback books you're thinking of have only 1.5 volumes worth of material that the CD doesn't have -- and the 1.5 volumes worth wasn't put together by Tarbell.

The Tarbell Course is an excellent introduction to many different fields of magic -- balls, eggs, cards, silks, mentalism, coins, etc. There's also lots of good information about many classic effects like the Linking Rings, Sympathetic Silks, Okito Box, Egg Bag and so forth.

Tarbell can really broaden your magical horizons. On the other hand, if you already know what you like, it may have a lot of material that doesn't interest you. So you have to decide if the Tarbells would be helpful or not at this point in your hobby.

My only other comment is that the patter for many of the effects is somewhat dated, being 75+ years old at this point. However, that's not a big deal, because you should always come up with your own patter anyway.

I don't think you can go wrong with Tarbell, it's a great learning tool and reference. I'd suggest getting one or two volumes to start, see if you like it, and them buy additional volumes as you progress. That way you're not making a big investment sight unseen. Good Luck! SETH

Brilliant books.Thousands of effects are covered in thousands of pages.
Andre

The Tarbell Course In Magic should be in every Magicians library. They contain enough material to last you a life time. Definately worth a purchase

Get all 8!!!! These are refered to in so many magic books you will need them...

They are great! Get volumes 1-8 and the Tarbell Companion (which was edited by Seve Burton 1994). There are many tricks being put out today as 'new'. After reviewing these books, many of these 'new' effects are in these books.

Jim

Aboslutely fantastic. Many "new" efects can be found in these volumes-folks have just forgotten about them

People bring up the Tarbell series frequently, but I again just want to reiterate how good these books are. I spent some time leafing through Tarbell #1 just the other night, and you wouldn't believe how many "new" principles in marketed effects come directly out of Tarbell (as everyone has already said)! Moreover, there were some great explanations for basic card and coin stuff; I significantly improved my pass immediately after going through the description in this book.

Get them now!! All 8 books are totally brilliant. The cheapest place I found to buy them, believe it or not, was the magic shop in downtown disney in Florida. It was only a fraction of the price the magic shops here in London charge.

http://www.themagicwarehouse.com these have the tarbell course in magic pretty cheap

Is there any other book like the tarbell? (i mean with so many different fields of magic)

Another good book that offers information on many different types of magic is "Hugard's Magic Manual"; it was originally published in the 1940's as the "Modern Magic Manual." The book was written by Jean Hugard, a fine vaudeville magician and well-known magical author.

The book has now been republished by Dover Books (I guess the copyright has expired) and is available from Barnes & Noble as well as the Amazon website. See http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det......;s=books

At around $12, it's a real bargain. Although it's not as detailed as Tarbell and does not include as many routines, it's still a very good buy. SETH

YES, EVERYONE!

YES, EVERYONE!