Magic the Complete Course (Workman Publishing)

Toss the tuxedo. No more impaling women in boxes. Lose that top hat and set the rabbit free. Magic is getting a makeover. Forget those tired birthday party tricks or overproduced nonbelievable illusions. Joshua Jay's "Magic" is a complete course, jam-packed with over a hundred amazing but easy-to-learn effects. Much more than a collection of tricks, this book teaches both the mechanics and presentation necessary to perform each trick - since only a mastery of both (plus a lot of practice) makes a real magician. In "Magic", the performance scripts are topical (so you can transition seamlessly from a real conversation into a trick), the props are familiar (often right in front of you), and the magic is unbelievable (leaving your audience perfectly flabbergasted). Chapters cover a wide-range of scenarios in which you will learn to make money appear, predict thoughts and phone numbers, control a participant's decision, and demonstrate superhuman memory. As a bonus, "Magic" recasts some of the classic prop-tricks that historically require rubber thumbs or trick card decks, into new modern effects.