Expert assessments of new tricks, books, gear, and performances.
In Henry Harrius’ Refilled, the magician places an empty glass beer bottle into a paper bag and goes through the usual jokes of making it “disappear” and “come back” by turning the bag upside down and holding the bottle through the paper.
This is a classic Scotch and Soda set, but made with keys. There have been many other nesting key effects in the last few years, including some released after Scotch and Whiskey, but Hanson Chien really seems to have produced the most realistic-looking key.
Oliver Meech has produced an easy-to-read collection of even-easier-to-do card material. It is quirky in a Paul Harris, Jay Sankey sort of way that screams “don’t take me too seriously.”
Flamenco is the third in the series of “Bewitched Music” following Sonata (1989) and Mnemonica (2004). Distinct from the other celebrated trilogy that deals with magic in a more abstract theoretical way, this book is tricks and sleights from cover to cover.
From the early 19th century to the present, magicians have devised ingenious methods to defy gravity on stage. Intrigued by this graceful form of illusion, David Haversat has assembled a sumptuous visual record of its evolution.
Dr. Simon Carmel’s fourth book of notable biographies of deaf magicians is a fascinating look at an amazing subculture of our art.
This is a well-made gag which uses yet another property of the cell phone (zooming into a portion of a photograph) to create a visual surprise on a box of playing cards.
Magicians don’t need to still be alive to surprise you. Do you want to read hand-written notes from when Mozart (yes, that one) was studying magic tricks? Thanks to Reinhard Müller and Rainer Buland, now you can.
Enclosed in the 242 pages of Aurelio Paviato’s Studies in Deception is the conjuror’s equivalent of Bach etudes: a dozen complete, professionally stage-tested routines that each focuses on a specific set of sleights and techniques for better structuring one’s magic.
You may well wonder what sort of enhancement to “watch me pull my finger off” is waiting for you inside of the neat red box from Penguin Magic. Or indeed, whether “watch me pull my finger off” has been waiting for $25 of improvement.
Josh Burch has seemingly replaced several different routines, like Scotch and Soda, or the Coin through the Coaster, or even Color Changing Knives, with a set of four special plastic guitar picks.
A signed card teleports to the zipper pocket of your wallet! A minimalist Card to Wallet with a modern aesthetic.