Dec 10 2008
“Where do you get your stuff?”
Aside from “How do you do that?” the most common question I get is “where did you learn how to do that?”
Amusingly enough, I have the same answer for both.
I learned most of what I do on stage from printed sources. I use books (which in this case will cover ‘everything in print on paper’ ) as my primary source of new material for a number of reasons:
- I’m cheap. You can get a lot of information out of a book on magic. Your average book has at least ten or more effects in it, which makes it likely that you’ll find at least one thing that’s “you” in there, rather than shelling out $30 for a DVD with one trick on it only to learn that that particular trick, though brilliant, won’t work for your character, your environment, or is just … bad. With a book, you get more for your money.
Also, there’s a lot of libraries out there. And you don’t have to pay to borrow a magic book from a library. See? I told you I was cheap. - Books are portable. Don’t get me wrong, you can learn some really cool stuff from videos and DVDs and the like, but you also have to tote around something to play said video on if you’re not staying at home by yourself with a guarantee of no disturbances. With a book, you can stop, come back, flip backwards or forwards, and study a passage or sequence until it makes sense to you.
This is a lot more important than it may sound at first. - It weeds out the chaff. If you’ve spent any time reading magic reviews from one of the “Industry” magazines like Genii or MAGIC, you’ve probably seen a few reviews which are pretty bluntly abusive of video makers who have poor production skills, bad dialog, bad hair and the like. The simple fact of the matter is that it takes more time, effort and, unfortunately, more quality to bust out an actual book these days than it does to make a video. I know that because I can make a video in about three hours, counting the time I spend in front of the camera.
Aside: e-books are available all over the place and run the gamut from really cheap to far more expensive than the printed kind. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of quick and dirty ebooks out there which do little more than cost you money for stuff you can’t or won’t use. I’m not saying there aren’t good ebooks out there, just that you’re going to be better served with hardcopy for your first forays.
The books I usually suggest for folks who want to get are, in order of “depth”, The Klutz Book of Magic, Mark Wilson’s Complete Course in Magic, and The Tarbell Course in Magic.
(Note: No links, as that would be a violation of the TOS for today.com - you can find the first two books at any major online book source. The third series will take some hunting down, but is worth it if you’re very, very serious. You can also email me if you want to get the set.).
The Klutz Book of Magic: The folks at Klutz Press have held a soft spot in my heart since I learned to juggle with their book “Juggling for the Complete Klutz” (yes, it works, and it works brilliantly). The Klutz Book of Magic is a really nice way to get your “feet wet”, as it provides a bunch of different effects, a bunch of simple props to do the tricks, and an easy, accessible writing style with plenty of amusing yet effective illustrations. Plus it contains the Special Gimmicks you need to do everything in the book (with the exception of a dollar bill and an orange, if I recall correctly).
The Mark Wilson Complete Course In Magic: Originally a mail-order course (as was Tarbell’s), this omnibus is a more in-depth way to get involved in magic, covering cards, ropes, handkerchiefs, paper, large illusions, very tiny magic tricks, pretty much the gamut. It’s a very good way to get information on a lot of different aspects of magic in one go, and try out different things to see if they’re a good “fit”. The original Tobias the Adequate Magic Show pretty much came entirely from this book, frighteningly enough.
The Tarbell Course in Magic is an eight book series (holy moley) compiling Harlan Tarbell’s correspondence course in magic. If there was such as thing as an “Encyclopedia of dang near every magic trick and effect for the past 60 years,” this would be it.
As I move forward in my career, I find myself going back to these books again and again. Reading them all the way through is, well, like reading through the encyclopedia. On the other hand, every time you see an advertisement for a “New” magic effect, the odds are good you can go into Tarbell and find it right there. For about $200.00, you have what’s being sold as individual tricks for thousands.
A quick poll of my local library found a copy of Mark Wilson’s book - and there’s plenty of other magic books available at your local library, or via the “library share” programs.
I’ve said it before - Cheap Magic Rules!
