What makes magic so mesmerizing and captivating? The answer lies in the secret behind the illusions and tricks performed by magicians. The secret of magic lies in the ability of magicians to deceive our senses and create extraordinary experiences. One of the main secrets of magic is misdirection. Magicians are masters of redirecting our attention from their true actions. They skillfully guide our focus to one area, while they secretly perform the trick in another. By exploiting our innate tendency to focus on certain objects or movements, they manipulate our perception and create illusions that seem truly magical.
1 Chapter 1: The Spectator’s Card is Revealed!
2 Wrong Card Tranforms to Selection
4 Card Through the Handkerchief (Dai Vernon & Wallace Galvin)
8 Card on the Ceiling (Jay Marshall)
If you bought this book today and spent one month on each chapter and spent say 100 on props you really could be in the top 1 of magicians in the world after just twelve months. If you bought this book today and spent one month on each chapter and spent say 100 on props you really could be in the top 1 of magicians in the world after just twelve months.
By exploiting our innate tendency to focus on certain objects or movements, they manipulate our perception and create illusions that seem truly magical. Another secret of magic is the art of sleight of hand. Magicians spend countless hours practicing and perfecting the intricate movements of their hands and fingers, allowing them to manipulate objects with incredible dexterity.
Classic Secrets of Magic by Bruce Elliott
… I believe this would be a very worthy contender. Bruce Elliott’s Classic Secrets of Magic is a small book by modern standards: it has only twelve fairly short chapters, with each chapter focusing on a single basic effect and some variations. However, if you were to thoroughly study and learn the magic and routines contained within these chapters and nothing more, ever, you would have enough material to last a lifetime of magical performances.
Very few props are required, the sleights are straight forward, and the magic is beautiful.
In my magical youth I used to perform three card routines from Chapter 1 (the Spectator’s Card is Produced) with the highlight being the Card on the Ceiling; the rice bowls from Chapter 3 (Water, Water, Everywhere!); two paddle routines from Chapter 4 (The Very Peripatetic Paddle); the four ace routine from Chapter 5 (Those Four Aces!); the Egg Bag from Chapter 7 (The Egg Bag, Well Done); two matrix type effects from Chapter 8 (The Two Covers, and the Four Objects …); some simple billiard ball moves from Chapter 9 (Billiards, Magic Style); and the Ambitious Card from Chapter 11 (The Ambitous Card!). I also dreamed of performing effects with Razors, Money and the Cups and Balls from the other remaining chapters.
If you bought this book today and spent one month on each chapter and spent say $100 on props you really could be in the top 1% of magicians in the world after just twelve months. Of this I have absolutely no doubt – provided you were committed to the task, and focused just solely on each chapter of this book.
Of course if everyone did this a lot of magic dealers would go out of business. And you wouldn’t have the excitement of trying out 100’s of different tricks, gimmicks, gadgets, fine wooden and brass collector’s pieces in a vain attempt to find the ultimate effects. This book contains them all, but where is the fun in that? One book, hardly any props to buy and just reading and practicing the same routines for a year? That doesn’t sound very magical does it.
Maybe the true secret of magic is that buying magic props from dealers won’t make you a good magician, knowing 100’s of tricks won’t make you a good magician, but learning just twelve effects really well will.
Like so many magicians before me I have fallen into the trap of thinking more props will allow me to create routines for all occaisions. In reality of course, just twelve effects are needed. I know it’s fun collecting magic. I have been doing it for over thirty years. But in fact if I just had the balls to stick with the Classic Secrets of Magic, I would be more rewarded, save a fortune, and give back a lot more to the art.
Contents: (from book):
ix Preface: Introduction to the book by Bruce Elliot, September 1952
1 Chapter 1: The Spectator’s Card is Revealed!
2 Wrong Card Tranforms to Selection
4 Card Through the Handkerchief (Dai Vernon & Wallace Galvin)
8 Card on the Ceiling (Jay Marshall)
13 Chapter 2: Corncobs
13 Corncob Pipes (Lee Noble): smoke pours from empty pipes in increasingly unbelievable ways (chemical trick)
19 Chapter 3: Water Water Everywhere
19 The Rice Bowls: rice to double rice to water, fully explained
24 Brahmin Bowls: more advanced version (commercial product)
24 Al Baker’s Bowls: another improvement
26 Jardine Ellis Wineglass Production
28 Wineglass Producion: Wally Dean’s approach
32 Chapter 4: The Very Peripatetic Paddle
32 Table Knife Paddle
35 Match and Arrow
35 Business Card Turnover (Francis Carlyle)
36 Dr. Sack’s Dice: a full routine with a pair of dice
47 Chapter 5: Those Four Aces
47 Simple Four Ace Trick: Aces assemble to one pile
50 Wally Dean’s Follow Up: Aces travel to top of deck
52 Collins Ace Trick (Stanley Collins): Aces clearly shown to be in four different piles before assembling
55 Peng Peng (Conradi) One Ace vanishes while packet is in spectator’s hand
56 Ending for Collins Ace: reproducing the Aces
58 Gimmicked Four Aces: with gimmicked cards
60 Slow Motion Ace Trick (Cy Enfield): another Four Ace trick
70 Chapter 6: Miser’s Dream Come True
70 T. Nelson Downs: intro
71 Wally Dean’s Miser’s Dream: starts with wine glass intro
79 Al Flosso: brief description
79 Gimmicks: coin dropper
82 Chapter 7: The Egg Bag, Well Done
82 Simplest Presentation: overview and general approach
84 About the Bag: seems to describe a Tarbelll style bag as opposed to Malini
86 Special Moves: twisting the bag, stepping on it, other convincers
86 Stringed Egg Bag: for a clean vanish
88 Using an Egg-shell
90 Roy Benson’s Egg Multiplication: many eggs appear in the bag
93 Chapter 8: The Two Covers and the Four Objects
93 Chink-A-Chink: coins assemble under two playing cards
100 Four Card Version (Clyde F. Cairy): four cards, coins, a newspaper, and two smaller magazines
109 Chapter 9: Billiards, Magic Style
109 Multiplying Billiard Balls (Walter B. Gibson): with a standard set and a handkerchief
118 Jack Chanin Move: for vanishing the balls
127 Advanced Routine (Walter B. Gibson): adds color changes and a fifth ball
136 Chapter 10: Razor Sharp
136 Razor Blade Swallowing (Lee Noble): razors become attached to thread in the mouth
144 Chapter 11: The Ambitious Card
144 Bruce Elliot’s Routine: multi-phased routine in which the card always comes to the top
159 Chapter 12: The Eternal Cups & Balls
159 The Basic Routine: for any set of cups with a two in the hand and one in the pocket climax
169 Dixie Cup Version (Dr. Franklin V. Taylor): cleverly gimmicked cups
175 Charlie Miller Routine for Coffee Cups: with coffee or tea cups and rolled up dollars
182 Dealer Cups and Balls (Joe Berg, Ande Furlong): another routine for standard commercial cups, a sponge ball, cork balls and jumbo final loads
187 Cup Through Cup Illusion (Johnny Paul)
189 Benson Bowl Routine (Roy Benson): a one cup and ball routine (not a chop cup) using a larger bowl sized cup and sponge balls and a wand
199 In Conclusion: essay on presentation of magic
203 Appendix: List of best-liked effects of magic and twenty most performed effects by American magicians
- Publisher: Harper & Brothers
- Pages: 210
- Location: New York, USA
- Dimensions: 6″x8″
- Date: 1953
- Binding: hardbound
Approx. Price: $12.00 (2003) ***
Notice: I am not a dealer and this item is not for sale on this site. It maybe available in the links below or at our sister site: qualitymagic.com, but not from here so please do not ask.
Through precise hand movements, they can make objects appear or disappear, change their shape, or even transform them into something entirely different. Furthermore, understanding the psychology of perception is crucial for magicians. They take advantage of our brains' tendency to fill in missing information and make assumptions based on limited visual cues. By exploiting these cognitive biases, magicians can create illusions that defy logic and make the impossible seem possible. In addition to misdirection, sleight of hand, and psychology, the secret of magic also lies in the clever use of props and technology. Magicians often utilize specially designed objects, hidden compartments, or advanced technical devices to create their illusions. These tools help them achieve seemingly impossible feats and add an element of awe and wonder to their performances. Overall, the secret of magic is a combination of skillful misdirection, sleight of hand, an understanding of psychology, and the clever use of props and technology. By harnessing these secrets, magicians are able to create incredible illusions that leave us spellbound and questioning what is truly possible. So, the next time you witness a magic trick, remember that there is always more than meets the eye and that the secret of magic lies in the art of deception and the mastery of perception..
Reviews for "The Art of Prop Construction: Building Magical Tools"
1. John - 2 stars - "I was really disappointed with 'Secret of Magic'. The plot was predictable and cliché, with no original twists or turns. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it hard to connect with them. The writing style felt forced and overly descriptive, making the story drag on. Overall, I found it unengaging and not worth the hype."
2. Sarah - 1 star - "I can't believe this book has such positive reviews. 'Secret of Magic' was a complete waste of time. The pacing was incredibly slow, and it took forever for anything interesting to happen. The magic element of the story was poorly developed and felt like an afterthought. The plot was convoluted and confusing, making it hard to follow along. I struggled to finish this book and felt no satisfaction once I reached the end. Would not recommend."
3. Mark - 2 stars - "I had high hopes for 'Secret of Magic', but it fell flat for me. The characters were unlikeable and their actions were unrealistic. The dialogue felt forced and didn't flow naturally. The author attempted to create suspense and mystery, but it fell short. The resolution was disappointing and didn't provide any satisfying payoff. Overall, I found this book to be underwhelming and forgettable."
4. Emily - 3 stars - "While 'Secret of Magic' had an intriguing premise, it failed to live up to its potential. The pacing was uneven, with parts of the story dragging on while others felt rushed. The writing style was average and lacked the ability to fully immerse me in the story. The plot had some interesting elements but lacked coherence and depth. It was a mediocre read that left me wanting more."
5. Michael - 2 stars - "I'll be honest, I struggled to get through 'Secret of Magic'. The characters were poorly developed and lacked clear motivations. The dialogue was awkward and unrealistic. The magical elements felt added for a superficial appeal rather than adding depth to the story. The ending felt rushed and unresolved. Overall, this book felt like a missed opportunity and left me feeling unsatisfied."