Another impressive Warner piece!
Very clever prediction and it comes in twos! I could not believe the method and construction involved to accomplish the effect. I just kept examining the key component to the effect and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. This is vague but further details would mean revealing the secret. Trust me, this is one excellent piece of magic. Thanks again, Alan.
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The Perfect Book for the Beginner
The Complete Magician by Marvin Kaye (or the Stein & Day Handbook of Magic as it was known in the USA) is a wonderful book for the serious beginner who wants to perform magic as a hobby or as a profession.
What I liked most about this book when I first read it 27 years ago was that it didn’t just focus on tricks and sleights. It did provide some great routines in each of the main areas of magic, including a wonderful section on Children’s magic which I was performing most of at the time, but it also had chapters on patter, style, perparing for the big Stage show, routining and all the other things that make up a real performance. These other aspects of magic are often overlooked by the beginner.
The book also ends many chapters with a brief description of commercially available effects and gives sources of dealers and magical publications. As a budding young magician these of course inspired me to want to save up my paper round money to buy more magic!
I found this book a wonderful entry into performing magic for real audiences and for many many years used ideas and magic directly from it. Soon I will read it again and feel sure it will still provide me with some useful tips and ideas that I have forgotten.
(Notice: Although the printed word is basically the same in both versions of this book, the Complete Magician is a far superior quality book, with a bigger format, better quality paper and numerous black and white photographs. So if you can, get the Complete Magician instead of the Stein and Day Handbook of Magic.)
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The Perfect Book for the Beginner
The Complete Magician by Marvin Kaye (or the Stein & Day Handbook of Magic as it is known in the USA) is a wonderful book for the serious beginner who wants to perform magic as a hobby or as a profession.
What I liked most about this book when I first read it 27 years ago was that it didn’t just focus on tricks and sleights. It did provide some great routines in each of the main areas of magic, including a wonderful section on Children’s magic which I was performing most of at the time, but it also had chapters on patter, style, perparing for the big Stage show, routining and all the other things that make up a real performance. These other aspects of magic are often overlooked by the beginner.
The book also ends many chapters with a brief description of commercially available effects and gives sources of dealers and magical publications. As a budding young magician these of course inspired me to want to save up my paper round money to buy more magic!
I found this book a wonderful entry into performing magic for real audiences and for many many years used ideas and magic directly from it. Soon I will read it again and feel sure it will still provide me with some useful tips and ideas that I have forgotten.
(Notice: Although the printed word is basically the same in both versions of this book, the Complete Magician is a far superior quality book, with a bigger format, better quality paper and numerous black and white photographs. So if you can, get the Complete Magician instead of the Stein and Day Handbook of Magic.)
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The Best Money Paddle!
This is easily the best Money Paddle I have owned. Better than the Jay Leslie one, which I thought was real nice too.
Its made of black aluminum and the mirror is shiny and real looking, and its very well machined, with notches for the rubber bands and a good weight to it. Joe Porper makes some real nice pieces!
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More than just Out of This World!
I read this book initially over 25 years ago, and remembered to this day the story that Mr. Curry relates about the time Winston Churchill was late for a War Cabinet meeting because he was busy watching a magician perform "Out of This World". But this book has so much more than Curry’s most famous card trick, which is does indeed explain.
I guess it was aimed at the layman or beginner in magic, but as a performer and collector of magic for over 30 years I still found it a very interesting and rewarding read. He has chapters on many aspects of our art relating all the way back to the Cups and Balls. He covers stage illusions, close-up, escapes, seances, mentalism, and more.
One of the things I really like about this book is that Mr Curry will detail some historical effect or principle and then describe a more up to date and easy to do version of the effect or principle that can be perfomed. Most of the magic in the book is possible to perform without complex sleight of hand or specialised props.
It is a mix of history, showmanship and magical effects, by one of the true greats in the art of magic. I for one believe this should be on every beginners and advanced magic list!
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The Cutest Chop Cup and a Great Routine
This is the fabulous Riser Micro Chop Cup in both copper and stainless steel. The professional and entertaining routine that accompanies the props is by Dennis Loomis. What a team these two have been to release this item to the magic community. The cups are quite small, about the size of a shot glass, but don’t let the size fool you. This is practical and beautiful magic. These will not stay on your shelf and look pretty. Jim Riser has done a fantastic job with the machining of these cups. Again, inside each cup you will find engraved "James P Riser" to authenticate these little wonders. If you do any chop cup routine, or even if you have no interest in the chop cup, I can guarantee you that you will love this set. The Loomis routine is performed right on your palm, which serves as a "table" for the cup; this is a great concept as you can feel the dislodging ball and rectifies one major problem I have encountered with chop cups.
The first picture also shows two current accessories: 1) the Aldo Colombini’s Laser Cup routine with the red, white, blue, and combo balls (a devil handkerchief, included, but not pictured); and 2) the Knock-Out Disk. Jim plans to release a special Sacagewea gaff coin in the near future for coin cup routines. So, many possibilities abound with these cups. Again, thanks Jim and Dennis for such a great release.
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Beautiful Rare Close-up Version of a Classic
I remember when I started in Magic, the first "real" catalog on magic I owned was Abbott’s. There was one effect I loved but couldn’t afford it at the time. That was Jack Hughes’s Cube on Release. This piece by Jim Riser is a "miniature" rendition of this effect and it’s beautiful. The frame is solid dark walnut construction and the cube, a contrasting light colored maple. The natural wood finish is a first in this version. I believe all Cube on Release apparatus in the past were painted. The size of the apparatus is just perfect for close-up; the cube is 2 3/4 inches. The Abbott’s model used a 5-inch cube. Jim designed his version so that the frame, along with the cube and ropes, can be passed out for examination at the end of the routine.
This is quite a rare item. Jim only made two of these and has no plans to make any more. The last I heard, John Mendoza owned the other remaining piece. Jim has built a well-deserved reputation for his famous spunned cups. What may not be well known is his exemplary woodworking skill and this apparatus clearly shows it. Thanks, Jim, for such a wonderful recreation of a classic piece of magic.
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Unsurpassed Quality from a Top-Notch Craftsman
These are the famous Riser Cups in brilliant copper. Left to right, in the first image, is the Traditional, Standard, and Mini sized cups. He also makes a Jumbo, which I decided not to get. He does not apply any "finish" to the cups so they will develop with time a beautiful patina. The Traditional is the heaviest of the lot. The Traditional and the Mini pictured are actually prototypes I bought from Jim through ebay. John Mendoza beat me on the prototype of the Standard with a "Buy It Now", but Jim quickly had a final model spunned and shipped to me within a week of the closing of the auction…such great service from a very nice man!
The cups are a joy to have and handle. Copper is probably the best metal for the Cups and Balls. There is such a beautiful color to the metal and tarnishes nicely, unlike brass. Engraved inside each cup in small letters is "James P Riser" so you are guaranteed its authenticity. These will definitely become collectibles in the future, so I recommend you head on over to his website and get on his waiting list, to get your hands on one of these cups. Yes, demand definitely exceeds supply. Thanks, Jim, for your friendly service and for offering the magic community such great products.
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The Closest Thing to REAL Magic!
No effect has created more discussion and drama than U3F. Check the magic forums and you will find that this is true. I am not a coin man and probably never will be, but this single effect stands out as a unique piece of magic. I love it so much that I have two Morgan sets, one for current use and one still with its original seal as a "back-up". I also have a third custom set that I am particularly proud of, using a different coin (see image). Todd Lassen is a master machinist making the best gaff coins, period. I have bought from Todd several Morgan based gaffs, but there is no doubt in my mind that his work on U3F is, in my opinion, his best. The coins are now being done by CNC technology, so I am happy I was able to get my sets when Todd was the craftsman. The workmanship on these coins is simply amazing.
The gaff is so well made and defies detection that the images you are viewing is the complete set, nothing has been removed to "hide" the gimmick. The coin on the right in the two images is the intact gaff coin! The effect is so clean, which led me to the title of this review. The coins can be passed out for examination before and after the routine. Only three coins are clearly visible throughout the routine and the hands shown clearly empty at several points in the routine.
You have to see the expression on people’s faces when I do the routine to realize the tremendous impact of this effect. As a matter of fact, I just love practicing this routine in front of the mirror and seeing the magic in the reflection. I would rank this among my favorite items in my collection. Absolutely beautiful magic…as to the controversy on this effect, I believe once you have seen the coins and learned the routine, you will be a convert as I have been. Thanks, Todd for your impeccable work and Bob, for a great routine.
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Classy Color Changing Dominoes
This very stylish item looks great in my Warner collection, but what props from Alan doesn’t. The teak version uses a straightforward case, though admittedly the wood looks rich and beautiful, but this painted case with its glossy pure white background topped by a long slender black diamond steals some of the attention to the props. Dominoes keep changing to match the colored ribbon as the domino is inserted in the case with the ribbon. Construction of the dominoes to accomplish the effect is top quality and has a "locking" feature to make handling the dominoes a ease. Brilliant item from the one and only Alan Warner.
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