Andy Martin

This is how an Egg Bag Should be made!

I have not performed the Egg Bag for over twenty years. However, recently I was reminded of all my earlier performances by reading Classic Secrets of Magic by Bruce Elliot. Once reminded I then read about the work of Lynetta Welch at Fabric Manipulation so decided to order the Silk Legacy Egg Bag.

And what a beauty it is – very small, very supple, and perfect for all the standard Egg Bag moves and more. I am very excited about getting this true classic back into my act. Thanks Lynetta for doing such a nice job and suggesting the Silk version – it truly is beautiful.

Apart from the quality of seams, material and manufacture there were three other things that caught my eye with this bag:

Well look at the Flocking on these!

So the Tricky bottles trick, invented by James Swoger, has been around since the late ’50’s and there are some good and bad versions out there. This latest version, by the master craftsman Jay Leslie, doesn’t use bottles it uses Bowling Pins.

Not only is the method different from the bottles the tubes are very high quality and lovingly made. Jay even Flocks the interior of the tubes with this black, felt like material that really adds a nice smooth finish to the tubes. The tubes are very nice indeed – great paint job, solidly constructed, and will last a lifetime. Did I say I liked the tubes? They are so much better than the tubes you normally get for this sort of effect.

The other nice thing about this version is that not only can either Pin be chosen and examined by the spectator but also either tube too. But from even close-up with the easy to learn handling that never becomes apparent. The routine is pretty much the same Do-As-I-Do, but with wonderful apparatus. Its easy to do too!

Great Job Jay! Certainly Recommended!

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Simple is normally the Best!

As I wean myself from high priced electronic miracles, it becomes obvious that so many seemingly impossible effects are possible with very simple props, that don’t require eight batteries and two transmitters!

Paul Richards has a real winner here for the casual or strolling performer, it is simple to do, easy to remember, and reset, and works every time. There is even a presentation that doesn’t require a table or the dice. All in the mind.

Very nice!

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Great Trick with Comedy and Magic Potential

This trick has great potential to play well for kids. There is some byplay to be had with making up funny names for the two animals chosen and showing the animals in the first place, some laughs to be had as you show your sketches as predictions, and some killer magic as you do in fact successfully predict both choices without any funny business.

I knew how this effect was going to work when I ordered it and was hoping for a nice stand to spin around. The makers credit the idea to Burling Hull’s Radar Vision, I am not familiar with that effect but would say that this effect is exactly like Ultissimo – I am not sure which came first.

For $39 don’t expect the best props in the world – note to self if its less than $100 don’t expect too much! However, these props are certainly workable and as long as you’re not trying to impress the local Magic Collector’s club you’ll be fine. The stand, unlike Ultissimo does not spin around but its a big stand so that maybe just as well. There is a smaller version of this effect and I think for most performances the smaller one would be better. But if you’re doing big shows to 100’s of kids then this will be perfect for you.

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Beautiful Box, Great Comedy, and Without The Hassle!

So Robert Houdin’s Light and Heavy Chest has always intrigued magicians. However, most versions, including the expensive modern one from Tom Yurasits, are not very practical. This certainly can be used and used and I see no reason why it won’t keep on working for years to come.

Thanks Ron for sending me #1 of this limited edition!

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A Wonderful Version of a True Classic

We all remember being fooled by the Chinese Sticks as kids and what better way to reproduce that feeling than with this wonderful set from my good friend George Robinson at Viking Mfg/Collector’s Workshop.

These sticks look stunning in their bright red and gold tips and have a nice solid feel to them. The mechanism is smooth as silk and all that is needed is practice and a fun routine that they also come with.

Good to see these back in production, get a set now before they run out again!

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What a wonderfully upbeat Author!

Frances Ireland (Marshall) wrote this wonderful book in 1946. It is the only magic book I have read by a female magician, and it makes for a very refreshing read. She covers almost all areas of magic with advice and anecdotes, but she does so in such an entertaining way that you feel positively gushing with goodwill towards your fellow magicians at the end.

She makes you feel lucky to be in the magic business! And for those who want to make a go of magic as a professional performer or dealer she offers some very sound advice. Here is what she has to say about the benefits of magic:

"If you’re sick, magic will help you feel better. If you’re poor, you won’t buy a lot of useless equipment, but will concentrate on sleight of hand, which some day may make you rich. If you’re rich, you don’t have to practice sleight of hand, but can become a collector and the envy of the poor. And if you’re grouchy, brother, you’ll mellow and melt like butter when your audience applauds your first show. You can’t stay grouchy in show business. I guess the only kind of man who can’t benefit from magic is a corpse."

Frances sadly passed away last year, having spent over seventy years in the magic business as a performer, author, and magic dealer. From reading just this one book she surely sounded like a wonderful lady!

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Sometimes you can sell too much!

Most magicians I have known have, at one time or another, sold a prop that they never used only to really regret it later. Dean’s Box is one of those for me.

I don’t really know why I sold it, but I’m glad to have purchased a new one. Interestingly enough, the cloth has changed color from red to black since the first time I purchased this effect.

This is a beatifully made box with a really wonderful series of three effects with some rope and a ring. It is easy to do, though it takes some handling practice.

Highly recommended, and this time I won’t sell it!

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What can you say! Simply Amazing!

I’m not going to fool anyone if I say I have read the whole of this book – it is huge and heavy. However, it holds nearly all of the known published miracles of Ted Annemann and it is a book that I am very eager to read from cover to cover.

Ted Annemann was one of the real heavyweights in magic thought and creation, and its hard to imagine anyone not getting a truck load of wonderful ideas from this book.

I know this doesn’t do justice to the man or the book, so buy it yourself and post a review for us all to read! Beautifully produced and Highly recommended!

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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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