[.ca] Scarne's Magic Tricks (ISBN 048642779X)

Leave this book to real magicians:
This book is a classic and deserves respect. The tricks do not require complicated sleight of hand. The apparatus used are easy to make. The tricks are so good, that I'd rather them to be used by experienced magicians who know how to present them well and blend them into entertaining routines and programs. A dabbler might even think some of the tricks are bad because they are "simple". The tricks are not bad. They are as good as your showmanship and presentation. Some may be so simple that you will have to blend them into a routine and combine them with other tricks to really appreciate how effective they are. And Scarne tends to describe only the method to perform the trick without giving enough information to really understand how to amaze an audience with the trick. For example, "telepathy par excellence" takes some paragraphs in this book, while Tony Corinda describes a lot of fine details to perform this trick, that take several pages in the classic book "13 Steps to Mentalism". That's why only an experienced magician should use this book. If you are learning your first tricks, try Mark Wilson's Complete Course on Magic, or the Royal Road to Card Magic, by Jean Huggard. Once you feel comfortable fooling your friends, try these tricks. The tricks are easy to do. But they are not you if you still lack the knowledge and experience to blend them into routines and give them a "meaning" using acting and showmanship. And they are not in a logical order. They are just scattered through all the book. You need to have a goal and know what you want to do before selecting material for your program from this book.