The first time I met Eugene Burger was in Abbots in Colon MI. I had stopped in to pick up a handful of items, and was the only person in the shop. I had begun to collect a pile of items to buy, when Eugene and a few of his students walked in. I approached him letting him know what a fan of his work I was and we talked about magic for a bit. He performed two effects for me: Phil Goldstein’s B’wave and his version of Dia Vernon’s Trick that cannot be explained. Both were performed flawlessly, every moment of the effects were polished and smooth. Since that meeting I have attended several lectures and a workshop run by Eugene. I had always appreciated his work before our meeting, but after our interaction I admire his approach for magic even more.

Mastering the Art of Magic: Eugene Burger

This book is a collection of older writings by Eugene Burger along with some new material. The previously written material includes Secrets and Mysteries for the Close-Up Entertainer (1982), Audience Involvement(1982), The Secrets of Restaurant Magic(1983), On Matt Schulien’s Fabulous Card Discoveries(1983), Intimate Power(1983), and The Craft of Magic and Other Writings(1994). The new material is a collection of reflections, reworked handlings of old effects, thoughts and a couple new effects. It was printed in 2000, hard bound with a dust jacket and is 228 pages in length.

I love this book, there are quite a few fabulous effects in this book, however the real power and treasure in the theory that is presented and discussed in its pages. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to be a better performer. It covers everything from psychology, etiquette, practice, script writing, developing routines, audience management, and much more. It is a comprehensive course in magical thinking.

This book is out of print and has been for sometime, however there are copies that surface every now and again via e-bay or estate sales. If you ever have the opportunity to pick this book up do yourself a favor and get it, it’s great. It originally retailed for $45.00, but I have seen it being sold anywhere from $50.00 and $200.00 (at the time of this writing there is one available on ebay for $130.00 + $8.95 s&h).

This is an effect inspired by the Houdini’s Shoelace effect that was written up in the Swami Mantra magazine. The effect has a beautiful visual element to it that is very intriguing.

The effect:
A card is selected and removed from the deck by a spectator. The magician bends over and unties his/her shoe, unlaces them a bit, then ties the ends together to make a makeshift loop. The spectator then hands the card to the magician. The card is held in one hand the “loop” in the other. The magician then throws the card onto the shoelace and the spectator can remove it and inspect everything.

Watch Dan Hauss perform Laced below:

There are four different performances taught for this effect on the download:

• A single card is thrown onto the lace (as in the explanation above)
• The deck is riffled or sprung at the laces and the selected card penetrates the lace
• The cards are fanned over the lace and one card melts onto the lace
• A corner is torn from the selection and then it penetrates the laces

As I have said before I love the card on things plot, and so I find the premise of this effect to be intriguing. The video is shot at professional quality and has good sound. I appreciate the premise and the hard work that Dan has put into this effect. I respect any magical creator, and I own a lot of Dan’s work. I mean no disrespect to him when I say the following. There many times on this video where sleights and moves are done sloppily, two moves in particular. The effect itself can have many bad angles, which can be minimized or maximized by your footwear choice. My complaints on a lack of attention to detail are curtailed by the low price and the visual appeal this effect has. I like the effect a lot, but wish that a little more thought was put into certain aspects of the effect.

This Digital Download can be purchased for $9.95

This is a book that is a single volume of five separate booklets previously released by Max Maven; The Blue Book of Mentalism (1976), The Red Book of Mentalism (1977), The Green Book of Mentalism (1977), The Yellow Book of Mentalism (1979), and The Violet Book of Mentalism (1980),

I love this book. I picked it up on a Saturday afternoon, and didn’t put it down until I completed it that evening. I am a close up guy, but depending on how you look at things many effects that close up workers do are in effect mentalism. For example if you have someone select a card, think about it and then you either name or find it, that can be mentalism, or any prediction effect could be considered mentalism.

Max Maven; is a genius, and a man whose name has become synonymous with mentalism. The quality and caliber of effects that he has created have made the man a legendary mentalist. Max Maven is a magical historian, an incredible showman and a very important part of the preservation and continuation of the magical arts.

There are so many amazing effects to be found in this book. Even if you do not do mentalism per se you will find many useful and thought provoking effects that, with some alteration, can be used in close up sets, or just as something you have on hand for a party with friends. I think that everyone should read this book as there are so many gems to be found within it’s pages.

Prism retails for $40.00

This 211 minute, 3 DVD set is the definitive encyclopedic collection of thumb tip magic compiled by the legendary Gary Darwin.

Gary Darwin has spent a lifetime exploring and collecting magic. In the first DVD Darwin discusses the history of the thumb tip and shows you many thumb tips from his collection. He then moves on to show you proper techniques with the gimmick, 14 effects followed by extra material on the thumb tip and other related gimmicks. The following two DVDs are full of effects for the thumb tip.

I know that many of you have seen this DVD set and thought “Why do I want 3 DVDs on the thumb tip?” and that is a reasonable question. This set is not necessarily for everyone, it is comprehensive and at times can seem like a never-ending slew of effects (some of which are similar in nature). Please do not misunderstand me, this is a great set and I am better off having watched it (I have now watched this set 2 times completely and several more times partially). I am just trying to say that this may be too much for the average viewer. If you would like to know more about when the thumb tip was created, what different types of thumb tips have been created or learn 55 effects using this gimmick, then this set it for you.

The thing I love about Gary Darwin is that he is so full of magic knowledge that he pours out great magical knowledge while discussing a single item. While the DVD focuses on the thumb tip you get so much more from Darwin on these DVDs. He discusses misdirection, shows you “The Darwin Dump” and many other useful items that are applicable in every area of magic.

I personally think that this was a great purchase and would suggest it to anyone who is interested in a large amount of effects utilizing this great gimmick, and also interested in the history and evolution of the thumb tip.

This set retails for $59.95

Here is a teaser video for Darwin’s Encyclopedia of Thumb Tip Magic: