talkmagic.co.uk

100 Magic Tricks by Ian Adair
Price: £14.99 plus P&P but on sale @ The Works for £3.99
The cover picture is the stereotypical White Rabbit peeping out of a top hat, there are orange and purple silks and a fan of cards plus a wand on view as well. Later print runs show a completely different picture ( http://www.the-magic-store.info/shop/product.asp?sp=619 ).

Difficulty: Anywhere between 1 and 5
(1=A Mandrake could do it, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

Description: As the title suggests, there are a lot of tricks in this book so only a brief mention of some will be possible. The chapter headings are:

Simple Slight of Hand and Manipulation
Clever Card Tricks
Classics of Conjuring
Magic in Close Up
Miscellaneous Magic
Mental Mysteries
The Illusion Show

These are preceded by short sections on Magic Dealers, Origins of Magic, Magic Magazines (Ian is a prolific writer and Magazine editor so this bit is quite understandable!) Advertising and Publicity and followed by chapters of acknowledgements, glossaries, bibliography etc.

Review: I saw this last year down in Dorset at a different cut price bookstore and snapped it up at the time intending to give it a good read but didn't get round to it - until now! The book is lavishly illustrated with full colour photos and covers manipulations and effects with cards, thimbles, balls, cigarettes and coins. There are many tricks using these items (including a very easy way to show a completely blank deck yet in an instant they all have faces) plus ropes (Professor's Nightmare is in there as is Cut & Restored), several forces and a false shuffle or two. There are also tricks and routines with linking rings, multiplying billiard balls, cups and balls, rabbit from a top hat (yaaaay - at last!!), egg bag, production boxes, change bags, change boxes, TT's, Okito Box, matchboxes, currency notes, gaffed plastic drinking glasses, envelopes, newspapers, balloons, cans, dice, and pens and the Illusion Section reveals some big magic illusion details.

Overall: Although slightly smaller than Nic Einhorn's book The Art of Magic and Sleight of hand, it's in the same mould and there's enough in here to give any half decent magish working repertoires for close up, cabaret and even street magic. Some tricks involve props to be bought, others need items and props which can be bought cheaply or even home made and instructions are given on how to do this.

Value for money: at £14.99 - 8 out of 10. At £3.99 - 10 out of 10!
C.U.P.S.Rating: at £14.99 - 6 out of 10. At £3.99 - 10 out of 10

PS I know I originally indicated ( http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/viewtopic.ph ... ght=#20941) that this book was on sale at £3.00 and that's what the price tag says. However, at the checkout it scanned at £3.99 and they realised that the stickers were wrong! If you can bag one at £3.00 then go for it but you might find they've changed the price tags by now!

Sounds good. I even popped into our local works at the weekend - but sadly it was absent...

I checked today, price is now clearly £3.99 - and still worth every penny!

Mandrake can you get me a copy from the £3.99 supplier, I will obviously pay P&P.

Cheers

Simon

I went there lunchtime to buy a few spares and sorry to say they're all gone! The assistant said they may be having more in a few day's time but couldn't tell for sure - sorry.

if they do please add me to your list many thanxs.

OK - I think I feel a new career coming on! If anyone else sees these at their local 'The Works', they might want to grab a few extra copies for sale via the forum!

especialy as some of us down south dont have a works
any half decent coin manuals also greatfully recieved oh and childrens entertaining manuals, top dollar paid by me.

Just a quick Google search threw this up as some locations for The Works:

The Works - Caernarfon
The Works - Leeds
The Works - London
The Works - Paisley
The Works - Slough
The Works - York
The Works - Crewe
The Works - Birmingham
The Works - Northampton
The Works - Swansea
The Works - Peterborough
The Works - Nottingham
The Works - Dumfries
The Works - Hull
The Works - Stratford-upon-Avon
The Works - Glenrothes
The Works - Ipswich
The Works - Reading

However, I know there's others out there, e.g. there's one in Colchester not far from me.

Hope this is of any help to anyone.

also southampton and winchester but i don't think eitehr of them have it.

also southampton and winchester

still to far i could swim to the ilse of white quicker .

gosport!?!?! thats only 30minutes away! If you ever come over this way PM me and we could meet up 4 a drink or somthing? everyone else is up north

Im in skipton!

BTW
the leed one has shut down and turned into some crappy thingy

My, sainted, mum was in The Works in Stirling today and got me a copy , she also got me 'The art of magic and sleight of hand' as it was only 4.99! She said there were lots of copies of '100 magic tricks' there so if I can manage to get to Stirling any time soon, I'll pick up a few copies for you guys.

mom many thanxs from us coasties.