Keable, Ian: The Big Book of Magic Fun ©2005 Barron's Educational Series, Inc. Softcover, perfect-bound, 192 pages ISBN-13: 978-0-7641-3222-3

Comments: This is a large format kid's book of magic produced in the U.K. that I just spotted at the local public library. It is worthy of note because it doesn't just contain a bunch of beginner's tricks, but provides an overview of many performers in magic. It provides a nice "intro" to the world of magic for the young magician who wants to get seriously involved. Also, of importance to the magic references, Mr. Keable includes in the trick section Loopy Loop, or the Chain of Chance! Lots of high quality photos of famous magicians, advertising bills, and so forth, as well as clear explanatory photos in the tricks section.

Contents:

6 About the Author: Ian Keable, and models Elizabeth Maskell and Hugo Hadlow of the Magic Circle's Young Magician's Club.
7 Foreword: Ian Keable, 2005
8 The Props You Will Need: Cards & Coins, Unlikely Props, Creativity, and Planning Ahead

10 The Story of Magic: this first section of the book provides an introduction to the styles of magic and several of the past and current performers (though certainly far from comprehensive). The paragraphs under each topic are concise, providing overview and in some cases a bit of advice.
12 Close-Up Magic
12 Learning Close Up Magic: Intro
13 Misdirection: its importance
14 The King of Close-Up Magic: Dai Vernon
14 The Elmsley Count: Alex Elmsley
14 Today's Kings of Close-Up: Mentions Juan Tamariz, Lennart Green, Ricky Jay, David Williamson, and Rene Levand
15 Magic for Magicians: Magicians performing for Magicians
15 Cheating at Cards: mention of Erdnase's The Expert at the Card Table
16 Location! Location! Location!: Working a Room, Close-up Magic on the Small Screen, and Magic Takes to the Stage
17 Comedy Magic: Comedy Patter, Situation Comedy, Looking Funny, Comedy Gags (I felt the advice could have been a bit more cautious about making the spectator look like a fool)
20 Putting the Laughs into Magic: Funny Tricks, Cod Magic (parody, i.e. Carl Ballantine, Tommy Cooper)
20 The Location of Comedy: Comedy Clubs, Comedy Magic & Television
21 The Characters of Comedy: Secret Stooges, Sawing a Lemon in Half (Emil Jarrow), Fred Culpitt
24 Big Magic: Presenting Illusions, All Done With Mirrors, Read All About It (early exposures), Hiding the Elephant, Levitations, A Cheap Illusion (comedy stage gag with rope)
31 Masters of Big Magic: The Zig-Zag Girl (Robert Harbin); Box Jumpers (assistants); Great Illusionists (Kellar, Thurston, Blackstone, etc.); Quick Thinking
32 Breaking All Records: Largest Illusion, World's Fastest Illusion
34 Silent Magic: Learning Silent Magic (mentions Buckingham's "It's Easier Than You Think", but fails to provide Buckingham's name!); Gimmicks and Fakes; Silent vs. Patter Tricks; Music for Magic; Dressing to Impress; Other Silent Magic; Where to Perform; Great Silent Magicians (Lance Burton, Channing Pollock);The Greatest - Cardini; Cardini Meets Malini; A Great Inventor (Buatier de Kolta); Women Magicians (Talma, Tina Lenert, Juliana Chen, Joanie Spina)
44 Mind Magic: Mind-Reading Tools; Audience Participation; Deliberate Mistakes; Humor and Mindreading; Mind Reading Stunts; Claims to be Real; Spiritualism
50 Mindful Magicians: Chan Canasta; Double Acts; Mind Reading on Radio; Mind-Reading Books
51 Dangerous Magic: Learning Dangerous Tricks; A Dangerous Audience (performing for 8-year olds!); From Canaries to Tigers; Swallowing Magic; Catching the Bullet; Sawing in Half; Myth of Houdini; The Discoverie of Witchcraft; Contemporary Performers; Penn & Teller

60 The Secret of Tricks
62 Floating Ruler: two handed illusion
64 Magic Compass: arrow seems to change direction as card flipped over (I never understood the mystery of this trick...)
66 Flying Cards: 10 cards are counted an placed by a spectator into an envelope, three cards transfer from the remaining deck to the envelope
70 Bluff Book Test (David Hoy): a simple approach to the Book Test
72 Thumb Fun: stretching your thumb or removing its tip!
74 Cut and Restored String: with nice method of depositing the extra piece
77 Levitating Tumbler: book is turned over and a glass does not fall off...
78 Through the Glass: a silk is apparently pulled through the bottom of a glass
80 Boxes and Balls: 9 balls, 3 each of different colors match 3 box colors. Black ball is placed in black box, yellow ball in yellow box, and red in red box and so forth until all 3 balls are in their respective color boxes. On command of the magician, each box is found to have three balls, one of each color!
84 Matching Cards (Paul Curry): 5 cards are cut in half an after an apparently random mixing, the tops and bottoms match (self-working)
86 Friendly Trick: a ring vanishes from under a handkerchief (accomplice)
89 Time Please (Richard Wiseman): spectator thinks of a number from 1-12, then looks at her watch and when the second hand passes that number says "stop"; magician names the number (clever!)
90 Rising Matchbox: matchbox slowly rises on the back of the hand
92 Loop the Loop: a green and red rubber band are looped and instantly change places
94 Coin in Glass: a coin is clearly heard to drop in a glass (under a handkerchief) but penetrates the bottom
96 Quick Escape: Prisoner is tied with a handkerchief and pulled by a rope, but escapes
98 Torn and Restored Napkin: traditional
101 Paddling Knife: move taught
102 Knife and Paper: paddle trick using a butter knife and wet napkin pieces
104 Taking a Bow: a strip of paper held at the fingertips apparently bows when pulled with an imaginary thread
106 Number Confusion: self working card trick matches three predictions
108 Banana Split: banana is opened and found already sliced
110 Bangle and Ribbon: a bracelet appears on a ribbon that is tied between the performer's wrists
112 Quick Release: a loop of string is pushed through a button hole but is quickly released
114 Coins Across: a simple coins across based on the "sheep and the wolves" concept during pickup
118 Jumping Toothpick: clever stunt
119 Slot-Machine Hand: coin penetrates the hand - must be performed as a "quickie"
122 Notable Number: magician writes 1-9 on small pieces of card and tosses them to the table time after time, eliminating any that are face down. Ending number matches prediction.
124 Not a Knot: dissolving knot in handkerchief
126 X-Ray Crayons: magician determines color of crayon handed to her even though blindfolded
128 Bank Roller: two bills are rolled together but when unrolled they have reversed
130 Card Prediction: self working; two cards match suit/value of selection
132 Solid Through Solid: a string penetrates the magician's wrist
134 Straw Cutting: A string is pulled through a straw and the straw is cut, yet the string remains unharmed
138 Balloon Burst: a needle is pressed into a balloon but the balloon does not burst
140 Bow and Arrow: a string is seemingly impossibly threaded through a loop
142 Frustrating Pencil: the old pencil in the button hole puzzle
144 Disappearing Coin: coin fold
146 Glass Through the Table: while attempting to have a quarter penetrate the table, the glass goes through instead
150 Endless Chain: spectator cannot win in determining which loop of a chain will catch his/her finger

154 Sleight Of Hand: introduction
158 Card Sleights - How to Control a Card
159 The Overhand Shuffle
162 Selection of the Card: spreading the deck
164 Return of the Card: so far, no tricky stuff!
165 Control of the Card: start of another overhand shuffle, top card first, injogged, ending on top
168 How to Force a Card: the crisscross cut force
170 Sleight-of-Hand Card Tricks
170 Tracker Card: two cards are selected and the 2nd selection finds the first
174 Jumping Card: A card is selected and returned to the deck. The deck is dropped, and the selection appears face up at the top
176 Name Spelling: a simple spelling location
178 Coin Sleights
178 How to Conceal a Coin: thumb palm
180 Finger Palm: also how to move from one to the other
182 Make a Coin Disappear: the French Drop with the Ramsay Subtlety (though not named as such)
184 Make a Coin Appear: from the finger palm position
186 Change One Coin for Another: a version of Spellbound
188 Copper Silver Coin Trick: a copper coin is placed in the spectator's hand. Magician visibly changes a silver coin to copper (previous effect), and the spectator opens her hand to find the silver coin! (good effect)
189 Conclusion: recommends Hugard & Braue's Royal Road to Card Magic, Bobo's The New Modern Coin Magic, and Hay's The Amateur Magician's Handbook
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190 Index

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