The Amateur Magician's Handbook: Fourth Revised Edition (Signet) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)

                
              
The Amateur Magician's Handbook: Fourth Revised Edition (Signet) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
A lavishly illustrated new edition of the classic handbook for conjurers is designed to help magicians of all levels, from beginning to advanced, hone their skills at legerdemain and develop new and exciting illusions to baffle the mind.
Series: Signet
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Signet; Revised edition (April 5, 1983)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451155025
ISBN-13: 978-0451155023
Product Dimensions:  7 x 1 x 5 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
Average Customer Review:  4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,039,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)   #289 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Magic & Illusion   #343 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Magic   #208672 in Books > Religion & Spirituality
I've read this book alteast 15 times during the seven years that I've had it, and I still love to read it. If I could meet its author, it would be like a dream come true. This book has made me into a better magician than I could ever imagine. I even love the smell of its pages. One thing though, don't get it if you are looking for apparatus magic. Essentially teaches sleight of hand, but boy does it teach. Its the best book, it has to be.
If you are interested at all in magic then this is the book to get. It lets you in on the secrets of a whole realm of different magic tricks (coins, cards, stage, close, etc....). Whats great about this book is that if you are new to the "hobby" then you can sample a little of alot and find what really interests you, then you can delve into another more specific book with deeper content.
This is an excellent resource for those who have whetted their appetite for magic on other beginner's books such as Klutz Book of Magic. Covers coin and card work extensively, plus handkerchief, rope, ball and even stage illusions. What I found best was the material on presentation: how to make your magic entertaining. The latest edition added a chapter on close-up work.
I got my first copy about 1973, then bought the updated version a few years later. Bought 3rd copy when I heard it was out of print. This book took me from a toy magic kit to doing kid's shows and small parties. The performance tips are excellent, and the handling of classic sleights was remarkably clear, even though there were few illustrations back then. Still the textbook I use to teach magic classes! Strongly recommend grabbing a copy before they run out!
This book is superbly well-written. It is as if a kind, patient, highly gifted uncle comes to visit. The reader is taken step by step, thought by thought, along the way to appreciating the beauty, skill, and effects of the practice of magic.The writer's style takes the simplest observations and gradually builds them until, before you know it, you are quickly doing things of startling sophistication and skill!This handbook not only informs and instructs, it enriches. The author converses with the reader, and this comfort in reading inspires confidence in doing.This book is an invaluable addition to any magician's library...it is one of the three best I have read in thirty-five years of studying magic.
I purchased this item for my husband, a magician, to add to his library. He reports that the books' contents are intended for the "amateur", but isn't necessarily written from the amateur's level of understanding. He feels that much of the information might be more likely understood by someone with a higher level of education and/or involvement in magic than the typical "amateur" of 12 years of age, or a teenager. Much of the information IS for the amateur, but the writing style, and some concepts might be difficult for a younger performer to grasp. The book is nevertheless a good book on the subject and one that comes recommended among magicians at large. It is full of outstanding information for the serious neophite, but should be approached with intelligence and a determination to learn and advance. The book was purchased used but arrived in better quality than expected and is one that my husband deems worthy of perusal by anyone interested in learning the basics of magic performance, but it is not the final word on the subject. This particular book (the one we purchased) was the 4th edition of the tome, and I believe(?) it is the latest in print. A good book! A good buy!
Henry Hay (pen name for June Barrows Mussey, who was a journalist and translator as well as magician) was probably the best magical writer that ever lived. Several professional magicians have learned from his clear prose, including Johnny Ace Palmer, Gary Oulette (producer of the WORLD'S GREATEST MAGIC specials), and David Copperfield. If it was good enough for those guys, it's good enough for anybody. It was certainly good enough for me. I still refer back to it at times, and I've been into magic since I was twelve. I'm twenty-one now. Buy this book and learn all that it has to teach. Count yourself very lucky if you can find a good copy.
Henry Hay's age-old handbook for magicians is still propably one of the five best choices among all books on the subject of magic. In a very honest, clear way Mr Hay covers everything the starting-out-magician needs to know and what the Pro may look for when preparing a new and a better show.
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