Dear Friends in Magic,
We have hundreds of new readers this month. Welcome in and welcome back! There is a major announcement below, but I always start with…
A BIG IDEA
One of my pastimes is following the field of science fiction and fantasy literature. Recently I read about a convention panel this summer titled “Classics of SF.” What really caught my eye was its operating definition: a classic book is one “that survives its own time”—that “remains worthwhile after the currents that sustained it have changed.”
I love this way of thinking about a “classic”; it gives the accolade real weight and merit. (No “instant classic” hype allowed.) So, which books in magic would meet this high bar? Suddenly, I was inspired to create a list.
I quickly realized I had to make a call about how long a book’s “own time” would be. For the sake of my inquiry, I decided it would be a generation, which is twenty to thirty years. Thus, to qualify for my list of classic magic books, a work had to be published prior to 1994. I also decided to strengthen the standard from “still worthwhile” to still vital—still generating new conversations, ideas, or performances.
After weeks of thought and a dozen drafts, I decided to limit my list to twenty classics from the rooms I know best in the “House of Magic":
—Theodore Annemann: The Jinx
—Simon Aronson: A Stack to Remember
—J.B. Bobo: New Modern Coin Magic
—Eugene Burger: The Experience of Magic and Spirit Theater
—Corinda: 13 Steps to Mentalism
—Lewis Ganson: The Dai Vernon Book of Magic and The Inner Card Trilogy
—Lewis Ganson & Tony Slydini: The Magic of Slydini
—John Northern Hillard: Greater Magic
—Richard Kaufman: David Roth’s Expert Coin Magic and The Secrets of Brother John Hamman
—Harry Lorayne: Close-Up Card Magic
—Max Maven: The Color Books of Mentalism (collected in Prism)
—Stars of Magic
—Harold Rice: Encyclopedia of Silk Magic
—Juan Tamariz: Five Points in Magic and The Magic Way
—Harlan Tarbell: The Tarbell Course in Magic
—T. A. Waters: Mind, Myth & Magick
Again, I’m not saying these are the only classic magic books. (So, please, no flames if one of your beloveds isn’t here!) Even so, I did remove some well-known possibilities because they don’t still seem vital: they don’t appear to be generating new conversations, ideas, or variations (for a few examples, Our Magic, Magic by Misdirection, and Modern Magic). Indeed, sometimes books that were wildly influential in their time and still widely bought are no longer actually read. I counted that as a “ding.”
A fascinating discovery is that some important magic books went out of print and are so hard to find that their vital potential got abbreviated (for instance, Peter Samelson’s wonderful Theatrical Close-Up). Thus, it might be that achieving “classic” status in magic also has something to do with the vicissitudes of magic publishing.
Of course, my list of magic classics is intended to be suggestive, not definitive. I hope it encourages you to create your own list. Above all, may it inspire you as it has inspired me: to spend more time with classic, vital books in our field!
IN THE STUDIO
It’s been an exciting time in the studio since I last wrote. There have been many collaborative conversations with artists for the two books coming out from us this fall. Receiving art in my email is one of my favorite things!
I also have been aswim in my creative processes with many upcoming appearances, new routines, and a new full-show concept in development. Please stay tuned: I will share everything here once it’s solid enough to go public.
IT’S NOT MAGIC, BUT…
You might recall that last issue I shared how reading Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance started me down the path of becoming a philosopher. I also promised this installment would discuss the other book that changed my life. Here it is:
Eugene’s Intimate Power came into my life in 1994—about two months after I had discovered magic and amassed a pile of tricks, toys, and videos, but had no real sense of what to do with them. That’s when Bruce Bernstein (at Magic, Inc.) put Intimate Power into my hands and said, “This might help.”
That evening, I read the book cover-to-cover and then immediately read it again, with pen in hand. The book was astonishing to me: it was like the author—someone named “Eugene Burger”—had peered into my malaise and was teaching me how to perform magic rather than getting mired in tricks.
Eugene begins by cutting to the quick: “If you want people to start talking about you as a magical performer, start putting more of your energy and time into developing, practicing, and rehearsing some of the tricks you already know [instead of] looking for new tricks….” Whoah!
Eugene kept emphasizing practice and rehearsal—and clarified the difference between them. He talked about "crafting scripts"—no patter-blather for Eugene! And then he said the unsayable: that “magic tricks are not really very entertaining in and of themselves.” Thus, he said, the fundamental challenge is for us to create presentations real people would find interesting.
That night, the scales fell from my eyes. I suddenly saw the forward path for me in magic. I knew what I wanted my magic to be: strong, meaningful, and artistic. And I started down the road to becoming the professional magician I am today. Thank you, Eugene!
HAPPENING AT THE PRESS
Over the past three years, I’ve been working with Judge Gary Brown (author of Wandrcraft) toward this very moment—the unveiling of his exciting new book, The Inventive Magician’s Handbook…with Props:
As the title conveys, the book offers Gary’s stimulating exploration of four key areas magicians can work in to create more innovative, expressive magic. Each area is illuminated by many examples from the rich history of magic and by 14 of Gary’s own highly inventive routines.
To make the book a complete experience, it comes with a carefully curated kit of the special props required to perform Gary’s tricks. Having these props in your hands will allow you to experiment with the principles and concepts as you move through the book. Also, the routines come with full scripts so you can learn to perform them while you work to develop your own approaches.
The Inventive Magician’s Handbook…with Props will be released on October 1, 2024. It is a 208-page, 7.25” x 10.25” hardcover—plus an 8-page color-insert and access to 19 supplementary videos and materials—complete with the prop-kit. It is priced at $120.00. Because of the book’s unique character, this is a limited release and will only be available from us at www.TheoryandArtofMagic.com.
For you, our readers, we’ve assembled a pre-orderpackage. Right now, you can pre-order a copy of The Inventive Magician’s Handbook…with Props and around October 1, along with the book & prop-kit, you'll also receive:
—An exclusive autographed bookplate, signed by Gary Brown and Larry Hass.
—A copy of Gary’s acclaimed 2013 trick release “Psy-Colony,” which comes with one-of-a-kind props, Gary’s script and handling, plus Larry’s new script and presentation.
—Free Media Mail postage in the USA.
The Inventive Magician’s Handbook has been a long labor of love, by Gary and I, and a team of very talented artists. It offers a detailed study of magic invention and puts professional quality props in your hands—creating a kind of magic laboratory that promises to awaken your own innovations!
FINAL WORDS
As always, thank you for reading. I look forward to hearing from you. I hope you'll share any classic magic books I missed that would be in your Top Twenty!
Best Wishes, Larry Hass
Real-World Magician
Dean of McBride’s Magic & Mystery School
Publisher, Theory and Art of Magic Press
