Dear Friends in Magic,
This email arrives as we enter “The October Country,” that strange time and place where “noons pass quickly and twilights linger.” I love this time of year! I'll unveil another new book at the end, but I always like to start with…
A BIG IDEA
One of my all-time favorite philosophy books is Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. Written circa 170 A.D. and reflecting the emperor-author’s embrace of Stoic philosophy, the book consists of nuggets of life wisdom that feel like they were written yesterday.
Aurelius begins with a remarkable list of “Debts and Lessons”: a short sentence or two about important things learned from key people in his life. It occurs to me that my list in magic is long overdue. So, in the manner of Aurelius:
1. DAVID COPPERFIELD: Whose artistic vision created “Flying”—the illusion that opened a new world.
2. EUGENE BURGER: That magic needs to be about something; that magic is rooted in life, not props; for sharing his stage; for opening so many doors.
3. JEFF MCBRIDE: That “big magicians do big magic”; that great magic is about sound and vision; for seeing the magician I am (better than me); for ten-thousand opportunities to shine.
4. JUAN TAMARIZ: That “five points” need to be in play in every performance; that false paths must be foreseen and blocked; that memories can be manipulated to create a comet tail.
5. TOMMY WONDER: That people feel andperceive our techniques even if they don’t consciously formulate them; thus I needed to work harder and deeper on method.
6. BOB NEALE: That humans are as much a magical animal as a rational one (Life Magic); that magic is robust enough to explore the full range of human experience.
7. MAX MAVEN: For honest critique and generous praise; for teaching me solo-show stage comportment at its finest.
8. LANCE BURTON: For Lance’s Law: “The best magicians are the ones who do the most shows.”
9. MAX HOWARD: For teaching me how to earn a standing ovation by doing “the work.”
AND 10. THE (MAGIC) GODS: that my hands and fingers can do marvelous things; that I was born with a creative spirit; that I didn’t suffer a brain injury before finishing Eugene’s books; that I remain well-aware of what I do not know; and for Marjorie who always says, “Yes! Go for it!”
IN THE STUDIO
During August and September, the studio was transformed into a shipping department so I could package and send the overflowing pre-orders for Judge Gary Brown’s new book, The Inventive Magician’s Handbook…with Props. Gary and I had no idea that interest in this project would be so explosive, but… well… it’s been wonderful.
Here's what happened: in early September, we had to turn off pre-orders because we ran out of the extra materials to fulfill the offer. Surprise! At that point, we had only about one-third of the print run left. And today, after the official release on October 1, we have only about forty copies of the book left. After that, it will be OOP.
The reviews and feedback received so far have been a publisher’s dream. The book seems to have struck a chord by combining inspiring discussions of how to innovate our magic with a cool kit of high-end props.
Here is a photo of from the pre-release party in Las Vegas at the Mystery School. Before unveiling the book (which is upstage center), Gary and I had a blast talking about our collaboration.
Please note: I have no plans at this time to reprint the Handbook—it was an expensive, complicated project and I have too many other irons in the fire. Thus, if you are interested I urge you to get a copy right away at Theory and Art of Magic Press.
IT’S NOT MAGIC, BUT…
At the outset, I invoked the poetic words of Ray Bradbury from his short story collection, The October Country. I read a lot of Bradbury as a teenager—even wrote a college honor’s thesis about his major works. But his writing sort of fell away…
…until these past few years, when I’ve found myself drawn again to Bradbury’s richly poetic language and uncanny atmospherics. In all of science fiction & fantasy (SFF), there is no other writer like him.
More fully than any other writer in the genre, Ray Bradbury’s stories explore the entire range of emotions, from nostalgic sweetness to sorrow, from joy to pain, from humor to shocking horror. They are much less about plot than language and the subtle shades of feeling it can create.
Bradbury has written in every nook and corner of SFF, but in the month of October you might especially enjoy “The Lake” or “The Jar” in The October Country or “The Veldt” in The Illustrated Man. In Long After Midnight, I (cautiously) recommend “The October Game,” one of the most disturbing stories I’ve ever read. Or you might check out the new paperback edition of the original Dark Carnival—Bradbury’s first collection of weird stories from 1947 that was never reprinted in its original form.
Enjoy all your time in the October Country… and be very careful when you turn out the lights.
HAPPENING AT THE PRESS
Early in 2024, I opened my email to discover that Bob Neale had sent me something surprising… the manuscript for a whole new book. Whoah! Still more surprising was the manuscript’s strong recurring themes—ones that feel urgent to me: hope, kindness, and laughter.
Despite my already full plate, I quickly said “Yes!” and Bob and I began our collaborative work that has produced a book we call:
The Magic of Hope includes:
— 7 of Bob Neale's latest, unpublished routines—with complete scripts.
— 2 short essays on the book's themes
— 1 major performance/presentation titled "The Pratfall Perspective."
— access to 4 explanation or performance videos
The Magic of Hope is a paperback book, sized 5” x 8,” and 184 pages long. It will be available from Theory and Art of Magic Press on December 1.
I can't tell you how excited I am to be bringing this timely book to you. I see it is a sort of remedy-kit to keep on hand during our benighted times.
FINAL WORDS
Thank you for being part of my magical network and community! I look forward to hearing from you, perhaps even about one of your own “Debts and Lessons.”
Best Wishes, Larry Hass
Real-World Magician
Dean of McBride’s Magic & Mystery School
Publisher, Theory and Art of Magic Press
