In this long-awaited follow-up to Transformations: Creating Magic Out of Tricks, Lawrence Hass opens a path for magicians to reach toward better magic performances and shows.

Covering many topics of supreme importance to working magicians, Lawrence shares his practical thinking and inspirational ideas in 30 short essays. He then shows his thinking in action through 14 fully-developed routines from his professional repertoire.

Lawrence Hass, Ph.D., is the Dean of McBride's Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas and fomerr Professor of Philosophy at Muhlenberg College and at Austin College.  In 2010, he retired early from classroom teaching to pursue magic full time as a performer, teacher, author, and publisher.

Hardcover, 7.25" x 10.25", 360 pages

WHAT EXPERT MAGICIANS ARE SAYING ABOUT INSPIRATIONS

Lance Burton: "In reading Inspirations, the new book by Dr. Larry Hass, I can’t count the number of times I said to myself, “Larry is crazy for giving away this routine!” Really, who would give away such strong, well thought out, killer material for the price of a book?

I’ll tell you who! Someone who cares deeply about the Art of Magic! Someone who wants to elevate the level of Magic. Someone who loves Magic and Magicians, that’s who. The tricks in this book are great, but the thinking behind them and the philosophy behind the thinking are even more impressive.

I congratulate my friend, Dr. Larry! With the publication of Inspirations he has made a significant and long-lasting contribution to our art. This is required reading for the serious student, amateur, and professional."

Bob Fitch: "Have you ever dreamed of becoming a full-time pro or at least a really good magician? And getting that mastery as quickly as you could? Then I suggest you open the pages to Larry Hass’s new book, Inspirations. Along with his own worker effects, it offers magicians a complete list of things to consider as they strive to create better magic and better magic shows, and it does so with a depth that I’ve never really encountered before. The book is clear, thoughtful, and persuasive, and I couldn’t put it down."

Max Howard: "Inspirations is an extraordinary book about the art and craft of magic. It expresses and teaches a complete approach to thinking, doing, and living as a magician. Throughout, we are asked to consider what is our Purpose, what is our Passion and what is our Process? Experienced performers will be reminded that there is still much work to do. Beginning performers will see clearly the work that must be done. Inspirations is a significant book of wisdom and insight, written by a Master Teacher, worthy of deep thought and personal reflection. It has my highest recommendation."

Joshua Jay: "Inspirations is Larry Hass’s intensely personal and heartfelt journey into the theory and practice of magic. He artfully maps out his vision for great magic, and illustrates his point with practical, thoughtful material. I enjoyed it very much."

Ross Johnson: "This is an inspirational book. Larry has taken a point of view on performance that many people, due to ignorance and fear, have disparaged. The techniques are practical, approachable, and fun. The text is thought provoking. The effects are actually doable! Studying it made me re-examine my approach to performance and presentation. Changes will be made. 

Larry Hass has become the contemporary Henning Nelms. Inspirations is every bit as essential to today’s thinking performers as Nelms’s Magic and Showmanship was generations ago. And if you are not interested in improving your performance, the tricks and routines alone are outstanding."

Mac King: "Just got my hands on a preview copy of Inspirations: Performing Magic with Excellence. The tricks are cool, the essays are clear and to the point. The amount of wisdom, advice, information and guidance that my pal Larry Hass has managed to generate, distill, extract, and present in one book is amazing."

Jan Rose: "Dr. Hass’s Inspirations is a wonderful book that has enhanced my own work, both creatively and practically. Indeed, Larry understands the challenges of a working pro and speaks to their needs with great clarity—so much so that I now carry one of these essays in my actor’s notebook. Inspirations is a book I will reach for over and over again!"

Suzanne: "If you are looking for a guide on how to create meaningful pieces of magic and how to better connect with your audience, Inspirations is a must-read book. Larry Hass is not only a fantastic performer who puts meaning and love into the magic he performs, he’s also a lovely human being, which shines through and endears him to his audiences."

Juan Tamariz: "Thank you, Larry, for doing so much [in this book] to help raise the intellectual level of our beloved Art of Magic!"

Rob Zabrecky: "Inspirations is a beguiling and thoughtful collection of essays and routines from one of magic’s progressive practitioners."