Product Reviews

THE REAL DEAL - A Magician Prepares by Dennis Loomis 0

REVIEW BY QUENTIN REYNOLDS

Dennis Loomis was one of magic’s general practitioners. Like with Alan Shaxon, Karrell Fox, Billy McComb, and Johnny Thompson, if they phoned and asked, “Can you do X, Y or Z?” the answer was, “Yes!” Then they figured out how to do it.

And Dennis did it. He toured the US and Canada for three years with a full evening illusion show. He did an escape act as well as escaping from straitjackets while hanging upside down from cranes and helicopters. He did birthday parties. He did a balloon show (as well as pitching them).

For five years he toured doing school assembly shows - three a day for five days of the week. He did close-up and became very proficient in mem-deck work. He made improvements to every trick he ever performed. To top it all he performed an SM themed act that caused consternation at magic conventions.

This book is the story of his magical life, his routines, and the characters he met. It’s basically about the stuff working pros talk about when

Aug 07, 2018
Michael Close

The Elmsley Tahoe Sessions By Alex Elmsley 0

Review by Michael Close from MAGIC June 1997]

Alex Elmsley has begun to make convention appearances again, and this is a wonderful thing. His recent lecture at the Four F’s convention received a long and enthusiastic standing ovation. While his enormous body of work has received wider exposure due to two excellent books by Stephen Minch, few of us have had the chance to see Mr. Elmsley perform or discuss his creations. Thanks to this new four-volume set of videos from L&L Publishing, Mr. Elmsley can visit with you in your home, and an erudite and charming houseguest he is indeed.

I can’t imagine that there is anyone in magic who has not heard of Mr. Elmsley, since his famous four-as-four count seems to be one of the most frequently used moves in card magic. He is the creator of such terrific card routines as Point of Departure, Between Your Palms, 1002nd Aces, and Diamond Cut Diamond.

Apr 09, 2018
Michael Close

The Paradigm Shift Volumes One and Two by Michael Close 0

REVIEW BY JAMY IAN SWISS

Jamy Ian Swiss kindly provided an extensive review of The Paradigm Shift Volumes One and Two on the Magicana website. If you're still on the fence, this might push you over. Read it here:

http://www.magicana.com/news/blog/paradigm-shift

Mar 18, 2018
Lisa Close

Closely Guarded Secrets Ebook by Michael Close 0

Review by Dustin Stinett (from Genii)

During my “magic lifetime” (a tad over thirty-five years) magic publishing has experienced two major paradigm shifts. When I started buying magic books in earnest (a nice way of saying “out of control”), most new publications were usually paperback. Generally octavo in size, perfect-bound, stapled, or comb-bound affairs, many with questionable production values – but they were quite affordable ($5-$15). There was the occasional hardbound book (at premium prices, about $15-$25), and many of the older books (those not yet reprinted by Dover) were hardbound as well. But the majority of the new stuff was inexpensively produced (keep in mind that there were, of course, many exceptions).

Sometime in the late 1970s somebody got the wild notion that magic books could be better – a lot better: quarto in size, quality boards, and acid-free paper with prices that matched this premium level of...

Jun 18, 2017
Michael Close

The Aretalogy of Vanni Bossi Book - By Stephen Minch 0

Vanni Bossi Book As I left my forties behind and entered into late middle age, I became aware of a sad, odd occurrence. Some of my friends were turning into books. They had left flesh and blood, heart and bone behind, transforming into a form that allowed one-way (but sometimes surprisingly comforting) communication. I would regulary head to my library, not so much to seek information, but to visit again with Stewart James, Billy McComb, Howard Lyons, Arturo Ascanio, Barrie Richardson, T.A. Waters, Tommy Wonder, and Dai Vernon. And now, eight years after his death, another friend arrives from the printer in a beautiful and most fitting presentation.

The Aretalogy of Vanni Bossi features a portion of the creative output of a true polymath – a collector, historian, craftsman, performer, and creator. Concerning Vanni’s collection, Roberto Giobbi writes in the Foreword, “He possessed practically every important book of magic, from the beginning of printing to modern times, in many languages, but above all in Italian. He also knew what was in them, how to place their contents in the evolution of magical ideas, and who invented what. He was one of the most educated and well-informed people in magic that I’ve ever met.”

Feb 13, 2017
Michael Close

Extreme Dean By Dean Dill - Volumes 1 & 2 0

Dean Dill intrigues me. He is one of the nicest human beings I’ve ever met. He is trusting to the point that “punking” him is no fun at all; I feel way too guilty to ever play magical practical jokes on him anymore. On the other hand, this gentle person would like to fool you to such an extent that your brain explodes. His two most successful marketed effects, Blizzard and Dean’s Box, will bother anyone for a long, long time.

Dean loves coin magic. The new DVDs Extreme Dean Volumes 1 & 2 contain some old favorites and some new creations. The production values of the DVDs are very high. Dean performs seated at a beautiful table. There is no audience. Two different explanations are offered: one shows the same viewpoint as the performances, the other gives an overhead shot of the action. The performances are well done, and the explanations are very clear. Dean performs while seated, but many of these effects can also be done standing. However, for most of them you will need a soft surface to perform on.