MAGICIANPERFORMS MAGICAL TRICKS

ILLU

SION

AM

AGIC

ALEF

FECT TRICKERY

AM

AGICALDECEPTION

PATTERTO ENGAGE AND ENTERTAIN

Magic

Copyright © 2010 Top That! Publishing plcTide Mill Way, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 1AP, UK

www.topthatpublishing.comTop That! is a trademark of Top That! Publishing plc

All rights reserved

CONTENTS

2

Coin VanishPages 6–7

The RattlerPages 8–9

Money on theMovePages 10–11

InternationalMagicPage 12

Ex-straw-dinaryPage 13

Travelling CoinPages 32–33

Vanishing KnotsPages 34–35

Loop the LoopPages 36–37

Bungling BurglarsPages 14–15

Cut Above the RestPages 16–17

Wandering WaterPages 18–19

Linking ClipsPages 20–21

Tricky TurnoverPages 22–23

Much from LittlePages 24–25

Wonderful WandPages 26–27

This is Your CardPages 28–29

Just an IllusionPages 30–31

CONTENTS

Mentally BookedPage 52

Spooky SkullPage 53

Ball of FirePage 54

Hazy DaysPage 55

Goldfish BowlPage 56

Red, White and BluePage 57

Telepathy TestPage 58

Quick ChangePage 59

AbracadabraPages 60–62

Runaway couplePages 63

Continuous KnotPages 38–39

ClippedPage 40

Vanishing AcePage 41

Finger ShufflePages 42–43

Pick a CardPages 44–45

YOUWILLCHOOSETHE GREENCARD

Magic ShufflePages 46–47

Body LanguagePage 48

Ribbon RiddlePage 49

Colour PredictionPages 50–51

3

Welcome to Magic, your mysterious and inspiring introduction into the worldof illusion and trickery! From card, coin and rope tricks, to slick sleight-of-hand and illusion, you’ll be a master magician in no time!

INTRODUCTION

The First Lesson

4

The Second Lesson

A true magician never betrays the secrets of the craft.Do not share this book, or the secrets behind thevarious exercises, with anyone else.

Becoming a Master

A good magician is always prepared and there is onlyone way to completeyour apprenticeshipsuccessfully –PRACTICE!

You can’t practise toomuch! You’ll need toperform each of theexercises in this bookmany times until theyare perfect and youno longer need tolook at the book! Always time your tricks in rehearsaland you can’t go wrong. Learn how your props workand get used to handling them before you start yourtricks. The more you practise with your props, thesmoother your tricks will be.

1 2

3

As an apprentice, you are taking the first steps alongthe mysterious road to becoming a master magician.The first lesson you need to learn is that magic is allabout illusion – magic is only magic when theaudience believes it to be so. In order to create theperfect illusion, therefore, you will need to haveconfidence, clever hands, and a certain ability tocharm, convince and deceive!

Don’t worry if you don’t feel you have all theseattributes at this point. With this excellent magic book– designed for those just like yourself who are newlyapprenticed – you already have the basis for aflourishing future in illusion, mind-reading, sleight-of-hand and trickery, which will astonish and astound!

5

Magical Magician Patter4 5

Even a novice magician should look the part. Here area few things that might help:

• A flamboyant style of dressing. Look slick andconfident! Many master magicians routinelywear a style of shirt, waistcoat, or just a colourthat becomes associated with them. Have flair!

• A magician’s hat (optional).• White gloves

(optional).• A cloak

(optional) –purple or blackwith red lininglooks themost dramatic.

• Choose somesuitable musicto play quietly in the background while you runthrough your performance, to provide a magicaland mysterious atmosphere.

The key to a successful show is good presentation.Never perform the same trick twice in oneperformance, as the audience may work out how youdid it! Finish your performance with your best trick, ahuge smile and a bow, and a tremendous applauseshould follow!

If you draw your audience into your performancewith some slick chat, you will divert their attentionand distract them from what you are doing (this iscalled patter).

To make the tricks you perform even more outstanding,work your audience with some of this sparklingpatter, for example, ‘Here’s an astonishing trick that’sa little different from what you may be used to’.Or, you could talk about something completelydifferent from what’s going on in front of you, forexample, with a funny joke.

If you really can’t get thehang of patter, don’tdespair! Some professionalmaster magicians preferto work silently, but theymove gracefully, with fluidmovements through eachdemonstration.

6

This illusion is useful to know forother tricks where you have to makea coin or small object disappear.

Step

COIN VANISH

Hold a coin by itsedge as in thepicture. Keep yourfree fingers out ofthe way so the coincan be seen clearly.

Step

Keep hold of the coin with your right hand, but allowyour fingers to relax until they rest on the back of thefingers of your left hand.

1

3

You will need:• one coin

Step

Place the coinagainst the openpalm of your lefthand, and closeyour left fingersover it.

2

Step

Now move yourleft hand awaywith your fingershiding the coin.Reach into yourpocket with yourright hand, andbring outyour magicwand.

7

4 Step

Wave your wand over your closed hand. Tap yourfingers with your wand three times, then open up yourhand. Your audience will be amazed to see that thecoin has vanished!

5

But How ?

The coin never actually moves into your lefthand, although it should look as if it does.Really, the coin stays in your right hand andyou drop it into your pocket as you produceyour wand. Watch your left hand all thetime, and try to forget about the right, andyour audience will follow your gaze.

No matter how well your audiencefollows your movements, no one willbe able to keep up with this trick!

Step

THE RATTLER

Place three small boxes on the table and say that oneof them contains cocktail sticks. Prove it by shakingthem – only one rattles.

1 Step 2

8

You will need:

• four small boxes, one of whichcontains cocktail sticks

• rubber band

Swap the boxes around really quickly and ask amember of your audience to pick up the one theythink contains cocktail sticks.

MAGIC BYTES

For thousands of

years, people believed

that magicians and

sorcerers could control

natural forces, such as

the weather and

diseases.

Step

Even if your volunteer has followed the boxes intently,the box they choose won’t contain any sticks.

3

Step

Shake another box to show which one DOES containcocktail sticks, and then swap them around again.Challenge someone else to pick the correct box. Theystill won’t be able to find one with sticks.

4

9

But How

The secret is that the three boxes are actuallyempty. In your right sleeve you have anextra box with a few cocktail sticks in it.This is held on your arm with a rubber bandor a piece of bandage. When you want toprove a box is empty, shake it with your lefthand and there will be no noise. To make abox sound full, shake it with your righthand and the hidden box will make thenoise you need.

?

You will need:

• two large coins • tablecloth• one small coin • one glass• handkerchief

10

Move a coin from underneath a glass– without touching it! This trick requires slick sleight-of-hand and quick thinking!

Step

MONEY ON THE MOVE

Put two large coins on a table (which must have atablecloth on it), a little way apart. Put a small coinbetween them and cover it with a glass, so the rim isresting on the two outer coins.

1 Step

Cover the glass with a handkerchief. Explain that youare going to get the coin out from underneath theglass without touching anything. Wave your wandover the glass and concentrate all of your magicalpowers on the coin.

2

11

Step

What your audience doesn’t know is that you aresecretly scratching the tablecloth behind the glass withyour other hand. Use the first finger of one hand, butdistract the audience’s attention with your wand-waving and magic words.

3 Step

When you remove the handkerchief, the coin isoutside the glass! You will have to practise thisbeforehand to see how long it takes for the coin tomove from underneath the glass as you scratch.

4

MAGIC BYTES

Harry Houdini (real name, Ehrich Weiss), was one

of the world’s most famous escapologist

magicians. Born in 1874, Houdini became well

known for performing daring stunts and tricks.

Some of his most famous acts include escaping

from handcuffs and also a straightjacket.

You will need:

• a selection of foreign coins• a paper bag

12

Identify the very coin that was chosenwhile your back was turned ... your audience won’t have a clue how you did it!

Step

INTERNATIONAL MAGIC

Put some foreign coins in a paper bag and asksomeone in the audience to pick out one coin, withoutletting you see it.

1

Step

Reach inside the bag and pull out their chosen coin.This should be easy, as it will be warmer than all theothers after being handled so much!

3

Step

Turn your back and ask them to pass around the coinso that everyone can have a good look. Turn aroundto let them drop the coin back in the bag.

2

To purchase this book and others in theseries, vistit www.topthatpublishing.com.

What is patter? How do magicians convince and deceive? Why does a trick

have to be slick and well practised?

Bursting with bite-sized facts, illustrations and photographs, this engaging 64-page book containsanswers to all the questions you always wanted to

ask about magic – and more!

No question is too tough, no answer toodifficult to explain – Focus On titles are

the ultimate in addictive reading!

Published by Top That! Publishing plcCopyright © 2010 Top That!Publishing plcTide Mill Way, Woodbridge,Suffolk, IP12 1AP, UKwww.topthatpublishing.comTop That! is a registered trademark of Top That! Publishing plcAll rights reserved.0 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1Printed and bound in China