Magic: The Complete Course

by Joshua Jay

Magic is everywhere, from the big spectacle celebrity of David Copperfield and Siegfried and Roy to the quirky Penn and Teller to the spooky David Blaine and Criss Angel to the endless material on YouTube. But until now, learning it has never been easy—that's all about to change with Magic, a book that does for close-up magic what How to Grill does for barbecue. Written by charismatic young magician Joshua Jay, Magic combines expertise, photographs, and step-by-step directions showing how to perform 100 tricks. Joshua Jay took home the top prize at the World Magic Seminar (the Olympics of magic) when he was just 16 years old. Now he continues to perform magic, write about magic, eat, sleep, and breathe magic. Here, he brings all his passion and knowledge to teaching magic. Each trick is broken down into the Effect, the Secret, the Set-up, and, most important, the Performance, with lessons on what to say, how to direct the audience's attention, where to keep your hands, and so on. (In other words, how to be smart about the things your audience is surprisingly clueless about.) Here are the Ten Greatest Card Tricks; tricks to dazzle a dinner date; tricks to perform for the boss (poke a hole through his shirt, then magically mend it); tricks especially for kids; and even tricks for an audience in another state—with "Australian Self-Help," you can find a participant's chosen card over the phone. It's the Aha! book for a subject whose time has come.

Genres: Magic

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jake Strong]

This is my review for The Particle System because it's not available on this app! I am in awe of everything in this book even if I will never perform most of it. Josh Jay makes everything so easy to read.

[Joel]

Some really good lessons here. All of the effects are described well and shown in clear, understandable photos and diagrams.

[William-Henri Turgeon-Dupuis]

belle image et bon tour

[Brandon Baggett]

It has some good tips on how to take classic tricks and make them better. This book is excellent for the bare bone beginner and will give you a good ground work to start off. Granted, the scripts of the tricks aren't perfect, but I have always found that you need to edit them to your own style most of the time.

[Carmen]

A great resource for someone serious about learning magic. Jay includes tips and detailed descriptions about how to perform so that you really capture the amazement of your audience. I recommend it for ages 10 to adult (though there are certainly younger budding magicians who might devour this book).

[Shawn Mcdowell]

Magic the complete course

This book is awesome and makes learning magic effects easier than most books out on the market. I have even learn some easier ways to preform some of my other effects better.

[Tony Blei]

A very nice surprise

I was injured and recovering on the couch. This is a great book to learn from and be distracted from the turmoil of our life.

I was happy to learn a few easy affects without too much work.

[Dgg32]

My first magic book. Easy to follow.

[Brian]

Best book of how to perform magic I've ever read. I've learned several of the tricks and performed them successfully for friends and family. The DVD that comes with the book is worth the cost alone.