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Magic Inside Out
Hardcover
Published January 15, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 17, 2021
Dr. Neale is rightly revered by magicians as a philosopher, inventor and author. His works have profoundly influenced the drive towards making the performance of magic less trivial and more meaningful. Now in his 90's, Neale has inspired generations of magicians.
Unfortunately, this book is a great disappointment. "Co-author" Lawrence Hass seems to have been responsible for selecting the routines included. Many are revisions or new presentations for Neale's earlier creations, and several can most generously be described as light-weight (or, less generously, as weak). When Neale is at his best he constructs provocative presentations that connect to our fears and hopes. Here, he is not at his best. His presentations are cloying and preachy.
Hass brings nothing to the book but his own ego. He provides a brief introduction to each routine, but I stopped reading these after the first three because they add no value and seem to be nothing more than an opportunity for Hass to congratulate himself for his cleverness and his own contributions (such as they are) to the art of magic. He also interjects his opinions parenthetically into each routine - including such vital contributions as "I agree" when Neale makes a point. Frankly, nobody gives a rat's ass whether Larry Hass agrees or disagrees with Bob Neale. Hass also inserts profound advice along the lines of "If you don't understand these instructions, I remind you again to watch the videos." Seriously, he interrupts multiple times to repeat his previous interruptions. He also provides unintentionally hilarious footnotes, such as one in which he pontificates about proper crediting of other authors ... and then concludes the footnote with a blatantly incorrect attribution.
The book concludes with an "in-depth" interview of Dr. Neale. Unfortunately the interviewer is none other than Hass. He asks profound, important questions such as "How many hours do you work on your projects?" and (I love the me-too tone of this one) "Like me, you have a PhD. Tell me about giving up academia to pursue your passions." [Hey, DR. Hass, I have a PhD too, and I've been an academic for almost 40 years! If you think that academia does not involve pursuing one's passions, then you didn't do it right.]
Fortunately, Dr. Neale demonstrates the wonderful ability to give excellent answers to poor questions. The interview would have been much better if the questions had been elided and the answers presented as a set of mini-essays.
I wish I could recommend this book.
Unfortunately, this book is a great disappointment. "Co-author" Lawrence Hass seems to have been responsible for selecting the routines included. Many are revisions or new presentations for Neale's earlier creations, and several can most generously be described as light-weight (or, less generously, as weak). When Neale is at his best he constructs provocative presentations that connect to our fears and hopes. Here, he is not at his best. His presentations are cloying and preachy.
Hass brings nothing to the book but his own ego. He provides a brief introduction to each routine, but I stopped reading these after the first three because they add no value and seem to be nothing more than an opportunity for Hass to congratulate himself for his cleverness and his own contributions (such as they are) to the art of magic. He also interjects his opinions parenthetically into each routine - including such vital contributions as "I agree" when Neale makes a point. Frankly, nobody gives a rat's ass whether Larry Hass agrees or disagrees with Bob Neale. Hass also inserts profound advice along the lines of "If you don't understand these instructions, I remind you again to watch the videos." Seriously, he interrupts multiple times to repeat his previous interruptions. He also provides unintentionally hilarious footnotes, such as one in which he pontificates about proper crediting of other authors ... and then concludes the footnote with a blatantly incorrect attribution.
The book concludes with an "in-depth" interview of Dr. Neale. Unfortunately the interviewer is none other than Hass. He asks profound, important questions such as "How many hours do you work on your projects?" and (I love the me-too tone of this one) "Like me, you have a PhD. Tell me about giving up academia to pursue your passions." [Hey, DR. Hass, I have a PhD too, and I've been an academic for almost 40 years! If you think that academia does not involve pursuing one's passions, then you didn't do it right.]
Fortunately, Dr. Neale demonstrates the wonderful ability to give excellent answers to poor questions. The interview would have been much better if the questions had been elided and the answers presented as a set of mini-essays.
I wish I could recommend this book.
September 15, 2022
This, as is most of Robert Neale's stuff, is a wonderful read. I read it slowly and took detailed notes. I'll be referring back to the book and the notes frequently.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews