The Magic in Books by Leo Behnke

Leo Behnke is one of magic's most gifted and prolific writers. In his new book, he tells the story of his life in magic and in books, and how he's often combined those worlds.

Behnke was Steve Martin's first boss at Disneyland when it opened, was one of the first professional close-up magicians at the newly open Magic Castle, and worked with both Ricky Jay and later David Copperfield building and maintaining one of the world's the premier magic collections. Others who figure prominently in his story are Gene Finnell, John Daniels, Owen Magic, Mark Wilson, Johnny Gaughan, Jay Marshall, Clarke "Senator" Crandall, Jay Ose, Johnny Carson, Bill and Milt Larsen, Bev Bergeron, Alan Wakeling, Lynn Searles, Ray Bradbury, Don and Joan Lawton, C. A. George Newmann, Mike Caveney, Sheri Lewis, Harry Blackstone Jr., Dr. Jaks, Burton Sperber, Steve Forte, Leo's wife Pat and many others.

The appendix contains an impressive list of all the books that Leo has written, edited and/or designed. The result is a fascinating, delightful story of a life in magic and books. With a foreword by Steve Martin.

Price……..$30.00      

 

Zoo Magic
by Robert Neale

Bob Neale has been playing with wired pearls and the result is this 26 page book with more than 3 dozen photos teaching how to transform the pearls into giraffes, camels, bunnies, fish, robots and more. Additional ideas by Larry White.

A fresh alternative for those ready to move beyond balloon animals.

Pages 26

Price…………..$18.00            

 

Kids Think It's Funny by Greg McMahan

Greg McMahon is one of the true professionals in magic and clowning. He's now revealing some of his best kid-show material in his new book, KIDS THINK IT'S FUNNY. In 27 unique and entertaining chapters, Greg teaches hilarious gags and routines to make you funnier than ever to your kid-show audiences! His tips on how to make a small show look big or his chapter on top hat juggling or his Rocky the Raccoon routines are easily worth much more than the price of the entire book.

KIDS THINK IT'S FUNNY includes:

• The Value of Repeating Material
   
• What Makes a Good Website
   
• Ideas for Organizing Your Show Case
   
• How to Make a Great First Impression
   
• Entertain While Setting Up
   
• Make a Small Show Look Look Big
   
• Getting the Audience on Your Side
   
• 15-minute Opening Routine (Thumbtip and wand)
   
• Pop-Away Wand Ideas
   
• Running Gags
   
• The Monkey Bar
   
• Professor's Nightmare (Very different routine!)
   
• Shoelace Magic (Rope routine kids identify with)
   
• Four Great Sponge Ball Routines
   
• Using and Teaching Scarf Juggling
   
• Top Hat Juggling (Remove bunny before attempting!)
   
• Rubber Chicken from Canon (A strange routine, but funny!)
   
• Nothing Grinder
   
• One Hundred Balloons an Hour
   
• Balloonology Seminar
   
• Rocky Raccoon Routines (15 pages of ideas!)

Greg has packed all of this into a neat book of 106 pages with a full-color cover. Designed and typeset by the Wizard of Odd himself with illustrations by Mrs. Odd (first name: Pretty), and published by SPS Publications.

The effects in this book have been designed form the inside out. In each case, Christopher began with some concept drawn from nature or metaphysics that he was strongly attached to. Then, like a magnet invisibly organizing iron filings, the concept acted as a nucleus around which technique, method, and devices gathered to produce the form of the effect.

In this manuscript, Christopher applied this empirical perspective to the classic effects of magic and found that many of them expressed principles found in nature or archetypal ideas from the human imagination. This Inside-Out perspective allows the performer to get deep into the heart of an effect, and truly understand it. Once that is achieved the performer can truly amaze the audience with effects that appear to be a natural extension of the performer's mind and body.

Inside-Out is certainly not the only perspective that can be applied to finding/creating magic and mental effects. Simply looking or a cool way of showing off one's dexterity with coins or cards can lead to entertaining and recognizable magic. What adopting the Inside-Out perspective can do is add another dimension to our enjoyment of the magic of nature and the nature of magic.

Features Included:

• Introduction: The Inside-Out Perspective.
   
• Getting There and the Double-Writing Wallet: Cognitive geography and way finding
   
• Being There, a Special Pen and a Billet Index: An archetypal dream.
   
• Three Minds, One Thought and the Thought Recorder Deck: Mental telepathy with a deck of cards.
   
• Room 7 and the Pocket Printing Press: Taking an imaginary journey and returning with something real.
   
• Mental Catalyst: The mage as a catalyst for a participant's latent psychic abilities.
   
• Flash of Color and the Pellet Index: The color of thought.
   
• A Marked Deck and Three Effects:
  1)Perceived Imagination: Where does imagination stop and perception begin?
  2)Marked Mental Miscall: What is the difference between the mind and the imagination?
  3)Flash of Imagination and the Pocket Writer: "The mind makes it real."
   
• Number in a Flash and a Pocket Writer: "The mind makes it real, yet again."
   
• Pebble in the Storm: The butterfly effect with cards.
   
• Mind Reading 101 and Equivoque: Telepathy and the opposite sex.
   
• Liar: What does automatic-writing look like?