Focus On Magic

PE

KS AL TRIC A GIC M MS OR RF

SION ILLU MAGICAL

A

TRICKERY

TO

PA TT EN GA ER G

EA ND ENT E

RTAIN

A MAGICAL DE CEPTION

EFFECT

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IAN C I G

Magic

Copyright Š 2010 Top That! Publishing plc Tide Mill Way, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 1AP, UK www.topthatpublishing.com Top That! is a trademark of Top That! Publishing plc All rights reserved

CONTENTS Coin Vanish Pages 6–7

The Rattler Pages 8–9

Money on the Move Pages 10–11

International Magic Page 12

Ex-straw-dinary Page 13

Bungling Burglars Pages 14–15

Cut Above the Rest Pages 16–17

Wandering Water Pages 18–19

Linking Clips Pages 20–21

Tricky Turnover Pages 22–23

Much from Little Pages 24–25

Wonderful Wand Pages 26–27

This is Your Card Pages 28–29

Travelling Coin Pages 32–33

Vanishing Knots Pages 34–35

2

Just an Illusion Pages 30–31

Loop the Loop Pages 36–37

CONTENTS Continuous Knot Pages 38–39

Clipped Page 40

Vanishing Ace Page 41

Finger Shuffle Pages 42–43

Magic Shuffle Pages 46–47

Body Language Page 48

Ribbon Riddle Page 49

Colour Prediction Pages 50–51

Pick a Card Pages 44–45

YOU WIL L CHO OSE THE GREE CARD N

Mentally Booked Page 52

Spooky Skull Page 53

Ball of Fire Page 54

Hazy Days Page 55

Goldfish Bowl Page 56

Red, White and Blue Page 57

Telepathy Test Page 58

Quick Change Page 59

Abracadabra Pages 60–62

Runaway couple Pages 63

3

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

The First Lesson

The Second Lesson

1

2

A true magician never betrays the secrets of the craft.

Do not share this book, or the secrets behind the various exercises, with anyone else.

As an apprentice, you are taking the first steps along the mysterious road to becoming a master magician.

The first lesson you need to learn is that magic is all about illusion – magic is only magic when the audience believes it to be so. In order to create the perfect illusion, therefore, you will need to have confidence, clever hands, and a certain ability to charm, convince and deceive!

Becoming a Master

3

A good magician is always prepared and there is only one way to complete your apprenticeship successfully – PRACTICE! You can’t practise too much! You’ll need to perform each of the exercises in this book many times until they are perfect and you no longer need to look at the book! Always time your tricks in rehearsal and you can’t go wrong. Learn how your props work and get used to handling them before you start your tricks. The more you practise with your props, the smoother your tricks will be.

Don’t worry if you don’t feel you have all these attributes at this point. With this excellent magic book – designed for those just like yourself who are newly apprenticed – you already have the basis for a flourishing future in illusion, mind-reading, sleight-ofhand and trickery, which will astonish and astound!

4

Magical Magician

Patter

4

5

If you draw your audience into your performance with some slick chat, you will divert their attention and distract them from what you are doing (this is called patter).

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

• A flamboyant style of dressing. Look slick and confident! Many master magicians routinely wear a style of shirt, waistcoat, or just a colour that becomes associated with them. Have flair!

• A magician’s hat (optional).

• White gloves (optional).

• A cloak (optional) – purple or black with red lining looks the most dramatic.

• Choose some suitable music to play quietly in the background while you run through your performance, to provide a magical and mysterious atmosphere.

To make the tricks you perform even more outstanding, work your audience with some of this sparkling patter, for example, ‘Here’s an astonishing trick that’s a little different from what you may be used to’.

Or, you could talk about something completely different from what’s going on in front of you, for example, with a funny joke.

If you really can’t get the hang of patter, don’t despair! Some professional master magicians prefer to work silently, but they move gracefully, with fluid movements through each demonstration.

The key to a successful show is good presentation.

Never perform the same trick twice in one performance, as the audience may work out how you did it! Finish your performance with your best trick, a huge smile and a bow, and a tremendous applause should follow!

5

COIN VANISH This illusion is useful to know for other tricks where you have to make a coin or small object disappear.

Step

You will need: • one coin

1 Hold a coin by its edge as in the picture. Keep your free fingers out of the way so the coin can be seen clearly.

Step

Step

3

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

2

Place the coin against the open palm of your left hand, and close your left fingers over it.

6

Step

Step

4

Now move your left hand away with your fingers hiding the coin.

Reach into your pocket with your right hand, and bring out your magic wand.

But How

5

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

?

The coin never actually moves into your left hand, although it should look as if it does.

Really, the coin stays in your right hand and you drop it into your pocket as you produce your wand. Watch your left hand all the time, and try to forget about the right, and your audience will follow your gaze.

7

THE RATTLER No matter how well your audience follows your movements, no one will be able to keep up with this trick!

Step

You will need: • four small boxes, one of which contains cocktail sticks • rubber band

Step

1

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

2

Swap the boxes around really quickly and ask a member of your audience to pick up the one they think 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.

8

Step

3

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

But How

Step

?

The secret is that the three boxes are actually empty. In your right sleeve you have an extra box with a few cocktail sticks in it.

This is held on your arm with a rubber band or a piece of bandage. When you want to prove a box is empty, shake it with your left hand and there will be no noise. To make a box sound full, shake it with your right hand and the hidden box will make the noise you need.

4

Shake another box to show which one DOES contain cocktail sticks, and then swap them around again.

Challenge someone else to pick the correct box. They still won’t be able to find one with sticks.

9

MONEY ON THE MOVE Move a coin from underneath a glass – without touching it!

This trick requires slick sleight-ofhand and quick thinking!

Step

You will need: • two large coins • tablecloth • one small coin • one glass • handkerchief

Step

1

2

Cover the glass with a handkerchief. Explain that you are going to get the coin out from underneath the glass without touching anything. Wave your wand over the glass and concentrate all of your magical powers on the coin.

Put two large coins on a table (which must have a tablecloth on it), a little way apart. Put a small coin between them and cover it with a glass, so the rim is resting on the two outer coins.

10

Step

Step

3

What your audience doesn’t know is that you are secretly scratching the tablecloth behind the glass with your other hand. Use the first finger of one hand, but distract the audience’s attention with your wandwaving and magic words.

4

When you remove the handkerchief, the coin is outside the glass! You will have to practise this beforehand to see how long it takes for the coin to move from underneath the glass as you scratch.

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.

11

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

Step

You will need: • a selection of foreign coins • a paper bag

Step

1

Put some foreign coins in a paper bag and ask someone in the audience to pick out one coin, without letting you see it.

Step

2

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

3

Reach inside the bag and pull out their chosen coin.

This should be easy, as it will be warmer than all the others after being handled so much!

12

To purchase this book and others in the series, 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 contains answers to all the questions you always wanted to ask about magic – and more!

No question is too tough, no answer too difficult to explain – Focus On titles are the ultimate in addictive reading!

Published by Top That! Publishing plc Copyright © 2010 Top That!

Publishing plc Tide Mill Way, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 1AP, UK www.topthatpublishing.com Top That! is a registered trademark of Top That! Publishing plc All rights reserved.

0246897531 Printed and bound in China