
Ask HN: Books on Magic Tricks? - mudil
My tween son been reading lots of books on magic tricks, that I buy on garage sales and in used book stores. So some of these books are really primitive, hit and miss... So I want to hear recommendations on quality books. Thanks!
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yesenadam
Some wonderful magic books I've got a lot out of:

Derren Brown - _Absolute Magic_ and _Pure Effect_

Tommy Wonder - _The Books of Wonder_ , Vols I & II.

Books by Dariel Fitzkee, e.g. _Magic by Misdirection_

Berglas - _The Berglas Effects_ (and his other books)

Maybe they're too sophisticated for him, but I sure wish I'd had those when I
was a kid! The Derren and Tommy books in particular are so thoughtful,
inspiring, philosophical. You have to create your own magic effects - they
show you how. The Berglas book puts 200+ (!) pages into explaining his 'Any
Card At Any Number' effect in great detail..but it's more a complex of effects
than a particular thing with a start and end...most of the time. There's a lot
of Derren, TW and Berglas on youtube too.

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mudil
Thanks!

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Tomte
Card College is the gold standard for card magic. Several volumes. Very clear
illustrations. Pricey. There is also a DVD with the book's text and videos.

The Royal Road to Card Magic is much shorter, much cheaper, and also a
classic.

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mudil
Thanks!

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rolph
Really good tricks are kept secret, but here is a place to look for first
principles:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coin_magic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coin_magic)

Coins are a bit advanced due to the dexterity required, and the close up
nature of the presentation. You should check out card tricks too.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_manipulation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Card_manipulation)

There is a basic mechanic to magic tricks that cross over. it requires
dexterity, "salesmanship" and perceptual psychology.

