The Magic Of Alan Wakeling

"Jim Steinmeyer highlights some of the groundbreaking professional material developed by Alan Wakeling, including mind-reading, billiard ball tricks, and many large-scale illusions that the magicians, designers, and producers of today continue to integrate into their acts"-- Back cover.

Presents step-by-step instructions for thirteen card and coin tricks.

The ultimate book of magic for kids from a world-famous magician, complete with photographs for easy to follow instructions. From one of the world's premier practitioners of classic magic, with years of experience instructing younger readers in the magical arts, comes this new revision of his complete guide to learning and performing fantastic feats of prestidigitation. Acclaimed by the Los Angeles Times as "the text that young magicians swear by," it's full of step-by-step instructions. More than 2,000 illustrations provide the know-how behind 300 techniques, from basic card tricks to advanced levitation, along with advice on planning and staging a professional-quality magic show.

"Leo Behnke, one of magic's most gifted (and prolific!) writers has finally written the story of his life in the twin worlds of magic and books, and how he has often succeeded in combining his two passions. Leo was Steve Martin's first boss (and mentor!) at the newly opened Disneyland, was one of the very first magicians hired by the newly opened Magic Castle, and worked closely with Ricky Jay and later David Copperfield to develop and maintain on of the premier magic collections in the world. Others featured prominently in his story include Gene Finnell, John Daniels, Owen Magic, Mark Wilson, Bill and Milt Larsen, John Gaughan, Johnny Carson, Jay Marshall, Clarke "the Senator" Crandall, Don and Joan Lawton, Jay Ose, Bev Bergeron, Alan Wakeling, Lynn Searles, Ray Bradbury, C. A. George Newmann, Mike Caveney, Shari Lewis, Harry Blackstone, Jr., Steve Forte, Burton Sperber, Dr. Stanley Jaks and Leo's wife, Pat. A bibliography of all the books Leo has authored, edited and/or designed is included as an appendix. This is sure to delight the many fans, old and new, of Leo Behnke! Foreword by Steve Martin." -- publisher's website.

Books like this contain what may be called the raw material of the art, the processes which the magician can employ at will in building up his larger experiments in magic, each of which should be a complete play in itself. Then, when the student has found out how tricks can be done, he would do well to turn his attention to Our Magic, by Mr. Maskelyne and his associate, Mr. David Devant. And from this logical treatise he can learn how experiments in magic ought to be composed. It is from this admirable discussion of the basic principles of modern magic that more than one of the points made in this paper have been borrowed. Mr. Devant calls attention to the fact that new tricks are common, new manipulative devices, new examples of dexterity and new applications of science, whereas new plots, new ideas for effective presentation, are rare. He describes a series of experiments of his own, some of which utilize again but in a novel manner devices long familiar, while others are new both in idea and in many of the subsidiary methods of execution. One of the most hackneyed and yet one of the most effective illusions in the repertory of the conjurer is that known as the Rising Cards. The performer brings forward a pack of cards, several of which are drawn by members of the audience and returned to the pack, whereupon at the command of the magician they rise out of the pack one after the other in the order in which they were drawn. In the oldest form in which this illusion is described in the books on the art, the pack is placed in a case supported by a rod standing on a base, and the secret of the trick lies on this rod and its base. The rod is really a hollow tube and the base is really an empty box. The tube is filled with sand, on the top of which rests a leaden weight, to which is attached a thread so arranged over and under certain cards as to cause the chosen cards to rise when it descends down the tube; and in putting the cards into the case the conjurer released a valve at the bottom of the tube, so that the sand might escape into the box, whereby the weight was lowered, the thread then doing its allotted work, and the cards ascending into view, no matter how far distant the performer might then be standing. It seems likely that the invention of this primitive apparatus may have been due to the fact that some eighteenth century conjurer happened to observe the sand running out of an hour-glass and set about to find some means whereby this escape of sand could be utilized in his art. The hollow rod, the escaping sand, and the descending weight have long since been discarded; but the illusion of the Rising Cards survives and is now performed in an unending variety of ways. The pack may be held in the hand of the performer, without the use of any case, or it may be placed in a glass goblet, or it may be tied together with a ribbon and thus suspended from cords that swing to and from almost over the heads of the spectators; and however they may be isolated the chosen cards rise obediently when they are bidden. The original effect subsists, even though the devices differ.... The Bookman: A Review of Books and Life, Volume 40