I think I looked through the hole internet now but cant find the three books I'm looking for!
Is there anyone hwo knows where to find:
Frank Garcia on sponge balls.
David Groves Spongeballs a million.
and
Audley Walsh classic spongeball routine.

And are these any good?
Thanks

I guess it is impossible to find Frank Garcias encyklopedia of spongeballs? and if I would find it it would be impossible expensive...

Frank Garcia had two different sponge ball books out. The Encyclopedia is not impossible to find, but it is very expensive. However, if you can read German, the German translation is still fairly inexpensive.

His other book was in his "Message from Garcia" series, published by Gene Gordon. It has some excellent material in it.

Also, don't forget The Sponge Book by Laurie Ireland. It is still available from Magic, Inc. It has some really good material in it. It is far better than the Walsh book.

Bill- you are so right about the Ireland book- so glad you told me about it.

Khayman:
If you search some of the used book sites such as abebooks, alibris etc. You will find the Encyclopedia at a variety of prices. I found one for just over $!00 which is considerably below many other listings. It does take time. The other side of this is that if your a bibliophile like me the contacts you make with the booksellers is that they will contact you when items on a wish list appear. Several shops have emailed me even up to 2 years after buying from them when an item is available ( I collect books in multiple areas not just magic) and oft times the price is quite reasonable. Good luck on your search.

Don't lock onto a single title or titles. The routine in Peter Samuelson's Book, Theatrical Close-up is probably better than the stuff in the books you've locked onto.

The Classic Secrets of Magic by Bruce Elliot has great stuff in it. It has the Benson Bowl routine, which would show/teach some great sponge ball stuff.

Lots and lots of great sponge ball stuff is out there. The book that is $100 or $200 dollars is very rarely "the one".

Kent

Frank's encyclopedia occassionally crops up on e-bay and even here in the for sale section. I've seen its price vary from as little as 80 bucks to as high as a couple of hundred, depending on who is selling and ho9w many interested.

Hello,

Bill Is Correct About The Laurie Ireland Book. Great Stuff!!

I Had The Garcia Encyclopedia For Quite A While And It Was A Good Resource But Not The Be All And End All.

Look For:

Professional Sponge Ball Tricks - Volumes I And II By Jon Jensen - Came Out Around 2000 And Distributed By Murphy's Magic. Not Sure If They Are OOP. But Check With Murphy's Anyway.

Also Check With Denny Haney At His Shop In Maryland. He Has A Tremendous Resource Of Books On Our Art. Also A Wonderful Person To Speak With. Extremely Experienced And Knowledgeable.

Ganson's Routined Manipulation Series Has A Sponge Routine.

And While I Favor A Good Book, Look Into The Patrick Page DVD On Sponge Balls.
Great Instuction And Good Material.

I Think Ganson's Books Are Still Available. If Not Denny Will Have A Copy I'm Sure.

Good Luck And If I Can Be Of Further Help Please Send Me A PM.

Best,

Vincent

Waoow I didn't expect to get this much of help!! thank you so much!
I have some money to spend right now so I will look for a bunch of those books
Thanks again!
//Jesper

I have to agree the Garcia Encyclopedia is a good resource but not the first book I'd recommend. With that said, there are a number of gems in there you will find quite resourceful - if your willing to spend the money.

I agree with the above comments and recommend 'The Sponge Book' by Laurie Ireland.

It's a good book.

The Sponge Book is only $8.00 at Magic, Inc.

But this Magic inc. what is the adress of that site?

Found it thanks anyway!

So when we already are talking about shoping! what are the best dealers for magic books?

My favorite is H & R Magic Books. I would also try Amazon (depending on what your looking for).

If you know who the publisher of a book is, check with them first. Magic, Inc. publishes The Sponge Book. After that, check H&R, Hocus Pocus, Stevens Magic Emporium, Viking. Also check the used book section of the forum.

How about Byron Walker and John Greget? If you belong to the Magic Castle you would probably find all the books in the library there.

Byron is a good source. John Greget doesn't have a web site, so it's difficult to order books from him.

I have two copies of "The Sponge Book". The newer one is disjointed and missing some sections. I found it confusing to read. The older copy is complete and makes sense. Good little book.

I did not find the Garcia Encyclopedia that useful personally. Certainly not for the prices it is fetching these days.

The most useful resource when I was learning all those years ago was the "K.B. Sponge Routine" in Ken Brooke's Magic The Unique Years. I never used the full routine but everything you need to know is there along with the little touches that make the difference.

Bill, when you say "Laurie Ireland", don't you mean Frances Ireland Marshall?

Before the encyclopedia, Gene Gordon published a little booklet of Frank Garcia's sponge ball magic. It has some excellent sponge magic in it.

It is called Garcia's Sponge Balls and published now by Magic Inc. $5.95

http://www.magicinc.net/garciasspongeballs.aspx