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motown Inner circle Atlanta by way of Detroit 6127 Posts |
Finally ordered this from H&R books. It's on the way.
"If you ever write anything about me after I'm gone, I will come back and haunt you."
– Karl Germain |
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Vlad_77 Inner circle The Netherlands 5829 Posts |
I really think you will love it Motown! Hope your holiday was wonderful!
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motown Inner circle Atlanta by way of Detroit 6127 Posts |
Thanks Vlad.
Looking forward to getting it. Picked up a few goodies for the holidays.
"If you ever write anything about me after I'm gone, I will come back and haunt you."
– Karl Germain |
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motown Inner circle Atlanta by way of Detroit 6127 Posts |
Book finally arrived. It's quite heavy for it's size. This will keep me busy for a while.
Vlad, any favorites?
"If you ever write anything about me after I'm gone, I will come back and haunt you."
– Karl Germain |
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Vlad_77 Inner circle The Netherlands 5829 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-01-06 21:01, motown wrote: :lol: The question should be what effect wouldn't I add to my repertoire or at least learn for academic purposes. I would say start with the Campbell classics like Irish Poker Hand, Dotty Spots, and some others that Peter Duffie names on the book's jacket. But really, there are so many treasures in this book. Yes it's a big book and there is a lot of material. For me at least, it's one of those books that bears re-reading again and again over the years. |
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motown Inner circle Atlanta by way of Detroit 6127 Posts |
Thanks Vlad.
There was one I liked using stamps, but would be difficult to do now with the way US stamps are made. Will have to pick something up on the internet or my next trip across the pond.
"If you ever write anything about me after I'm gone, I will come back and haunt you."
– Karl Germain |
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Peo Olsson Inner circle Stockholm, Sweden 3260 Posts |
I bought The Dave Camppbell Legacy when it was published in 2004, from International Magic. My good friend Roger Kelly convinced me to buy it and I haven't regret it for a minute.
I'm particular fond of FUSION, PREMOTION, LEAP FROG, SNAP, DOTTY SPOTS, IRISH POKER HAND, and BEYOND BELIEF.
Pictured to the left my hero and me during FISM 2006 in Stockholm.
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Glen Guldbeck New user Leesburg, VA 81 Posts |
Just ordered it last week and very much looking forward to diving into the material!! Was at the Castle last night and ironically, Bill doesn't have it in the library. He's going to order it as well so Castle members can enjoy Mr. Campbell's magical legacy.
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Roger Kelly Inner circle Kent, England 3332 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-01-08 04:00, Peo Olsson wrote: Yep - it's a gem Peo. But the less that know of it the better for us huh? I'm still doing Leap Frog, Beyond Belief and Dave's Dotty Spots. (The latter with an eight-pack - ident red queens and black kings - as part of and 8 Card Brainwave / Spots / Reset / Jazz ('aces') routine. |
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owen.daniel Inner circle England 1048 Posts |
I bought the Dave Campbell Legacy many years ago from International Magic. I remember finding it entertaining reading, though I cannot say that I have added any of the pieces to my repertoire.
I think one of the reasons for this is that the effects seem to play well as workers, but the methods don't really excite me. I have long felt ashamed of taking this type of stance, and it was not in fact until I read Denis Behr's thoughts on this (in Handcrafted Card Magic), which are in turn based on comments of Darwin Ortiz, about the appeal of the effect, the presentation, AND the method. Since I'm a hobbyist rather than worker, the final requirement I guess plays even stronger. So in all, whilst the descriptions read well, and I am certain that the pieces play well also, I never found much appeal in the methods themselves. The reason I really was driven to comment in this thread however is that my one major complaint about the book is the production: something that apparently only I have an issue with (others on here have commented about how great it is). Whilst I cannot say that I am a big fan of the glossy paper used, this is not my major gripe. My issue is with the choice of font (which appears to be Ariel or some other sans-serif font, an unusual choice for a book) and justification of the text... I find it a real distraction that the book was not type set with proper margins and think it makes the book look far less professional (in addition I call into question the quality of the publishing since the binding glue on mine has leaked on a few pages, meaning that those pages are stuck together well into the margin). As for the writing itself, I personally find the use of numbered bullet points in the explanations quite off putting: it makes the descriptions functional, rather than pleasurable to read (as an example of a complete contrast in style consider that used in Devil Of A Bar and Pub). In all, this method of explaining methods probably goes a long way towards reducing my enjoyment of the effect... So ultimately perhaps it is the quality of the book itself which has put me off the contents. Best Owen |
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Roger Kelly Inner circle Kent, England 3332 Posts |
You're dead right Owen!
However, for me, the content makes up for the absolute poor copy: (The paper, font, formatting, spell-checking and the omission of a whole page!) I do hope there is a reprint by someone prepared to do it on something more than their laptop and printer! |
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owen.daniel Inner circle England 1048 Posts |
Roger,
I'm glad I'm not alone in those thoughts. As for the missing page, perhaps I never read the book closely enough to spot that... though to be honest, writing the review above I picked up the book for the first time in years (proof that the presentation had a stronger effect in my mind than the content). Next time I drop by International I will ask them why the book was put together like that... between their multiple generations in magic, and Peter Duffie's writing credentials you'd have thought the book would have come out better. Since writing my previous post I've spent the last few hours slowly picking through some of the contents of The Dave Campbell Legacy. One effect that seems to have appealed to many on the Café is Leap Frog. On reading the method I was instantly reminded of the effect Rise and Swap (Card College V.1, p.132)... As a matter of fact even before I'd finished bullet point number two (...perhaps one of the few benefits of having effects described in such a format is easy referencing) I was being reminded of the effect in Card College, even though I haven't looked at it in about 10 years. Rushing back to the bookcase and performing a cross-examination it turns out that the effects are almost identical (with regards to the credit and who the precursor is, I put it in the words of Giobbi that Rise and Swap is a "variation of a classic effect"). So reading Leap Frog instantly reminded me of days spent performing the effect Rise and Swap, one of the first effects that really gripped my attention when I was starting my journey into magic (and which, of course, I promptly forgot some months later when I discovered something new to practice!). So, contrary to my previous comments (see post above) about not finding delight in the methodologies in The Dave Campbell Legacy, the 'one ahead' type principle involved here is one I delight in and have long considered beatufiul... But... and this is a big but... given that I have now gone back and read both effects (Leap Frog and Rise and Swap), I would have to say that I will perform the later. My personal reasoning is that I never feel all that comfortable bringing a small packet of cards back to the deck unless there is a really good justification. To a magician this reeks of the potential for an ATFUS type move, or a secret addition, and I also feel a lay audience may call into question why the sandwich had to be replaced on the deck... This is circumvented in Rise and Swap by not introducing the sandwich in the first place: the same two card transposition occurs, and the only loss is that the cards are no longer sandwiched... but (if you perform it as Giobbi suggests), the chosen cards are simultaneously isolated under two different spectators fingers... which plays an equivalent role as sandwiching the cards between jacks (and perhaps is even stronger)... [the preceding paragraph assumes some knowledge of both effects, apologies to those who are reading that are unfamiliar]. It is worth noting that I do not know the history of these effects: perhaps Leap Frog is the precursor here, and is the originator in this method, in which case I respect it for its historical role. But in terms of which one I will be performing on audiences soon, I'll definitely stick with the one I came across when I first started performing magic. A second effect that has had some great comments coming up here is Beyond Belief. I have never seen this performed, and the description reads like a dealer's ad for a marketed item (even finishing with the typical personal endorsement "As is usual with a Dave Campbell trick, the construction is to be admired"). Reading the methodology, however, left me with a genuine sense of how magical this must appear to an audience, and also gave me that guilty pleasure you feel when you read a truly ingenious effect. This reads like a beautiful piece of magic, and I would love for somebody here who already performs this to upload a video so that we can see it in action. Whilst I can only praise this effect it also leaves me with that (good) sense of frustration that one feels when you don't have the necessary gaffs to hand with which to practice and perform the effect. The last time I had this experience was reading Ascanio's Nudist Deck (Nudist Cards - The 1956 Version, The Magic of Ascanio: More Studies Of Card Magic, pp.230-234.)... I instantly went to the magic shop (International Magic of course) and bought the necessary cards... and I might just do the same for this trick! I still have a lot more to think about with this book, and at the moment my feelings remain mixed: the formatting is as bad as it always was, but my opinion of the contents is starting to shift. Since I don't tend to perform any card magic with any form of set-up (with the exception of a memorised deck) there are certain effects which I write off as soon as I see a list like: AH 4D QC...; I also don't tend to perform gaffed packet effects, the three effects I do with packets use cards straight from the deck... However, for Beyond Belief I might just make an exception... oh, and I'm still perfecting the Ascanio effect! Best Owen |
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Cameron Francis V.I.P. 7025 Posts |
Peter tends to use the numbered bullet point style in most of. His writing. As you say, it makes it easier to reference moves and tends to trim away prose-y fat. While I like a well written bit of prose as much as the next guy, I prefer a leaner text when I comes to magic books. I jut want to know what I need to know. The exception might be Bannon. I quite like his "story" approach to writing up effects.
MOMENT'S NOTICE LIVE 3 - Six impromptu card tricks! Out now! http://cameronfrancismagic.com/moments-notice-live-3.html
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motown Inner circle Atlanta by way of Detroit 6127 Posts |
While the design of the book isn't on par with say books put out by Stephen Minch, the type is large and readable. I found this design of this book to be much like Bannon's Dear Mr. Fantasy. It has a very clinical/ academic look about it.
I'm just starting to read the book, which page is missing and is there a way to get the missing page?
"If you ever write anything about me after I'm gone, I will come back and haunt you."
– Karl Germain |
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Roger Kelly Inner circle Kent, England 3332 Posts |
Quote:
motown wrote: Now you've got me! It's no so much a 'missing page' as missing text. The (poor) layout of the book is such that many pages are left blank following the explanation of an effect OR preceding the next one - (whichever way you look at it.) On one such occasion, there is text missing from the final part of an explanation - but which one it is escapes me now. However, I do recall that it wasn't THAT important and was maybe only a line or two which didn't affect the learning. It was mentioned, at the time, by one or two other members here, but it's an ache to search for the actual thread these days. Quote:
Cameron wrote: I don't think it's Peter Duffie's unquestionably excellent writing that is being criticised here, certainly not by me anyway. It's simply the, seemingly, haphazard way the book was put together. It's actually quite a strange one this as, in my criticism, I don't want to distract the reader, and potential buyer, from the quality of the effects that the book offers. By comparison to some other 'mainstream' (and better production quality) magic books, there are an amazing amount of simple, clever, magical and workable effects. Many have been mentioned. "Mix And Match" is another! In my humble opinion, its the CONTENT which I consider the price of the book to be for, to be honest. So absolutely no complaints here. BUT, in comparison to other magic books, the quality of this one, is, quite frankly, of a very poor standard. So I find myself regarding this book as one of THE BEST and WORST that magic has to offer, for totally different reasons. But to put things into perspective, and I have mentioned this several times in other related threads, this is a book that I would HIGHLY recommend - if you can allow for the slight 'trade-off.' It's just a shame someone wasn't overseeing quality control in production. Quote:
Owen wrote I hear ya! In fact, I'm wondering if the layout of the book might have put one or two folk off from fully exploring it. It's not easy on the eye at all. I'd say revisit it Owen and stick with it a while. For sure, all of the effects therein are not to everyones taste, but I'd confidently suggest that there is something in there for everyone regardless of ability and preferences. I'm not a huge fan of set-ups either, and as soon as I see the words, "Arrange the deck...." I'm already feeling for the leaf of the page! But there's plenty of 'FASDIU' material to enjoy and one or two very neat little ditties. (A 'Traveller' effect springs to mind.) I tend not to carry gaffs either, but "Beyond Belief" is just too visual a piece of magic to NOT carry it around for THAT moment. (Even better if all the requirements (plus) are carried in a mini-himber for the OCD's amongst us!) I regard this 'printing' effect as the best and, again, in my opinion, knocks Daryl's "Presto Printo" into a cocked hat! Whilst I've got the stage for a moment - please allow me to also heartily recommend a good look at "Dave's Dotty Spots." This is a neat little trick on its own but is, I think, much better when presented with two (identical) four of a kinds. That is to say, for example, four Kings of Spades and four Ace of Hearts and not merely, THE four Kings and THE four Aces (from a pack.) The reason I mention this? Well, this set up is permanently in my wallet for my one and only packet trick and allows for "Eight Card Brainwave" followed by (after magically changing 'three' of the 'seven' cards to match the 'solo' card) Jazz Aces, Gabi's Oil & Water Two Step (The Learned Pig book) and then "Dave's Dotty Spots." which I personally believe is enhanced when used with the others. "Reset" can then also be performed (I only use Nick Trost's version) but could be considered a little 'overkill' with the set and too similar (in effect) to Jazz Aces. If you want to even 'stretch' it out even further, one could use Kings and Queens and introduce a 'Royal Marriages' kind of effect. The list is endless I guess, and I remember once, many years ago, asking what people do with two matching four of a kinds. I really MUST get out more! Hope someone made sense of all this. |
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Caliban Special user 727 Posts |
I was also underwhelmed by the production quiality of the Dave Campbell Legacy. The layout looks very self-published, as if someone who has never produced a book before just had a go at doing one on a home computer. And I found it strange that such an affectionate tribute to a popular magician should be published (over 431 pages) without including a single photograph of him.
Like Owen and Barry, I wasn't too impressed by the contents either, though much of that could be down to the fact that I have no interest in packet card tricks, especially if they have to be carried separately and involve cards with pictures or stickers on - and that's about a third of the book! I thought 'Leap Frog' was okay and I liked his 'Swap Round Aces' assembly and the first phase of 'About Turn', but didn't find anything of interest outside the 'Tricks with normal playing cards' chapter. |
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