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CdnAndrew New user 80 Posts |
Hi everyone,
I think it's important to keep this contest fair and free of arguing, if the goal is "to create a useful guide to the best magic books published in 2013". That said, I think we need to take a step back. Based on my preliminary scan of the posts in here, not counting the fact that some posts might be deemed "invalid" due to insufficient supporting evidence: I'm listing the number of votes, Title, and a list of post-counts of those who voted for each book. 1 x Magic Page (54) 4 x Full Bloom (54, 129, 51, 179) 1 x Magic Apple Live (136) 18 x The Approach (152, 13, 9, 544, 129, 71, 72, 1259, 704, 403, 66, 15, 3, 3417, 627, 168, 1, 364) 1 x Non Plus Ultra (3265) 3 x Japan Ingenious (3265, 256, 91) 4 x High Caliber (3265, 256, 1446, 66) 1 x Divine (1825) 1 x Nothing to See Here (1825) 2 x TPR (1825, 824 1 x Creative Magic (71) 1 x True Mysteries (71) 1 x Isabella's Star (71) 2 x Emotional Mentalism (824, 817) 1 x Discoveries and Deceptions (91) 2 x Counting on Deception (256, 179) 1 x Gold Dust Companions (91) 1 x Real Secrets (3417) 1 x The Humorist Trickster (14372) The majority of votes for all the books are above a 50 post limit (not that there was a rule for this), which suggests that for the most part, people were long-standing contributors of the forum before the voting; pointing fingers at "The Approach" in particular seems to be unfair; there are 10 votes cast from people with over 100 posts. Again, my above tally is not official; just an observation that there seemed to be a lot of finger-pointing at Jamie and "The Approach" given the general lay of the voting thus far. Duanebarry; what is the plan for producing the "useful guide" from the end result of this voting thread? Will the results be published somewhere, or is this thread (with bickering, un-counted votes, and copies of the rules) to serve as the final document identifying the best books of the year? Thanks! |
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duanebarry Special user 883 Posts |
Thanks for the statistics, Andrew. When we're done here I'll be making a Results post as its own thread, which will contain some analysis of both votes and process. In there I'll also collate and paste the commentaries together so they are grouped by book, to serve as a guide. There will be a link to the Voting thread for reference so all the raw material can be viewed.
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dmoses Inner circle 2261 Posts |
INFERNO!
"You're a comedian. You wanna do mankind a service, tell funnier jokes."
TPR by Dave Moses and Iain Dunford T-shirts for Magicians and Mentalists |
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dmoses Inner circle 2261 Posts |
Kidding aside I am *stunned* at the lack of attention that Divine received.
It's a substantial book from one of mentalists most influential young thinkers. It's filled with thoughtful essays and ingenious methods and powerful effects. I can't believe those who purchased it didn't feel the same way. All the more for me I guess... thanks Colin. I loved it. Not withstanding the outstanding publications from Mr. Bloom and Mr. Caveney this was the book of the year for me for sure.
"You're a comedian. You wanna do mankind a service, tell funnier jokes."
TPR by Dave Moses and Iain Dunford T-shirts for Magicians and Mentalists |
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duanebarry Special user 883 Posts |
My own votes:
THE ARTFUL MENTALISM OF BOB CASSIDY VOLUME 2: FUNDAMENTALS by Bob Cassidy: Bob Cassidy mostly seems to write because he genuinely cares about teaching people to be better performing mentalists. (On the flip side, maybe bad mentalists cause him agony, and he's just trying to soothe his pain.) Either way, Cassidy is a strong teacher, not just of effects, but of all aspects of performing mentalism. Of course there are great effects here (highlights include a major chapter on a Q&A routine, and multiple versions of his signature Fourth Dimensional Telepathy routine so the reader can understand its evolution in his hands), but there's also a whole chapter ("Staging It") on audience connection and presentational skills, and another ("Working It") on logistical issues with venues, from contract issues and promotional pieces to room layouts. On top of all this, Bob's writing voice is engagingly conversational, and he can tell a great story. This multi-layered book will grow along with its reader; the newbie and the grizzled veteran will each find it extremely valuable. JAPAN INGENIOUS compiled by Steve Cohen and Richard Kaufman: This is a refreshing variety pack of joyfully clever closeup inventions from a pile (that's 21) of Japanese magicians. I thought the effects felt less fiddly and contrived than Kaufman's earlier books of Japanese magic -- these just feel crisp and clean. Kuniyasu Fujiwara's "Automatic Ace Triumph" is delightfully cute and displays intriguingly on the table. I like "The Volunteer Swindler" by Hiro Sakai, where a single $5 bill is openly folded to look like two $5 bills, and then suddenly transforms into a $10 bill. Sakai's "Celebrity Torn & Restored Card" and Kazu Katayama's "Silk Card Lasso" are whimsical and visual, which holds true for most of the book. I think the aspect here which I find so appealing is that many of these effects are not framed as the powerful magician manipulating objects, but rather as the objects themselves performing magical actions. This dynamic can be a wonder-killer with fancy props, but with innocent materials like cards, coins, silks, etc, it's mysterious and the magician can choose to take credit, or can elect to change up the power dynamic and enjoy the wonder along with the spectators (cf Dani DaOrtiz' repeated claims that "I don' know how!"). This book is a joy. THE ALTAR FLAME: BOUND & COMPLETE edited by Mary Tomich: At last, this periodical of bizarrist storytelling magic has been collected and bound! The Altar Flame spanned a decade (1993-2002) and provides a record of development in magic's "bizarre" sub-genre across those 10 years. Here are piles of creep-themed pieces with atmospheric artifacts like bells, candles, goblets, runestones, worry dolls, bone fragments, etc -- even a Hand of Glory. Scripts and stories come from Bill Fienning, Charles Pecor, Eugene Burger, Max Maven, Christian Chelman, Eugene Poinc, Carl Herron, Raj Madhok Larry White, Mary Tomich and others. There are do-it-yourself articles as well, including one on mold-casting your own self-extinguishing seance candle. The only thing missing are the bonus mercantile inserts entitled "Sales From The Crypt" which detailed curious items for sale from Tomich's Museum of Cursed Antiquities, which would have been delightful to compile as a historic bizarre magic dealer's catalog. There are only 300 of these books, and there will be no more. DISCOVERIES & DECEPTIONS by John Guastaferro: The brilliant "Book of Clues" lets your participants role-play as detectives to solve a mystery together which none of them can solve alone. It's built on a standard card plot -- cutting the aces -- but instead of just churning out yet another method for that standard card trick, John G transforms it into a radically different experience, a mystery-solving game played by multiple people. Eugene Burger likes "texture" in an act. He'd love this. Another highlight for me was the "Multi-Mental" multiple selection routine for naming and revealing 7 unseen selected cards. This softcover booklet is an inexpensive gem. HIGH CALIBER by John Bannon: As usual, Bannon's card magic here is strong, clean, practical and direct. This is a well-produced compilation of his published output (booklets, magazine tricks) since his last hardcover book, Dear Mister Fantasy. Writing and photographs are both very clear, per usual from Bannon. My favorites at this point are "Fifty-One Fat Chances," a non-fussy Open Prediction, and "The Power of Poker," a sweet ten card poker deal. I didn't really need another book of card tricks unapologetically presented as card tricks, but Bannon's are so good that I needed this book. |
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James Kaine New user Newington, Ct 74 Posts |
My vote is for The Approach
What I learned in this book has changed the way I think about everything I do. I'm so glad I bought this book, I often find myself opening it up again to re-read a chapter or two when dealing with potential clients. Yes it may not be a book for a worker who's been performing for 30 years but there's a lot of information in it. In the book Jamie makes you see your act in a different way with the top ten tricks, etc. I love it and it deserves to be in the running for best book! |
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blackstone99 Regular user 169 Posts |
I vote for Counting On Deception
Pass The Pack alone is worth the price of the book. Great routine involving multiple spectators and astonishing climax. That and 15 Card Poker Deal are in my current close up set. The Chop Cup routine (Patriotic Balls) is one I'm working on. Adding that extra small cup allows for some great magic. Beautifully written book with clear explanations and step by step photos. Paul |
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bond19 Inner circle Blackpool, England 1338 Posts |
Divine.. Well simply divine!
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nooner Regular user 187 Posts |
I wanted to express my thanks to duanebarry for facilitating this years Book of the Year discussion. As a book enthusiast, this is a highlight for me as I always learn about a few gems that I would otherwise would have missed. I do like what duanebarry has attempted to do by asking people for a brief write-up about their nominations. It is much more informative than just having people drop the name of a book and move on. Hopefully this format can be continued in the future as it really is helpful in making purchase decisions to hear "why" people liked a book.
2013 was a tremendous year for book releases. While I was so looking forward to getting the Bloom, Hofzinser, and Caveney sets this year I was surprised to reflect that the two books I ended up going back to the most were not even in that list. The Bloom, Hofzinser, and Caveney sets are prized additions to my collection that I will return to many times for reading, but for me they didn't compel me to want to put the book down and perform what I just read. I suppose it is more of a reflection of where I am in my magic progression and what I want to do with that knowledge. I'm more of a weekend warrior with magic...just performing for family and friends. The two books I'm nominating just "fit" me better and really did motivate me to work on the material so I could perform it. My nominations are... JAPAN INGENIOUS by Richard Kaufman and Steve Choen Cards, coins, matchbooks, ropes, rubber bands, paper money, card boxes, silks, cups, gaffs, shoestrings, dry erase marker, ping pong paddle and ball, glass, etc. etc.. This book blew me away with the variety of props. Not a single ordinary trick out of the 67 that are included in this book. This book came out of nowhere for me…it wasn't on my top 5 to get in 2013, but it is the one that I have gone back to the most. Some of the material like Magic Square Card Mystery, Date Time Cards, and One Man Self-Levitation did not appeal to me but just about everything else had me itching to put the book down and seek out the supplies to give the effect a try. Some of the effects that I liked were Card Tapestry (easy to setup and perform…very visual ending), Silk Card Lasso (easy with a nice visual payoff at the end) and Original Card Quake. I’m a card guy and usually don’t spend any time with anything other than a deck when I’m feeling magical. This book inspired me to introduce other props, most of which can be found around a typical house. As usual, the illustrations by Richard are minimal in detail and still highly informative. The writing is illustrative, concise, and interesting. I was on the fence when I purchased it but now I’m a huge advocate of this book and believe it deserves to be considered for the Book of the Year award. I have recommended it to all my friends that buy magic literature and those that have purchased it have agreed that it is an excellent addition to their library. This book has something for everyone. HIGH CALIBER by John Bannon I had collected some of the smaller print books that John has released over the years that now comprise this hardbound collection but some were new to me. John is the one that first got me really interested in packet tricks. I was too young to remember the popularity of packet tricks during the 1970s aside from the staples that everyone seems to perform. What turned me off was the fact that many were heavily gaffed and could not be inspected, which some people don’t seem to mind, but I always thought that ending clean was stronger. I’m also not gifted with sleight of hand, so my repertoire of skills that I am comfortable using in public is limited. John’s magic is less heavy on moves than other authors which makes his magic approachable for someone like myself. John’s magic relies on a handful of moves with clever application, never feeling repetitive for the audience. What I really like about his effects is the multiple phases of the “wow” factor. Just when people think the trick is over, something exciting and unexpected happens. The cards necessary for the effects in this book should be lying around any card magician’s house. The effects that I particularly liked are Bullet Party, Spin Doctor, Drop Target Aces, and Mega ‘Wave. As this book is a republication of existing material, if you already own all or most of it, this might not be the best purchase for you unless you would prefer all your Bannon in a single hardbound book and can sell the individual books to recoup some of the purchase price of High Caliber. The photographs are clear and plentiful when needed to describe a sleight. While I would have like to see the teased Cardzilla published in 2013, this book will keep me plenty busy while I wait for that to become available. |
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motown Inner circle Atlanta by way of Detroit 6127 Posts |
My vote goes to: "Japan Ingenious"
This amazing book contains contributions not only from the brightest minds in Japanese magic, but the the brightest minds in magic period. The contributors are a who's who of Japanese magic. Dr. Sawa, Shiegeo Takagi, Hiro Sakai, Tomo Maeda and the list goes on. The title of the book is very appropriate. Japanese magicians have a different way of approaching magic and the end result is stunning visual magic, of which this book is filled with. Inception, Warp 9, Tokyo Penetration, Angle of the Hypothesis and Torn and restored 2000 are just a few examples you'll find between it's covers. With the glut of card magic books out in the market place, it's nice to buy one filled with wonderful magic done with a variety of objects. There's effects using Coins, Paper Money, Rubber Bands, Business Cards, Rope and much much more, including cards. This is the best book I've bought in a long long time and it's become one of my 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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motown Inner circle Atlanta by way of Detroit 6127 Posts |
DISCLAIMER for my above vote:
I received no text messages, email, phone calls or any other type of correspondence from anyone associated with this book asking me to vote for it. I voted because I thought it was the best book to come out in 2013 and because of my appreciation for magic books. Something that’s clear from my regular participation on the Book Forum.
"If you ever write anything about me after I'm gone, I will come back and haunt you."
– Karl Germain |
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Nate Green New user Working my way past 75 Posts |
I would like to vote for a very good book that was published in 2013...not because the author asked me to or because he made me aware that this contest was taking place. No, I would like to vote for a book that deserves all of the accolades that it has been receiving from professionals and amateurs alike. My vote is for "The Approach" by Jamie D. Grant.
From the way the book is laid out to Jamie's writing style, "The Approach" is an easy read that is full of excellent content and is written with intelligence and humor. For me, two chapters that stand out and make this book well worth the asking price are Chapter 36 - The Handshake and Chapter 32 - The Big Secret. Both of these chapters have such practical advice that I wondered why I hadn't thought of Jamie's solutions on my own! More than anything, "The Approach" got me thinking and all good books should do just that! |
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duanebarry Special user 883 Posts |
Okay, it's now February. Voting is closed.
Results can be read here: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......um=110&0 |
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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
Quote:
On 2014-01-29 12:32, duanebarry wrote: Thanks, Duane, for your kind comments about my work. (You're right, by the way, about my desire to ease my pain. ) Good thoughts, Bob |
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Darkness Inner circle 1626 Posts |
Opps too late ;(
The Approach by Jamie Grant - The fill in the blanks sections to reinforce and work with the concepts presented is brilliant. What other book does this? Jamie is invested in you learning and closing the loop he even provides homework pages right in the book. This personalized the material and makes it an amazing reference tool. You will always refer back to this book for valuable performance information about yourself. - No useless filler material. Every item discussed has great value, even for seasoned pros. - Easy and quick to find the information in bit size chunks without having to wade through wordy content to find key concepts. - He shared special ideas that are worth the price of the book This is one of the best books ever written on the subject of becoming a professional working magician period. Plus his writing style is entertaining and articulate. There are lots of books on tricks but this one is unique and should win on that premise alone. And no I don't know Jamie
THE SUPERNATURAL ILLUSIONIST & EFFECTS CREATOR WWW.MRDARKNESS.COM
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Richard Kaufman Inner circle 2532 Posts |
Thanks for all your votes for Japan Ingenious. Both Steve Cohen and I are both pleased and surprised.
Maybe a little of that good luck will rub off on "TENYO-ISM" later this year, though I'm sure the price will be a stumbling block for many people. Can't help that--it's going to be 1000 pages! |
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The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Books, Pamphlets & Lecture Notes » » 2013 Café Book of the Year - VOTING thread (1 Likes) | ||||||||||
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