Great and prolific offering here Fastlife...Thanks for the post. I'm sure folks will find it helpful. And again, welcome to the Café, Sean. -MB

Mark Wilson CCIM, this is a great book for a newbie.

This book is very good, one of the illusions (I think its the mystery mummy) was actually performed on a cruise ship I was on. This big magic show on a ship with 1200 passengers, and the idea comes from a 12.95 book, amazing!

Fastlife,

Thanks for the list in "Stars of Magic" That looks like great material for expanding coin skills in new areas (but probably not for beginners).

"Monedas in Crescendo" of Manuel Cuesta.
"Monedas, monedas, monedas" of Juan Tamariz.
"La catapulta" of Joaquin Navajas (this is outstanding, but not for beginners)
Sorry, but are in spanish.

Bobo and Kauffmans are very very good too.

Of course Bobo and Stars of Magic are wonderful. I note, however, that Bill Severn's Complete Book of Magic contains his book Magic with Coins and Bills. This is most useful as a beginners supplement to any of the above. Any more comments on Bill Severn?

Sorry to butt in, this is not about Bill Severn. Just wanted to let you know that the little book some are calling the "user's guide" to Bobo's Modern Coin Magic has just been released. In my biased opinion, this little book is essential if you're starting out and want to avoid some of the pitfalls inherent in learning coin magic from MCM. It's also got a pretty extensive bibliography of coin magic titles, and scads of advice for any coin worker. Check out the adver-tainment at:

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......m=218&17

New Bobophiles are also invited to check out my column on MCM here at the Café, called "A Hundreth Pleasant Conciepts". I'll finish it one day, but for now there's some info you might find interesteing.

I just picked up Bobo's and Kam's book - should be plenty of great magic for me to learn from these books.

Also, if oyu are having trouble with following directions in a book, go to youtube or revver or whatever you want and search for a performance of it. Then you can use the book combined with the video to peice it together.

Don't forget Bill Tarr's "Now You See It, Now You Don't". A great book, and the first I ever bought.

The Bill Tarr book was my first too. Then I went through the bibliography and decided to get Bobo.

Yes "Now you See it Now you Don't" got me started too. That was followed by the second "Now You See it.....". Unfortunately those were follow by years of being in and out of magic and buying tricks (instead of developing sleight of hand skill).

This book looks really interesting. I think I'll pick it up next time I get some cash...

Just thought I'd make all aware of a great deal I came across on the "Modern Coin Magic 4-dvd set" that mirrors the great Bobo Coin Magic book. A great offering at 50-60% off. You can't beat it and this is offered by the magi, Ben Salinas (a Café member here) that actually presented the work. The set is very well produced and just a wonderful coin magic reference. Enjoy!

Just a quick note to second (or third) the excellent suggestion that "Stars of Magic" should be one of the first books one should read. It just so happens that there's a new reprint of "Stars" being sold widely, so there's no time like the present.

Oh, and in case anyone's wondering, here's a suggestion from a fellow Café member and coin magician who's saving money by reading The Pocketbook by the warm glow of enlightenment:

::::::::::::

Upon advise of competent counsel, I ordered The Pocketbook and read it. From this point on, should anyone inquire as to how to start in Coin Magic, I'm telling them "First buy and read Curtis Kam's "The Pocketbook", then follow what it says.

Best information from a top coin man on how to learn and practice coins I've ever read.

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Since the title of this thread is Magic books and videos for beginners, I have another suggestion. (Bobo's is an absolute must, of course.)
Another good book, for BEGINNERS, is "World's best coin tricks" by Bob Longe.

I would suggest to learn from DVDs and here is why

I agree with Marion that anyone starting with Ben Salinas' DVD set on Bobo will not get discouraged and save a lot of time (over the same book) but furthermore his subsequent study of books will be far more rewarding.

It's not always easy to visualize from a book, even with the nice Nelson Hahne's drawings how a sleight should look like.

Also some of the description in Bobo are obsolete either due to poor description I would mention the French Drop which is surprising knowing Bobo's origins (check The Vernon Touch in the Professor's book introduction; His getting into the Thumb Palm has disqualified this beautiful sleight from several generations of performers. Presto Change O: if you do it as described it is a catastrophe, do it as performed properly by Mike Gallo it's a miracle

In some other instances it's the choice of sleights that, in Bobo, would be obsolete like the click passes described in MCM, which go inwards. There are many better click passes than these ones.

There are also sleights which appeared later than Bobo's book like the Slydini's Imp-Pass, his Revolve Vanish, the Gallo Pitch, several Okito box moves, the use of the topit, the Muscle Pass...

Bobo is unarguably very valuable for routines but a student gets a faster understanding of the impact of effects by seeing them performed: admittedly he should see several variants of the same effect (and Bobo actually describes alternative routines.) A variety of style is not as well described as demonstrated by seeing different performers on the same effect.

I would recommend to start with Al Schneider's first two DVDs, then view Ben Salinas DVDs which supply a solid basic ground to build on but, every time you learn a new move, check the alternatives with Michael Rubinstein Encyclopedia of Coin Sleights which for most of it is very accessible and with David Roth Expert Coin Magic. At this stage learn the Classic Palm from Reed McLintock. Do a check point with Al Schneider's DVD to see where you got carried away with technical feats. Then get into Kaufman's Coin Magic which is a gem, Johnny Thompson Classics and Scott Guinn who will allow you to be very original without having to become fancy. Then view David Stone's routines (which contrary to a post do require a table for lots of them) and go into Mike Gallo and the New York Coin Seminar clan. Try and find COINvention Inaugural Collection. From there on you can check Troy Hooser's ideas. Then you will be able to appreciate Curtis Kam and Kainoa Harbottle's subtleties and apply them to David Neighbors ideas. Ross Bertram, Rocco Silano, Carl Cloutier, Fred Kaps, Bob Fitch, Bobby Bernard, Dan Watkins, Homer Liwag, Chris Kenner, Derek Dingle, Michael Vincent, Marion Boykin, Vinny Marini, Joe Rindfleisch, Eric Jones will then also be studied with great pleasure. Apocalypse will also supply its rich source of very interesting ideas and variations.

At that stage, it will be useful to compare routines to start making your own combination before starting to learn about scripting and acting. The series World Greatest Tricks by The World Greatest Magicians will come as a precious imagination and memory trigger for designing personal routines.

If one wanted to do this only with books (supposing he could) it would take him at least five years where here a dedicated student could become advanced in less than two years. An additional advantage, if the student is smart, is that he could pick up a great effect from a dull performer (the exist even amongst the skillful magicians) and make it a master piece or at least a reputation maker through showmanship and presentation. Now for what makes magic more than sleights and routines, just make sure you read Juan Tamariz (The Magic Way and 5 points in Magic) as well as Darwin Ortiz (Designing Miracles and Strong Magic) and Gary Kurtz (Leading with your head) before you commit yourself to any specific routine, and apply what these book teach you (that no DVD ever will).

I suggest my peers (in terms of age) not to consider the pleasure they had in discovering sleights or routines in books, but to reconsider their own habits and pleasure to supply the young generations with proper advice (without rationalizations).

Young magicians, you are luckier than we were, you have more information, more choice of routines and sleights and easier medias: soak in and learn as much as you can in the fastest possible time. Then however don't think that you know: design a first routine (eliminating any challenging gesture or text), write a script for it, and perform it on and on polishing your patter along the way.

Then come and show us that we are old dogs. Mickey Silver and Armando Lucero did it and several others as well. We love it but we have a trained eye, quiet moves, quick fingers and a big, big memory.

Lawrence O, I agree with you and Mb both. When I started doing coin magic in High School, I started with Bobo's book. I loved coins but I eventually gave up because I was so discouraged from being able to understand what the book was explaining. For the most part I had things down like they were supposed to be. However, I missed out on some vital details that my eye learned from Ben Salinas' Modern Coin Magic. Now I have had to go back and perfect some of the sleights that I didn't have just right.

For a beginner: Give them Bobo's Modern Coin Magic book and Ben Salinas' Modern Coin Magic DVDs to accompany the book... and they cannot go wrong. This, in my opinion, is the absolute perfect combination for beginners. I have grown leaps and bounds by watching and reading these, rather than just reading.

I do own Bobo's expanded edition in white paperback. I guess they were available at one time.

I just start coin magic and I can tell you that Ammar's Complete Introduction to Coin Magic has been very useful to me. I also own Bobo's book but I believe it is unclear in some areas.

I'm amazed by Diverting Coin Magic by Andrew Galloway every time I open it up. It's not a good first book, but it's full of essential 'workers' that are not difficult.

I do agree with some who have posted that, in general, it's better to learn coin magic through DVD, augmented by books, rather than the other way around.