Let's experiment and try a new format this year. If no one objects, I'll volunteer as administrator.

RULES:

1) Each voter can vote for up to FIVE (5) different books.
2) A vote will only be counted if the voter writes at least 3 substantive sentences about the content of the book. Yes, you're writing a mini-review to tell us what you found valuable about the book. Pasting in the publisher's advertising text doesn't count. "Best. Book. Ever." doesn't count.
3) This is for physical books, not e-books, published newly in 2013.

At the end we'll total up the qualifying votes for all the books, and paste together the commentaries that folks have written about each one, producing a useful guide to the books published this year.

Hopefully the ability to vote for multiple books will allow people to acknowledge a really strong pamphlet, or a biography -- worthwhile publications that have previously been pushed aside by Big Books of Tricks. Combined with the requirement to talk about why these things are good, this process may help us all (and future readers) discover a broader range of worthwhile books that we'd previously overlooked.

Voting is open throughout all of January 2014.

1. Magic Page by Page. A, sadly, posthumus edition of Patrick Page's tricks and methods. You get over 300, larger than A4, pages of what is his magnum opus with hundreds of illustations. It is also packed with anecdotal material which makes reading it a pleasure. It makes you want to read it from cover to cover, rather than just dipping into it. The range of subjects involves just about anything that can fit into a pocket, from cards and coins onwards. So forget finding a variation of an elephant in a glass routine, unless it's a pygmy elephant.
2. Full Bloom by Gaetan Bloom. Over 700 pages split between 2 volumes, "The Idea Garden" and "Bloomeries", and wow, what a depth of work. The photographs and illustrations make the instructions easy to follow, as they should, but also bring a lot of humour. Again most of the tricks covered involve easily carried objects. There are some that require building, and are better for stage work, but mostly you'll have the parts in your collection, so drag out those broken bits of IT you thought you'd never have a use for and get practicing.
With both these publications it isn't just the number of effects you're getting, but the wealth of experience, and ideas for making each trick your own.
Steve

While I won't pretend to have read all the books from 2013, one that I did find refreshing was THE MAGIC APPLE LIVE which was released to celebrate the Magic Apple stores' (in Studio City, CA) 10 year anniversary.

While it's written and compiled by Brent Arthur James Geris, it has never before published routines and essays from a slew of well known contributors (David Regal, Max Maven, Shoot Ogawa, and on and on). They were all asked to write about their favorite trick, influences, first performances, etc which some of the contributors do indeed while others use that theme to write on other related topics.

Within that framework, there is a really nice and broad range of material here from the simple and straightforward to the more complex. Mostly cards but there is some coin work and other material here too. And of course, some nice essays and general discussions as well. My favorite being John Lovick's "Not Perfect Enough" which is his take on the Too Perfect Theory.

Just a nice all around book which, again, I found refreshing since it wasn't too too dense or long winded as some magic books tend to get.

I've only purchased one magic book this year but It has transformed my magic and the way I perform and "Approach" my magic.

1.) The Approach by Jamie D. Grant

There may be other magic books like this but it is the only magic book in my library that gave me the confidence going into my gigs. It has prepared and gave me the confidence to become the best magician at my gigs I can be.

Non Plus Ultra - Magic Christian

Japan Ingenious - Richard Kauman

High Caliber - John Bannon

I think the rules are a little onerous and maybe the reason there are only four replies.

I respect the desire to make it tough on the Tammanys... but the result is a lack of participation all around.

So in solidarity with Peo and with the hope that this will be taken in the spirit it was intended

1. Divine by Colin MacLeod
2. Nothing to See Here by Andy Kannon
3. TPR by Iain Dunford and yours truly.

There's not really any reason to expect an instant flood of votes when (a) the voting is open for a whole month, and (b) the rules require/allow more thought than simply typing a single bare title.

To be counted, votes require 3 substantive sentences about the content of each book. That's not exactly a heavy burden for anybody who enjoys books.

Folks should feel free to repost with fully written votes, and/or to add to their votes as the month moves along and they continue to digest last year's harvest. Happy reading!

The Pat Page book is fantastic, but it wasn't published in 2013. I had it for Christmas in 2012 and a lot of people voted for it last year.

I will nominate The Approach by Jamie Grant !

The Approach by Jamie D. Grant gets my vote

I got this for xmas and it has not left my side since. It is right beside me now and it comes with me when I head go work or just out and about. I've already read it cover to cover once and have now started working through it properly. It is in a workbook format so I have been writing in it and going through the exercises one by one. I honestly believe that I will be earning money from magic if I actually 'do' what Jamie recommends. Which is great because I believe that if you find a job that you love then you will never work. On a scale of one 1/10 this gets an 11.

Just because I love the Café and everyone here, I thought I should jump in here with a post to let y'all know that I've let my friends know about this thread!

Just wanted to be fully upfront and make sure that was out there! I personally don't think it should matter- if there's one thing I know about running the "Trick Of The Year" thread for the last couple years is that people will do what they want. But I just wanted to make sure I wasn't stepping on any toes.

Good luck to everyone! It's a glorious day when we can celebrate the written word!

Your pal,

jamie

The Approach by Jamie Grant was my favorite book of the year. Fun read and good food for the magic brain. I've already put some of the ideas into use in my shows, so I definitely got value out of it. Good mix of magic and business advice. Practical tips and well written too.

Could you maybe be more specific and tell us how this book is distinguishable from any other confidence-inspiring talisman, like a lucky rabbit's foot?

Maybe some of the content between the covers would be worth mentioning.

Was this not enough for my vote to count?

If you'd like to be sure your vote will count, address the content of the book. What ideas from the book did you find worth applying to your situation? A reader who identifies the elements of the book which they found useful can help other readers decide whether the book might be of use to them as well. That's the whole point of this award, after all.

In the end it may turn out that the commentary generated by a book may be more indicative of its quality than the number of votes it receives.

1. The Approach - Jamie D. Grant
The voice of this book is so incredibly personable, reading it feels like you're having an intimate discussion with Jamie and really getting to know his thoughts and experiences. He provides many, many interesting ideas that would only have been learned through experience; his thoughts on pocket management, how many effects to have on hand, dealing with different types of situations (outdoors, too many people, too few people) and how to sell yourself from business cards to a website. Jamie shared everything he knows, honestly and openly, and his book is so incredibly positive and motivational that I truly believe everyone can learn from it.

2. Full Bloom - Gaetan Bloom
This book set is massive. It contains so many glimpses into the mind of such a creative person, I had to get it. there are tricks for everyone in this set; close up, stand up. The illustrations that go along are fun and encouraging. I purchased this book not for the specific effects, because I wasn't too familiar with any of them in particular, but as an inspiration to be creative with magic; mission accomplished!

1: The Approach
2: Creative Magic
3: True Mysteries
4: Isabella's Star 2

Having never owned any other confidence-inspiring talisman such as a 'lucky rabbit's foot', I am afraid that I am unable to compare the books merits with such things.

My apologies for not mentioning what was between the pages, I presumed that anybody that may be interested in the book would, in the first instance do a cursory google search for the relevant information.
For those that do not wish to commit to such an endeavour here is a copy and paste from Jamie D. Grants very informative website...

______________________________


So, what's in it?




Well, I split the chapters up into the following formats:

Advice: Ideas that have worked for me over the years.
Essays: Longer pieces that I believe apply across the board.
Articles: Previous articles I've written before.
Tips: Quick ideas to apply.
Tricks: Secrets to making things easier for yourself.
Study: Introspective work to help make you a better performer.
Anecdotes: Stories from the road.
Lessons: Ideas to take things to the next level.

Page Count: 280
Softcover


1|How many tricks you should know. Article
2|Who are you? Study
3|Developing your sets~ Part I Lesson
4|How to practice. Essay
5|Your Magic Fridays. Anecdote
6|Business cards. Advice
7|Websites. Tip
8|How Do You Look? Study
9|What are you wearing? Advice
10|Funny or serious? Anecdote
11|Are you any good yet? Lesson
12|Starting Conversations. Advice
13|Touching people. Trick
14|How Much To Charge? Article
15|The Cocktail Party Essay
16|Getting started. Advice
17|Volunteer gigs and charities. Advice
18|What to say in emails. Tip
19|The telephone call. Trick
20|Getting There. Lesson
21|Developing Sets- Part 2 Article
22|Silence. Advice
23|What does my contract looks like? Anecdote
24|Transitions. Advice
25|Conquering nerves. Article
26|How to get gigs. Essay
27|Getting ready for your first one. Essay
28|Fingernail care. Trick
29|How much time to prepare. Tip
30|Pocket management. Article
31|Your list. Study
32|THE BIG SECRET. Trick
33|Your closeup bag/case. Advice
34|Things to never forget. Tip
35|Hat or No hat? Essay
36|The handshake. Tip
37|What to put in the lobby. Trick
38|Who to approach first? Article
39|My first effect. Advice
40|What rubberbands to use. Tip
41|Moving through a room. Article
42|The first words you (I) say. Essay
43|Highs and lows. Article
44|Getting applause. Essay
45|More transitions Study
46|Saying goodbye to your group. Essay
47|Tables versus standing Advice
48|Dealing with the Alpha male. Article
49|Staying in one spot. Advice
50|Busted! Advice
51|Getting compliments. Tip
52|Letting spectators shuffle. Article
53|Reset. Reset. Study
54|Venue Staff. Tip
55|Kids at an event. Advice
56|Burning through material. Lesson
57|How many hours? Lesson
58|Remembering names. Article
59|When to show the event planner. Tip
60|The card force I always use. Anecdote
61|Accepting tips. Article
62|Wallets. Anecdote
63|Handing out business cards. Tip
64|What to never borrow. Anecdote
65|Someone wants to show a trick. Article
66|Regular decks. Study
67|Weddings. Lesson
68|Large tables. Anecdote
69|Do you join them for dinner? Anecdote
70|Vest or jacket? Tip
71|The second Big Secret. Trick
72|Do it again. Article
73|Another magician shows up. Anecdote
74|Gigs outside. Advice
75|When only ten people show up. Anecdote
76|Do you need a stage show? Study
77|Dance floors. Advice
78|Checking back in. Tip
79|Dropping cards. Tip
80|Sponge balls. Trick
81|Dealing with disappointment. Advice
82|Hecklers. Article
83|Open versus closed body language. Lesson
84|One handed spectators. Anecdote
85|Stick lines. Essay
86|Lone stragglers. Tip
87|Journal. Advice
88|Leaving them with something. Essay
89|Custom decks. Article
90|False memories. Article
91|Invoices. Article
92|How to get testimonials. Article
93|Getting all the money. Article
94|Increasing rates. Tip
95|Busking. Advice
96|Repeat gigs. Study
97|Pictures. Tip
98|Social media. Advice
99|Going full time.
100|Agents. Anecdote
101|Essay. Article
102|Go get it. Advice
103|The beginning. Thanks

______________________________


I got this for xmas and had read it cover to cover within a couple of days of receiving it. However, this is not a book that has been written just to read, it has been writeen to study. I have since gone back to the beginning and I am now studying it chapter by chapter. So far I have got up to chapter 5 (Your magic Fridays) and have worked out who I am as a performer (worth the price of the book alone for me), put together what will be my professional repertoire and have started to test it out in the field. I want to eventually make the transition from amateur to professional magician and above all else this book is giving me the focus that I feel I was previously missing.

I'm confused is this a voting thread or let's all spam about the approach and include table of contents and full biography ... Can people limit themselves to a ****ing vote. Love. AC

1) TPR - Dave Moses and Iain dunford .... For all the reasons included in my massive review on the appropriate thread where it should be notice this is me NOT copying and pasting it.

2) Emotional Mentalism 2 - Luca Volpe just getting into this book but full of great estoric and very adaptable ideas.

3) ... To come