I wanted to post this in the forum because I can't be the only one that found Bobo's book very boring. Not that it isn't good, but I felt it wasn't the path for me to learn coins (but I have gone through most of it now).

My coin work really took off about a year ago when I purchased Al Schneider on Coins and Fast Track Coin Magic from amazon. Using these books I was able to finally get my coin work going. I was having a difficult time with learning coin effects. I had tried Bobo and the accompanying DVD to help me out and I just felt uninspired by it. Granted there is a lot to take in at the beginner's level from Bobo.

But in comparison Al Schneider's books really get to the meat of coin magic. Al Schneider on Coins starts you off with the Six Properties of Deception. This really gives context to the moves you will be learning throughout the book. About how to really think critically on what magic (not just coins) should do and how people perceive it. That alone should be required reading for any beginner.

I then went through Fast Track's opening which starts with how to master a trick. It really is solid advice and once again is clear as a blue sky. Al Schneider has a very direct way of writing which I enjoy. After all the intros I read the palming section. It has what you need and not 80 more for kicks -- very direct.

Both books offer how to do certain vanishes, but what made these books great for me is the Theory and effects within. The theory made me understand and made me understand why an effect worked. Also these are really good coin effects.

My personal favorites from On Coins was Quick Silver (which uses Al's pop up move) and Dynamic Coin. Fast Track I really enjoyed Coin Go and Cross Cards Jr.

Really the beauty of these books is in the theory, the direct (no bull) writing, great effects which made me want to go out and perform them. Thanks for reading and I hope to hear your opinions as well.

If it says Al Schneider you can't go wrong.

Thanks for the tip. I am a sleight-of-hand hobbyist, but love to work on technique. As someone who appreciates the "theater" of magic, I truly enjoy reading about the thought behind the scenes. I'll be on the look out for these books. I'm not sure why they haven't crossed my path sooner (I've been involved in magic since the early '90s).

The book Al Schneider on Coins was instrumental for me in my magic development. His classic vanish is timeless and probably the most practical and magical vanish there is. The snap back vanish formed the basis for my development of my retention techniques. His coins across was the inspiration for one of mine, called the Specciolini Brothers on the NYCMS dvd volume one. Al was nice enough to perform and teach as a guest host at one of our seminars, and his thoughts on theory were well received. You can find his updated version of his pop up move and some of his theory in our seminar dvds, but he also bas several dvds and a huge book which details a lot of his theory and some great routines, and not only with coins.

Is this a rerelease/reprint of Al's older book.

Yes it is.

All Al's stuff is good, books and DVDs. I'd also do a Search here to access his posts and comments. Very enlightening.

Can someone tell me: is Al Schneider on Coins an abridged version of Al Schneider Magic (the big text) with just the coin material, or is it a unique work?

I have read a lot of Al's work, and appreciate his many contributions, great thinking and magic.

It was originally published as a very worthwhile 95 page, self published, June 1975, softcover of coin "vanishes" and "routines". There are maybe 15-20 different routines, vanishes, holds, etc. in the book. It has the benefits of being very well explained and pictured.

I agree with the starter of the thread that Bobo's fat tome leaves a great deal to be desired- not so much because it is boring, but because it is very obtuse- so hard to understand, with short, poorly described descriptions that are terribly lacking. Sometimes it approaches being an encyclopedia of modern, (for it's day), mid-western collection of coin routine NAMES, rather than good descriptions of how the effects WORK.

Worse, Bobo often gets the most important details absolutely wrong. He pictures the "classic palm" position terribly, for instance, and really mucks up the elegant "Demanche Change" so that it is nearly unrecognizable. He takes a wondrous bit of magic like Down's "Eureka Pass", and turns it from one of the most beautiful routines in magic and somehow makes it mechanical, dull, and hard to follow- I suspect part of the lack of widespread use of "The Eureka Pass" and it's wonderful psychology is due less to the fact that that it involves backpalming, and more to the truth that it is presented so poorly in the book that the majority of modern coin magicians, who were all weaned on Bobo, simply passed over it, not comprehending it's amazing beauty.

In my opinion, if you can't get the fundamentals described CORRECTLY, why bother at all? It cripples, rather than teaches.

I'll never, ever understand how it managed to become the staple of coin magic, when books like "The Amateur Magician's Handbook" and Hugard's "Coin Magic" are really so much better at teaching a magician- they deliver CORRECTLY, and are CLEAR.

I suppose it's a matter of quantity over quality- which is just sad.

I think my friend Hare makes some good points here. It has often been said that Bobo's was not the best source as to coin magic…Probably true enough but it's still at the epicenter of most people's learning, perhaps whether they learned much or not. I've personally read all of these books mentioned and learned from all of them, but Bobo's just happens to be where it started for me, and probably many others. I think I remember Doc mentioning it as such, as well as Eric Jones and many others of the big, small and all. But with that, I guess there's always something better.

On the other hand, I have heard some like my pals, Vinny and Mickey Silver mention before that they didn't read Bobo's much if at all as to the magic they came to do. So I guess either which way you go, you get there just the same. I, however would agree that the other books mentioned are better reads, that probably bring about better outcome as to learning. Bobo's always seemed to me more like a collection of tricks he came upon from here and there, while the other books seemed to be more of a structured tutelage of higher learning, or something like that.

Again, I've said many times how the old book might've confused me as to moves, explanations, etc., but from back then I sorta figured that perhaps I just didn't read and comprehend it well enough, because a lot of people seemed to have understood it just fine. Who knows? Anyway, I'm here now and can't quite say that Bobo's was not a fruitful part of my journey. Heck, I still do some basics things today that I first learned from it many yesterdays ago. As to the other books mentioned here, I learned a great deal from them as well with many better explanations on things for sure.

Good talk!

No, it is a unique work published long before Al Schneider Magic. Fantastic material though! The concepts in the "Coins" book are all covered in other books by Al since then, including his "Al Schneider Magic", "The Theory and Practice of Magic Deception", and his recent "The Theory and Practice of False Transfers". But I still find it nice to read the material in Al's early writing style.

Jim

Al's Magic continues to evolve. I thoroughly studied his original Coins book and discovered his later books changed a few things, whether methodology or routines. His DVD sets also show how he likes to continue to let his Magic mature. I really admire his thinking and process. I think it's wise to study ALL his stuff.

The reason I consider Bobo "boring" is the fact that you get so much at the beginning before you even get to an effect. It made me feel that you really have to know that stuff before venturing into an effect. I felt that Al Schneider's books were great because of the streamline way it is written. It goes over a few moves and gives you a reason (effects) to get them down pat. Just feels more rewarding to me.

I love that a few have given other books that they have used. I hope others will chime in with them.

Andy, I felt Bobo's was DRY. Attempted many times to read, but it always ended up gathering dust on my book shelf. DVDs really helped motivate me to attempt Coin Magic. And meeting a Master, David Neighbors.

I finally went back to Bobo's when Ben Salinas recorded his DVD set. Motivated again. I would encourage EVERYONE to study the book along with the DVDs.

Also, you mentioned other books: Arthur Buckley's book is often ignored or sparsely mentioned. It is fabulous.

Thanks Atom, And it is what I started With ! And Roth! But A lot of the older Books are Hard for people today to read!

I couldn't agree more with Andy. Al's books are very well written.

Al, Has a great website with Coin Tricks on it.

I don't know if the website exist anymore. I can't find it.

As literature it's more of an encyclopedia update volume than a tutorial.

Agreed you made a good choice in turning to an engineer for getting right into the what/how to.