The May issue of Genii, the largest-selling magic magazine in the world, is now available online, with the paper issue on its way.

* Jose Frakson is little known today. As one of Frakson’s foremost students, the late David Alexander knew all of Frakson’s secrets and fortunately this’s month’s Genii cover story lets us in on a few. For most of our readers, the name “Frakson” will not be familiar, however he was a great magician and a star of vaudeville and nightclubs in his day—his story should be told. And in our digital edition you can see him perform his masterpiece: a cigarette act whose secrets have never been revealed.

* When Jim Swain read Jon Racherbaumer’s comment in one of our issues last year in which he suggested that it was not necessary to learn the Pass, Mr. Swain wrote an excellent essay on exactly why every person who does sleight of hand with cards should learn the Pass. I have rewritten and included the explanation of Derek Dingle’s Riffle Pass to which he refers (from The Complete Works of Derek Dingle) to accompany the article. In addition to the description of Dingle’s handling, there is a video included in the digital edition in which he does the Shift invisibly.

* In Jeff Prace’s “Left-Handed,” he describes a trick by Kevin Li where the image of a key instantly becomes real—it’s easy to do (watch the video in our digital edition) and likely worth more than the last download you bought.

* I cannot describe in any simple way the card trick which John Bannon teaches this month in “Dealing With It” because, as he himself admits, it’s strange—but in a good way, like a trick of Brother Hamman’s. Watch the video in which he performs it before reading the explanation and be fooled.

* The Doctor is in … Dr. Harbottle, that is, and this month in “By Means of Metal” he has gifted you with an essay on Curl Palm, aka Nowhere Palm, and what that means if you combine it with a Retention Vanish. Video as well makes learning swell.

* John Guastaferro continues his excellent stewardship of “Magicana” with another three routines this month, including a clever balancing deck by Stephen Hobbs, and of course there’s a video of the whole deal.

* For you real-world standup workers, Martin Lewis shares a routine in “Making Magic” that he’s obviously used for humans in chairs who form an audience. The color of a silk and a cardboard box transpose … and it’s plenty easy to make and do.

* I’m amazed—stunned, frankly—at how Mike Caveney is able to spin what is often such a simple letter into an interesting tale in “Classic Correspondence.” This time around it involves, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Dante, all in A Haunting We Will Go.

* Our story-telling Hannibal explains that sometimes performing Cards Across can get hairy in “Happiness is the Road.”

* Books get reviewed by our Associate Editor Mr. Lovick, tricks by Mr. Oliver, and videos by Mr. Turner. Todd Karr peeks around in “The Eye.” And only in our digital issue there are audio columns by Max Maven and Jon Racherbaumer.
Subscribe to a year of Genii for as little as $35 and obtain access to all 80 years of our magazine in our digital archive for no extra charge!

www.geniimagazine.com