I should add the Tarbell course to the above list. As soon as you decide your serious about magic you should begin to acquire them...

Yep Mark Wilsons books is great for beginners

I second (or maybe it's thirteenth by now) the vote for Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic. YOU CAN NOT GO WRONG WITH THIS BOOK! It gives you a taste of everything from basic coin sleights to large illusions. I still refer to it every now and again. Case in point...I just started messing around with the cups and balls, and instead of having to plop down another $25+ dollars on an instructional DVD, Mark Wilson had a nice routine already laid out.

The 3 books you need to start a show for close up or stage is complete course in magic by Mark Wilson this book has a lot of good stuff you see some magicains that are on TV doing tricks in this book. The next one is a book I did not hear anyone mention and it is a good book it is called Bill Severns complete book of magic This has good mentle tricks and coin tricks Magic for dummies is a must have this book teaches a few good tricks that you might use for years to come and it gives a lot of good advice on stuff like becoming a magicain.

Just got a copy of OUR MAGIC - its an old book on theory of magic, I must say, even dated as it is, its now an essential read for anyone who asks me about magic. Its also luckily enough a public domain book now. Seriously well worth the read.

G'day, Mates

I started with Mark Wilson's Book. I completed a Magic course by correspondence through a Melbourne Tafe, in doing so they sent me this fabulous book. Wow so much to learn I will never know it all. Also a huge Thanks to posting exactly what books to have for certain performers. I am interested in being a clown so I will be writing down all books recommended and chasing them up Down Under.

Darwin Ortiz recommends reading Our Magic once a year. I'm going to start doing that just as soon as I finish Strong Magic.

///ark

Mark Wilson CCIM


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!

I startd off with mark wilsons complete course in magic, and paul Zenons street magic this is a great way to start as it fuses old and new tricks, it also gives some history into magic and advice on how to succeed. these two would be my advice to anyone.

I believe for card magic
the royal road to card magic
expert at the card table

are both excellent

It's not very glamorous, but the book that really got me hooked years ago was "The Klutz Book of Magic" by John Cassidy and Michael Stroud. It was wrapped in plastic and I remember my surprise when I opened it up to find a TT. It's got a Ring and Rope routine credited to Liko Pang and Eric DeCamps. I spent days working on that one as a kid. I think it's a great book for a true beginner.

From The Klutz Book, I moved onto Bobo, Mark Wilson's Complete Course, and the Royal Road. The one I still keep going to after all these years, however, is Harry Lorayne's Close Up Card Magic.

How about Card College Light?

If you want some easy reputation makers, then get 13 Steps to Mentalism. It is the holy grail of all mentalism.

Much of what has been suggested are books of effects. Before a person gets into effects it is best to have some sort of foundation as to the basics of the art you are persuing.

For magic it could be the Fitzkee Trilogy and for mentalism it could be Corinda's 13 steps. For best results these books cannot be read as though you were reading a book of effects and methods. These books must be STUDIED. You will find it beneficial to review their contents on an annual basis. Break a leg!

Is Corinda's 13 Steps considered good for beginners if it is studied sufficiently?

Royal Road
The Art of Magic by Nicholas Einhorn

Card College Light is excellent for beginners as it requires virtually no sleights. Some of the routines are fairly complex and provide an excellent introduction to a newbie of managing a presentation and the processes in handling the cards. Well worth a read.

Magic and showmanship Book by Henning Nelms

I don't know if you can get it somewhere (maybe Ebay) but I recommend The Magic Book by Harry Lorraine. It has the basics of card magic, coin magic, some mentalism and lots of good stuff

It is pretty good. A ton of it seems to be very outdated and unusable, but all the basics of mentalism are in this book. You will at least be able to find out what areas of mentalism you are interested in. From there, you can move on and check out books or effects dedicated to one specific trick, ie swami gimmicks, etc.