THE MERCHANT OF MAGIC

Win Tickets to See The Houdini Experience Starring Hans Klok

2012-01-27T13:57:00.001Z

IN A TRIBUTE TO HOUDINI, HANS KLOK BRINGS HIS UNIQUE TYPE OF THEATRE TO THE WEST END!

The greatest illusion show on earth

Starring HANS KLOK

The fastest magician in the world in

THE HOUDINI EXPERIENCE

With more illusions than you can count!

For the first time ever, Hans Klok the Master of Mystery arrives at the Peacock Theatre, London for 5 weeks only. Described as a 'chilling, thrilling and breathtakingly amazing show', Hans Klok, his Divas of Magic and a company of world-class variety and circus acts perform illusions, daredevil stunts and wizardry unlike anything ever seen before.

Having starred in Las Vegas with Pamela Anderson as his magical assistant, Hans brings a new kind of theatre to London, one for all the family to enjoy this Spring.

Escape from reality and get ready to relive the Houdini experience.

'The greatest wizard in the world'

www.sadlerswells.com

www.facebook.com/houdiniexperience

HOW TO ENTER THE COMPETITION

To be in with a chance of winning 2 tickets to see this fabulous show simply visit the Merchant of Magic Facebook page and comment on The Houdini Experience feature. A winner will be picked at random on 11th February.

VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AND CLICK
OUR LIKE BUTTON - THEN POST THE FOLLOWING PHRASE:
'I WANT TO SEE THE SHOW'

Terms and Conditions: Prize valid for Tuesday - Thursday performances from 23 February - 2 March 2012, subject to availability. There is no cash alternative to the prizes, they are non-refundable and non-transferable and not for resale.

UP THE ANTE - GREAT WAY TO RAISE MONEY

2012-01-05T13:01:00.001Z

We received this great feedback from a happy customer about how he used Up The Ante to Raise a LOAD of money for charity. Good Work Brett!

'I just arrived home a few days ago from a charity event where I used Martyn Smith's "Up the Ante" as a method of raising money for a very worthy cause.

For those not yet familiar with "Up The Ante" - this trick is just a knockout!!!

The charity is called "Lose The Training Wheels" and is an organization that helps kids with Downs Syndrome and similar disabilities to learn how to ride a bike. There were the typical silent auctions, but the absolute highlight of the night for me was "Up The Ante."

Let me suggest that any Magician intending to work a benefit like this can really make some big $$$ for a charity by using this gem!

In addition, Magician's seeking a gig for a charity could sell themselves based on the extra $$$ that "Up The Ante" could bring in, not to mention the fun and fantastic entertainment value.

Tonight we raised over $850 for this charity during the band's intermission - this amount directly attributable to "Up The Ante."

Here is the scenario: I brought along about $1000 in play money which were split up and handed to 4 hand chosen spectators who were told in advance that this would be a trick and that of any monies wagered - 100% would be donated to the charity. The group would have to work together to decide how much to bet on each round. Just to make things interesting, I also told the audience that if for some reason ANY of my card predictions were to be wrong, then I would donate my entire fee for the gig to the charity.

I told the audience that just as in a gambling casino, I would be the "House" and the 4 spectators would be the gamblers.

Without going into all the details of the numerous betting rounds, suffice it to say that the audience started to really get whooped up as I got to the two sets of 13 cards. Some audience members even threw some real $100 bills on top of the play money because they were having so much fun!

I would encourage ANYONE out there to try "Up The Ante" for a charity or fundraiser. I received compliments all night long from the hosts and guests who were blown away by this "packs small - plays big" effect that is so much more than just a simple card trick. - BRETT'

Up The Ante is available HERE

Ekaterina performs Transcendence LIVE

2011-07-27T18:37:00.000+01:00

Ekaterina performs Transcendence LIVE

(DEMO CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE)

ORDER TRANSCENDENCE HERE

DYNAMO performs PRESSURE by Dominic Reyes on TV

2011-07-27T17:25:00.000+01:00

Check out DYNAMO performing PRESSURE at the Milkshake Bar

ORDER YOUR COPY OF PRESSURE HERE

Dynamo has been a regular customer of ours for many years. We have been advising him on new, underground and hot new effects that we know would be perfect for him.

Presented as one of the most exciting British magicians to emerge this century, and having built up an impressive list of celebrity fans worldwide, Dynamo Magician Impossible tells the tale of a normal kid from Bradford who has developed magical skills in an extraordinary way. Dynamo spent his childhood practicing magic tricks, card sleights, and studying the secrets of magic. His new TV series features a wide range of magic from creators all over the world. We are pleased to present you with a range of magic tricks performed by Dynamo.

VISIT THE DYNAMO SECTION

Interview With Bill Dekel - Co Creator of Airwriter

2011-07-25T17:02:00.004+01:00

Dominic Reyes - How did you develop Air Writer?

Bill Dekel - I started working on the Air Writer idea based on an effect in one of my previous books (MindCraft: Psionics), called Mene, Mene, Dekel (a.k.a. MMD). I first came up with MMD after some hours of thinking about how I could name a number that someone had written in the air. I published MMD, and it was very received, however I felt that something was lacking; I wanted it to work with letters AND words.

Dominic Reyes - That must have been very frustrating, like a missing piece in a jigsaw, how did you solve it?

Bill Dekel - It was! I spent the next few weeks losing sleep trying to come up with a way to make MMD work with letters. I thought out half a dozen ideas, but threw each of them out; none of them were simple or clean enough. Then Timon Krause, one of the reviewers of MindCraft: Psionics that I had been collaborating with, contacted me with an idea he'd had that was directly based on MMD. I read his idea and instantly knew that it would work. I adapted it and, working with Timon, Air Writer was born.

Dominic Reyes - In what situations do you think it excels and in which do you think require more careful handling?

Bill Dekel - It works extremely well with a list of any sort. Some common applications I anticipated include names, star signs, and playing cards, among many others. As Timon noted, it can be used with virtually any list your spectator can come up with as well. The benefit of having a collection of known words is that it allows you to have a spectator write only one or two letters in the air.

Dominic Reyes - Does it aways work for you?

Bill Dekel - I'm generally quite careful about words, and try to keep them short. They're a bit risky, but I have used it with success now many many times, it almost always succeeds, you feel like you're really reading minds. It's a bit of "risk and reward". The greater the risk the more reward. There's something quite powerful about telling someone what they are thinking of with absolutely nothing other then you and them.

Dominic Reyes - What do you think of the current state of mentalism?

Bill Dekel - I feel that we as mentalists are all standing on the shoulders of giants, and as such we can only go farther with every passing year, in terms of performance and techniques. I believe, be it sooner or later, that we will eventually reach a point where we will truly be able to read minds.

Dominic Reyes - How have you reacted to the reaction you have received from mentalists about Air Writer?

Bill Dekel - Quite happily, actually, as to the best of my knowledge, the reactions I've read about Air Writer have been entirely positive. Air Writer is an entirely new principle, and I've been glad that everyone reading Air Writer have appreciated that. Like most things worth learning, it's a skill that requires practice to perfect, and that seems to have been universally recognized by the mentalists who own Air Writer.

Dominic Reyes - Tell us about your first ever performance.

Bill Dekel - It's hard to pin point my very first performance in mentalism because I started out performed magic for friends and family. That said, I think the first mind reading effect that I ever performed was at school, when I used my Mind Power deck. I fanned the deck with the faces towards my spectator. I then asked my spectator to think of one of the cards. I then told him what card he was thinking of, but pointed out that it was merely an illusion. I then showed him the faces of all of the cards to show that his card had never been in the deck. I then said, "And the reason why the card was never in the deck was because this entire time it's been in my back pocket..." as I reached around and removed their thought of card from my pocket.

Dominic Reyes - Who are your influences and why?

Bill Dekel - Around the top of the list are probably Derren Brown, Banachek, Joshua Quinn, Marc Oberon and David Copperfield. Derren Brown because he comes up with some absolutely brilliant ideas and then uses his well developed skills to make them a reality. I admire Banachek primarily because of the guts he has to perform the kind of psychological forces that he has come up with. Joshua Quinn because his work in the manipulation of words and equivoque has inspire some of my greatest effects. I always like watching Oberon perform because he makes magic, be it with cards or keys, tangible, bright, and charming, flowing seamlessly from one trick to the next. Last but not least I love David Copperfield because of his brilliant showmanship. His powerful acting abilities that enable him to make the impossible real, no matter how larger the scale, and to relate it to every one of his spectators in a personable, way, often linking it with a story.

Dominic Reyes - Where do you plan to go from here?

Bill Dekel - As I think that mentalism will only get closer to the real thing, I want to be one of those on the edge of reality, pushing forwards to create a reality for both me and my spectators.

Dominic Reyes - Thanks for taking the time for this short interview Bill. Good luck with your magic and congratulations on a great bit of mentalism!

AIRWRITER IS AVAILABLE NOW HERE

Ping Pong Poodle DVD - In Production Now

2011-07-12T16:24:00.000+01:00

We have just finished filming Magic Mikey (Michael Fairall) for his new DVD for childrens entertainers. Ping Pong Poodle teached his signature routine, that has been a highlight of his professional show all over the world. The DVD should release late August 2011. Not to be missed!

WE NOW DO SKYPE

2011-06-02T12:12:00.000+01:00

We now offer customer support by telephone, email, Facetime and now Skype!

Great for calling us for free and also video chat when you have a product support inquiry.

Lines open Monday-Friday 10am-5.30pm. Our Skype username is magicshop.co.uk

Get Skype and call us for free.

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK MAY 2011

2011-06-01T17:27:00.005+01:00

This Months Customer Feedback Results

We randomly picked 2000 customers that had ordered from us in the last few weeks to give us feedback on how we did

Here's the results

"I am very surprised because I didn't expect your employees to be so nice. I am not used to an online store caring about me unless the owner personally answers the phone/email. Whatever you are doing to train your employees...keep it up! Thanks!!" -Daniel Barros

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"I have always found the service to be excellent, do not change it!" - Kevin Reid

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"keep the good work up" - George Hargreaves

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"I think that the service is fantastic I have never had any problems. What ever I order always arrives within a couple of days" - John Ewing

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" Always pleasant, polite and efficient. Good values for money. Will use this service again on numerous occasions. Many thanks" - Ian Firth

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"I find your service to be excellent on all levels" - Wayne Rushton

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"Your service is fine, better than many other suppliers." - Philip Bennett

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"The service is excellent and very fast" - Geert Blancke

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"Keep up the excellent after sale service" - Alan Steedman

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"No changes required. Every time I have used you, it has been a great service."- Andy Tuck

Thank you to everyone who gave us feedback. We will be continuing to record feedback so we can make MagicShop.co.uk the best it can be!

What we could do to improve the service:

'Comparative pricing to UK and international suppliers (e.g. MJM) taking shipping into account.

Loyalty points are preferable to discount codes. Both is even better.'

Good suggestion! We check prices continually and also offer a price promise (see the section on the site) US prices can often be very misleading as VAT is not included. Also import duty and charges get whacked on top, so many cstomer get quite a shock when their package arrives from a US magic shop and the hidden charged hit them.

We have now introduced a loyalty bonus voucher scheme, so you get a £1.00 voucher with EVERY ORDER!

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'Faster Delivery times'

We are on it! Our new warehouse is now open, which means delivery times have been slashed! Most orders dispatch same day for next day delivery and orders from our warehouse now only take a few days to dispatch. Delivery times are now faster than ever and customers seem delighted by the change!

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'A bigger range of Magic Books'

We agree 110%. We currently stock over 1000 different magic books, but plan to expand that over the coming months

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'More updates on the progress of my order'

It's done! We now give exact dispatch times for each product on it's page, as well as updates via email for each step of the shipping process

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Thank you to everyone who gave us feedback. We will be continuing to record feedback so we can make MagicShop.co.uk the best it can be!

WE JUST GOT FASTER!

2011-06-01T15:52:00.000+01:00

We are pleased to announce that our second UK warehouse opened today, which will GREATLY speed up our selivery times for warehoused items. Now the majority of orders ship same day to our customers. If you order an item that we hold in our warehouse rather than the shop, delivery times have now been SLASHED to just a few days. We give you the exact delivery time for your order right on the product page for each item and also at the checkout.

WISHLISTS ARE BACK

2011-05-27T14:50:00.000+01:00

When we redesigned part of the layout of the product pages at the magic shop, we removed the wishlist feature. After received a LOAD of emails asking for this to be returned, we have set it back up, so now you can browse the magic shop, select all the magic tricks you like, and create a personal wishlist in your account. It's a great pleace to send your friends and family when they are looking for magic gifts to buy you!

The Lord of the Strings

2011-05-18T15:43:00.001+01:00

Stephen Noble's new DVD 'Lord of the Strings' is due to launch mid June.

If you saw the Audi advert where a group of designers make a full scale replica of an Audi A4 out of string, you will have seen his work.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wOPJa6Nrac His father founded the International String Figures Association (he's the professor in the Audi advert) and both Stephen and his father are considered the worlds leading authorities on String Games, publishing on the subject for over 30 years.

Stephen contacted me about working on a project together to take the concept of string stories originating from Papua New Guinea and developing them into routines for magicians. Stephen flew over from Milan to film the work, and I'm very happy with the result...

TRAILER: HERE

Description:
The Lord of the Strings a five phase routine in which you pass a loop of string magically through just about every body part available!!

With it's history stemming back to the indigenous people of Papua New Guinea these string techniques have been passed down through generations as a way of telling stories through visual means.

Stephen Noble teaches you five adapted 'string games' that result in some visual and surprising penetrations of flesh and bone. Learn to pass a loop of string through all five of your fingers, through your wrist or even through your neck! Stephen guides you through all of the ins and outs of these age old techniques so you will be having fun straight away with The Lord of the Strings!

With the loop of string provided these fun effects can be performed at a moments notice. The loop of string itself is un-gimmicked and is handled by the spectator throughout the routine.

Perfect for just a straight performance or ideal to be accompanied by a story. If you are into escapology then these techniques could be used to demonstrate your ability to just 'melt' through restraints.

Suitable for all levels of ability

Dr Bill on Suggestabilities

2011-05-17T16:58:00.001+01:00

Dr Bill AKA Bill Cushman brings us three excellent magic esseys, each with a trick illustrating the principles taught. An essential read for anyone interested in 'lifting their game' and developing their magic and mentalism

"Sit down, relax, and breathe deeply... When you have finished reading this book you'll have the tools to make yourself a better performer. Read this book.... think about what this book has to say... and practice the ideas within. You'll soon feel like you are under Bill's spell. Luckily he uses his powers for good and not evil. And now a word from this sponsor: Bill is starting to freak me out. He keeps coming up with fantastic ideas and methods. I'm starting to wonder if he really exists or maybe some guys got together and created a false identity so they could put out some cool stuff under someone else's name. Every time I read something from Bill I have an "Ah-ha!" moment. Far too many times. I'm starting to think that we'll all find out he's a computer simulated character programmed to pump out great ideas. If I'm right, I'm hoping that this program never crashes. So once again, Bill, you've come out with some great stuff... or is it Bill Version 2.3 I'm talking to?" - Greg Arce

“Bill Cushman wrote an incredible ebook titled ‘Suggestabilities’ which includes a most wonderful audience participation effect called ‘The Jumping Pulse.’ I was giddy as I read Bill’s wonderful piece. It really is lovely. ‘The Jumping Pulse’ is short, simple and extraordinarily effective. I really love it a lot for what it is, exactly how it is. Bill’s original handling is magnificent. JP is perhaps the most stunning progressive relaxation I have ever used or know of. The same suggestions can be given with a simple visualization like the moving elevator relaxation technique. What makes it unique with the ‘JP’ is that an actual physiological occurrence is taking place and can be NOTICED by your participants. By linking suggestions to what is already occurring naturally it’s even easier and more effective to relax a participant quickly and deeply. A few helpful tips are in order and come via Bill’s incredible book and experience with this technique. I agree with all of the points made and can personally testify to their importance. With my own modifications, it has become one of the top inductions I use and I draw upon this exercise in both my stage shows and private work for healing and entertainment with equally impressive results. The ‘JP’ has many great uses in persuasion, seduction and psychological mentalism alike. BTW, I love that Bill uses the left hand because it’s closer to the heart/source of the pulse and left body = right brain. It’s the attention to detail I love so much about Cushman’s work.
One thing that remains constant no matter what the variations appear like is this: People LOVE the ‘JP’ and I often teach it to my clients for private readings, hypnotherapy, shamanic processing and traditional healing, on stage during performance, in the parlor and even shortened versions used up close and personal. My own clients and audiences have reported almost miraculous results and major breakthroughs using this technique. Bill has shared a truly no prop, completely impromptu effect for one to one thousand that meets and exceeds what are usually typical clichés and hype. And there is no denying that is also a very therapeutic technique and we all deserve to show him a kind ‘Thank you’ and hug of gratitude the next time we see him!” - Jerome Finley

You can read Suggestibilities HERE

Video Call Customer Services Now Open

2011-05-01T11:33:00.001+01:00

The team at The Merchant of Magic want your online visit to be as close to the experience you would get when you visit our bricks and mortar magic shop. So... We are trialing our new video call service. Not sure how well it will work for customers yet, as Broadband speeds are not great in the UK for some customers, but we have decided to give it a go for a month and see how it works out. It's a great way for iPhone or Mac users to call us free when they are near a wifi connection, and allows our magicians to give one to one customer service 'in person'.

If the trail goes well, we may also add a similar service for customer that still use PC's :)

Your feedback would be very greatly appreciated!

The Royal Wedding Present

2011-04-28T14:50:00.000+01:00

To celebrate the marriage of

His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales, K.G.
with
Miss Catherine Middleton

We will include a free surprise magic present in any
order that includes an item with ‘Royal’ in its title.

Offer ends 3rd May 2011.

Subject to our standard terms & conditions
Gift chosen by MoM Ltd and has no cash-in value.

See items with Royal in their title here

Star Item of The Week

2011-04-27T15:51:00.001+01:00

This week we have picked a super visual and practical prop that can make a coin or ring seem to vanish instantly! Anyone can perform the Maric glass. Even beginners will be able to perform this with confidence. The best part is there are NO angle restrictions even in surrounded situations.

Order this now and we will include £20 worth of MoM gift vouchers in with the Maric Glass when we ship it to you!

See Product Page for Maric Glass

Coming date May 2011

2011-04-20T20:29:00.000+01:00

Do you keep a magicians diary?

2011-04-20T16:29:00.000+01:00

No matter if you are a total beginner or a working pro, keeping a magic diary or journal is one of the most useful steps you can take to develop your magic. You can record notes for many different things, magic related, humerus thoughts and quotes, trick ideas, philosophical musings, points to remember when you next perform a routine. Built up over time, this becomes an extremely valuable collection of ideas and techniques, you can refer back to whenever you want.

Performed a magic trick and received a funny response from a spectator?, heard a great patter line, but don't know where it would fit with your current material? Put it all in a diary and it's never forgotten. As you progress though your study of magic, you are bound to forget so much. The magicians diary is your friend, always there to keep it all safe and archived.

John Bodine and Theron Schaub have just released a stunning magicians journal. A beautiful reproduction of the original 1902 Expert at the Card Table publication. On the outside, it's a perfect facsimile, however, leaf through the pages and you'll discover an empty canvas for new ideas. All the text has been removed, however the publisher has left all 101 drawings by M.D. Smith in their respective positions. Some might say this will get in the way, but we think it's a simple reminder of what this journal is for.

Fill its pages with everything from annotations to new ideas. It will become one of your most prized possessions!

Expert at the Card Table Journal

Sunday MoM Voucher Bonus

2011-04-17T17:01:00.000+01:00

This item has been selected for this weeks MoM Voucher Bonus

Order this item before 4pm on the 18th April 2011 and we will include 10 x £1.00 Loyalty Vouchers that you can use to purchase any item from www.MagicShop.co.uk
Offer available while stocks last

Order yours HERE

Wednesday Update

2011-04-06T10:45:00.001+01:00

LEGACY – by Jamie Badman & Colin Miller. This effect is a HIT!! A simple story of your grandfather's greatest magic trick is performed using his original props. You remove some cards from his old wallet and have someone think of one of the cards in the hand. You then show that even from the grave, your grandfather knew exactly which one the participant freely picked. Legacy is an easy to perform, completely sleight-free routine that comes with a custom-made soft-leather wallet, pre-aged props and a collection of strong routines to suit a variety of styles. A Fantastic effect!

WAY OF THE SHINOBI – by Emran Riaz . The Shinobi Control is THE answer to the control force. This incredibly versatile technique is one you WILL use in your card magic for the rest of your life...anytime you need a practical and amazing control, a stunning phase for your favorite Ambitious Card routine, or a convincing force the Shinobi Control is there for you. The Shinobi Control was created by Emran Riaz and refined with the help of Tony Chang.

SWITCHBLADE – by Dan Harlan. It’s back! Switchblade is a precision-made mechanical device that looks like an ordinary card but this clever gimmick is extraordinary! This modern tool eliminates difficult sleight-of-hand allowing you to perform impossible card magic. Change one card into another, make the back visually change color, perform an incredible 3 Card Monte, vanish a selected card from your hand and it reappears in the deck held by the spectator... an more! In the included video instructions, Dan Harlan personally performs and teaches you how to use your Switchblade gimmick to do all of this without the hard work.

BACK IN STOCK! BUCKET HEAD by Brad Manuel. Effect: The magician introduces his newly invented "Buckethead" device and brings a child up on stage to help. The Buckethead is placed over the child's head with a magician's hat on top and the magician connects an air inflator. He proceeds to"pump up" the child's head until the hat is now standing straight up! When the cover on the front of Buckethead is removed the child's head is seen to have doubled in size! This looks hilarious!

Big thanks to Jeff McBride for talking about us in his latest Magic TV show

2011-04-05T11:44:00.002+01:00

mcbridemagic on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Magic Update

2011-04-01T11:22:00.001+01:00

Spotlight on a few new releases:

CLASSIC FORCE – By Phil Jay. A true classic sleight taught by a master in this incredible step by step DVD! Phil teaches his inner thoughts and everything covered from preparation to execution as well as what you must do after the card is taken... Plus! an amazing technique for speed gauging - never disclosed before! Plus live performance segments of Phil using the classic force at an event...

INVISIBLE PASS – by Chris Dugdale. This is an incredible step by step guide to one of the most invisible pass techniques ever created! Even if you are familiar with the Invisible Pass this WILL fool you! Full instructional DVD with Bonus tips and handlings. "The best invisible pass I've never seen" - Jerry Sadowitz - The Crimp

COMING SOON! POSTCARDS by Hernan Macagno. Hernan Macagno, invented "Postcards", an amazing apparition of a deck of cards that will become a classic effect in a short time. Imagine showing an envelope that contains a empty and flat bicycle box of cards, take out the flat box and show it very clearly, then fold the box and the cards appear inside the box (cards not included).One of the best opening for your close up, parlor or stage act.

BACK IN STOCK! SWITCHBLADE by Dan Harlan. Switchblade is a precision-made mechanical device that looks like an ordinary card but this clever gimmick is extraordinary! This modern tool eliminates difficult sleight-of-hand allowing you to perform impossible card magic.

Discontinued Products

"7 By Patrik Kuffs" by David Acer, Vol. 1 in the "7 By" Series - Book

3 Card Joe X-Large Cards (11X16 on Heavy Card Stock, 2 DVD's & Worldwide Performance Rights)

Appearing Cane (Silver) by Fantasio - Trick

At The Card Table 3 Volume Set Vol 1 thru 3 by Darwin Ortiz - DVD

CardShark Ortiz Set Volume 1 Thru 3 - DVD
(3 Available)

Double Match Pull by Dave Powell

Extreme Magic Sets (With DVD) by Fantasma

Master Deck (With PAL DVD) by Marc Oberon - Trick
(0 Available)

Parasol Box Set (4 Parasols, NEWSPAPER) - Trick
(3 Available)

Silk Dropper - Tony Clark

Table Base by Dancing Spring - Trick

Technique by Matthew Mello - DVD

Barry and Stuart and Martin Kemp's Transportation Boxes

2011-03-30T12:39:00.001+01:00

Like the growing head illusion? Order it now HERE

SPOTLIGHT: A few of this weeks new releases

2011-03-30T11:19:00.000+01:00

THE VANISHING – by Jon Allen. WOW! The Vanishing is not only a strong magical effect but it’s also a great piece of theater. If you do close-up, walk around, or stage work with a projector screen then this is for you. Your audience will be amazed as photographs of locked handcuffs mysteriously open and an image of Houdini vanishes without a trace. This fantastic effect transforms a classic card routine into a true piece of close up theatre. The Vanishing uses a compelling story line & powerful visual magic to take your audience on a magical journey with the world's most famous magician. And it’s very easy to Learn! Comes complete with custom designed photo card set, photo envelope, and a detailed instructional DVD.

LOVE CARDS – by Craig Petty. This is one of the BEST strolling mentalism effects we have seen in years! For years the book test has been one of the most powerful effects available to mentalists. Now this classic effect has been brought up to date with Love Cards that you can literally carry in your wallet. No forcing, No fishing, Nothing is written down, No memorization, No multiple out system, Everything examinable at every point in the routine, Instant reset, Very easy to perform - Self working!

OPEN PREDICTION – by Tomas Baxter. The Open Prediction Project is the largest collection of its kind in existence. It is a compilation of 51 unique and creative solutions to the Open Prediction problem. this is a 296 page hard-cover book. contains a detailed history of the evolution of the Open Prediction effect; commentary on the individuals who made this effect the legend that it has become; and a comprehensive appendix, listing variations of the Open Prediction that been published in the past.

COMING SOON! MINIMAX by Edo. MINIMAX is the smallest and most sensitive electronic magnetic detector available today. It is so small that you can hide it in a Thumb Tip, below your watch, in your mouth, under your sleeve or you can simply finger palm it. The options are endless! This AMAZING device allows you to perform magic effects that have NEVER been possible before. You can show your hands totally empty before during and after you performance! Due in next week!

BACK IN STOCK! THE HAWK 2.0 by Alexander Kolle

Another celebrity magician sighted browsing the shop?

2011-03-29T17:25:00.001+01:00

We are not totally sure, but we think Paul Harris may have been one of the customers in the shop today. He headed straight for our stack of Mandolin Bicycle Playing Cards, loaded up with as many Art of Astonishment books as he could carry and then headed off saying he had a flight to catch.... Luckily we managed to get a quick picture before he could leave.

If YOU would like to be like Paul Harris too, we have everything you need to learn HERE

Jamie Dawes freaks out Ben Williams

2011-03-02T15:32:00.002Z

Jamie Dawes visited the magic shop to show us his new DVD release SCARED. Ben was left with no clue, and was going on about it ALL DAY!

Would you like your spectators to show a similar reaction? I recommend you pick up Jamie's DVD right away. As a special bonus we are also sending customers who order this from us, a copy in ebook form so they can start learning this right away

Click Here to check out the demo of SCARED

Paul Zerdin, ventriloquist without a dummy...

2011-02-15T17:54:00.000Z

The dummy, an indispensable ventriloquist prop, so you would have thought. But no, ventriloquist Paul Zerdin manages without one, with a little help from the audience.

Fancy having a go yourself. here's a great guide to ventriloquism for walk-around magicians

Our New Magic Shops Open Across the USA

2011-01-21T13:24:00.001Z

The Merchant of Magic team are pleased to announce the opening of our new USA branchs of our leading magic shop!

www.MadAboutMagic.com

Mad About Magic, is based in Miami, Florida. It offers a HUGE range of the very best magic books, DVDs, tricks and accessories for magicians across the USA. With additional warehouses in both New York and California, we now ship directly to our customers based in the United States with super fast delivery!

Our professional magicians offer full support and technical help with any of the magic items you may be considering, and our fully trained sales team is on hand to take your next order 24/7 on our sales lines

Tel: (212) 330-0451

Email: sales@madaboutmagic.com

Orders from our customers in the UK and the rest of Europe will continue to be shipped from our warehouses in the UK and Germany so we can offer the fastest and cheapest delivery wherever you are in the world!

Magicians to be hosted by Lenny Henry

2010-12-08T17:33:00.000Z

The Magicians sees three of the magic world's most successful practitioners do battle across five weeks, in the world of magic's first competitive competition on UK screens.

Against the stunning backdrop of a specially-created set on Pinewood Studios, each Magician will perform with a different celebrity partner each week; with the three pairs performing illusions from the classic to the never-attempted-before and adapting their respective roles as the challenge or trick dictates.

The Magicians will be pushed to excel beyond their own favoured speciality, be it escapology, illusion or sleight of hand card tricks, as the tournament will throw weekly challenges and themes designed to best test the competitors' originality, ingenuity and ambition with many large scale stunts set to be attempted.

Just as audiences in theatres have shown their approval or otherwise for the art of illusion through the centuries, only the studio audience will determine which magician is victorious each week and ultimately triumphs across the weeks.

The show is scheduled for January 2011 featuring sleight of hand expert Chris Korn, Luis de Matos, and Barry & Stuart.

There are no judges and no phone lines. The same three magicians battle each week – those that amaze the audience most will win, whereas the pair that receive the least applause will be asked to close the show with an uncomfortable, dangerous or impossible forfeit of a trick that no-one will want to tackle.
In addition, viewers at home will be able to both enjoy and learn interactively via a series of exclusive tricks and step-by-step guides to give budding magicians an introduction to the art.

Ekaterina performs Transcendence LIVE - (Contains Strong Language)

2010-12-01T14:18:00.001Z

Learn to perform Transcendence right now HERE

Damian O'Brien Performs Re-Labelled for WANTED at T4

2010-11-30T11:11:00.000Z

LEARN:
Labelled by Ben Williams
Re-labelled By Ben Williams

Pickpocketing with Bob Arno

2010-11-17T12:05:00.000Z

Fancy learning a new skill for 2010? You can start mastering this amazing skill HERE

The New David Copperfield?

2010-11-11T15:09:00.000Z

Have you thought about adding dance into your routine? :)

2010-11-10T21:44:00.002Z

When good magic goes bad...

2010-11-10T21:40:00.000Z

Learn to levitate things properly HERE

Mr Magic - Mr Maric

2010-11-10T11:16:00.000Z

“Mr. Maric: Cho Majutsu”
By Steve Marshall

Mr. Maric was really going back to nature for his magic props and explains his philosophy this way: “If I had a choice to make some candy appear or make an orange appear, I would choose the orange. This is because, even though it is basically the same effect and I might use the same technique, the orange is a natural object while the candy is man-made. I think people are more amazed, psychologically, if a natural object appears, because it seems more impossible.”

The Matsuo Gentosai spots proved popular and introduced Maric to a younger generation of viewers.
Even during the times when he changed his character for TV, Mr. Maric’s live show continued to tour Japan; his 2010 tour is taking him to fifty different cities across the country. “This year I am concentrating on a more interactive style of magic. Until now, a magic show meant that the audience would just watch the magician do amazing things on the stage. These days, though, with people carrying things like iPhones and other high-tech devices with them, they are experiencing ‘miracles’ in their hands everyday. Because of this, it is getting more and more difficult for me to demonstrate things that truly amaze them. So, in my current tour I want to do more magic together with the audience, letting them experience the magic in their own hands.”

One interactive routine that has long been a staple of his show is his spoon bending effect, as was done on Maric’s first television special. When the audience enters the theater, everyone is given a spoon, and it’s a very surreal moment to later see a theater full of spoons being held up in the air. These are all real spoons and, as on TV, the thing that makes it even more believable is that while many of the spoons do bend, not everyone is able to make it happen.

Because talking is such an important part of his routines, Maric does not usually perform outside of Japan, although he has done specials in Korea and Taiwan using an interpreter. Both shows received high ratings. In Korea, he earned a very high 50 share, which made Mr. Maric instantly famous in that country. And he did have the opportunity to perform in a theater at UCLA six years ago. “The show was advertised in a popular paper that is distributed to the Japanese community in Los Angeles, so we had a very good turnout. But since I performed my show entirely in Japanese to a Japanese audience, I didn’t really feel like I was performing in the USA.”

In 2004, he published a book for magicians. The Golden Arrow Book is made up of 365 of his thoughts on performing magic that he says hit him like “arrows hitting my heart.” The book is currently available only in Japanese. Earlier this year, he also began teaching by way of the Internet, enrolling magicians for a course in which they receive feedback when they upload videos of themselves. The focus is on being able to do magic with everyday items, so they will be able to perform a trick anytime they are asked to. As Maric says, “I feel that a magician should be someone who can do magic anytime with anything that is available. Otherwise you are just a ‘magic player.’”
At 61 years old, Mr. Maric is still going strong and shows no signs of slowing down. Even though he now professes to be “just a magician,” people still ask, “Is what Mr. Maric does real or just a magic trick?” He answers, “A real wizard is just a fairytale, but I would like to create my own effects and never tell the secrets to anyone, not even my family. That is the way one can become as close to a real wizard as a human being possibly can.”

It will be interesting to see what directions Mr. Maric will take his shows in the coming years, and what new characters he may create. No doubt his Cho Majutsu style will keep people talking and he will continue performing magic with ordinary objects, which all started with a simple stone.

Excerpted from “Mr. Maric, Cho Majutsu” by Steve Marshall, MAGIC Magazine, November 2010. Reprinted here by permission. Copyright © Stagewrite Publishing, Inc.

We are now taking orders for The Merci Glass

MENTALISM - More Food for Thought

2010-11-05T13:26:00.000Z

Jack Curtis reports that many magicians and mentalists touch on the idea of "influence" in their presentations. If this is something that interests you, check out this short documentary he stumbled across "Influencers" It centres around the influence of global trends, fashion, music and popular culture; somewhat unrelated to magic but we found some nice nuggets of inspiration contained within it.

INFLUENCERS FULL VERSION from R+I creative on Vimeo.

Check out Distorted Thoughts by Jack Curtis

Complaint about a Pizza at Asda Walmart

2010-10-12T17:22:00.003+01:00

Paranoid 3 - Released today

2010-10-05T19:13:00.001+01:00

REVIEWS

'There is some GREAT material, that is simple but hard hitting. All of them are workers, things that you WILL perform, and the Ebook is nicely presented.
Collared is a great effect! Highly Recommended!- Kyle MacNeill

_________________________________

'I've been doing card magic for almost 50 years and know good commercial effects when I read them. That's exactly what these are. They are workers that don't require knuckle busting sleeight of hand but pack a very powerful punch through subtlety and boldness. Noone would ever say that these are just another bunch of boring card tricks. With a deck of 52 cards and little else you have some very high impact card magic.' - Steve Suss

________________________________

'You are not buying just an effect,Rus is giving you a method/technique or principe that will allow you to meld it in a new effect or already existing effects.
And bold ? mwah It's not sneaky and sneaky things will trigger people to watch for something! Rus, Great work ! You make me think....' - Bietfriek

________________________________________________________

'A very good collection of tricks. Fortunately, I don't think any of the effects are technically difficult. However, it does require good showmanship. For example, 'Breathe For Thought' is a great trick, and the kind of trick that'll look great on TV . The secret is simple, but the entire thing requires good showmanship. Pip my ride is amazing as well.' - Octave

___________________________________________________________

'This is exactly the kind of thinking that I have come to expect from Russels devious mind. If you like simple, direct, bold effects that pack a punch then this is seriously worth your consideration.' - Jamie Adams

CONTENT

PIP MY RIDE – A clean and visual trick, plays very strongly – it brilliantly makes use of what is usually used as a visual colour change but as a quick card switch that to the spectator’s mind never happens, the reveal is slow, visual and powerful.

BREATHE FOR THOUGHT – The simplest trick to perform in the ebook by far but that does not mean it doesn’t play strong – in the right situation this effect kills!

CONTAC – Beautifully constructed torn corner trick, it is set up very sneakily such that spectator is thoroughly unimpressed one second and tearing their hair out with confusion and denial the next.

BOXCHANGE – One of the few tricks that requires set-up but hardly any at all and it’s worth it to do this killer slow motion change that finishes clean.

JITTERBOX – Terrific application of the above change.

ADMISSION – It’s absolutely brilliant, a really beautiful card switch but if you can’t back palm well then you’ll struggle but the back palm is worth learning well just for this switch!

DUMP – One of our favourite new card switches, very commercial, very usable – will fall into most working magicians working routines straight away.

VISUAL GLITCH – This will fry laypeople, kind of like a visual ambitious card routine with sandwich! Will be going into your repertoire.

COLLARED – A real selection of bold magic wouldn’t be complete without a signature bold effect, I can tell you that although it takes a nice big pair of balls it is 100% worth the risk – a stunning effect!

DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY NOW

2010-10-03T10:32:00.002+01:00

'Titanas, Big thanks for teaching me Flaunt. Last night I performed at the Excellence in Policing Conference. I tried out Flaunt at the tables and

they loved it! Many of the UK's top criminal investigators were

attending, but Flaunt left them WITHOUT A CLUE!' - Dominic Reyes

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE DEMO

Remember the look of total amazement on the girls face when David Blaine performed his rising card effect, in his first ever TV special. That show shot him to fame and sealed the

rising card as a MUST HAVE effect in all the best close up magicians

repertoires.

PROBLEM: You want to do the rising card ANYWHERE!
You want to perform it fully surrounded, in REAL WORLD CONDITIONS!
You need it to work perfectly TIME AND TIME AGAIN!

Titanas (Creator of a list of hits like TITANS FINGER and FADE) has taken the rising card, spun it on its head and fired it out in a totally new

direction!

Those of you who are familiar with Titanas's creative stye, will know how he loves to take a classic magicians prop that most of us already own, and

rework it in a whole new way.

With Flaunt, Titanas, has taken a classic gimmick, thrown away all normal reasons magicians own and use it, and put it to work 'outside the box'

The result is a technique that fools even magicians who own the 'old

style' rising deck gimmicks.

Already do a rising card routine? Do you actually USE it? Chances are, it's gathering dust in your 'magic draw'. But how about if Titanas taught you

a way to do the rising card

WITHOUT STRINGS
WITHOUT THREADS
WITHOUT MAGNETS
WITHOUT MECHANICS
WITHOUT ELECTRONICS

YET...

YOU CAN DO IT SURROUNDED
NO NEED TO USE A SILK
IT RESETS INSTANTLY
THE SPECTATOR CAN CHOOSE ANY CARD
THEY CAN SIGN THE CARD

No matter if your new to magic or a working pro, take a few moments to check out the demo performance of Flaunt. You will be glad you did!

Titanas sits down with you one2one, and takes you though the whole effect, he leaves nothing out, and you not only get this routine, but all the

little tips and subtle points, that you only find out from doing a

routine over and over again 'in the trenches'.

Flaunt will require you to use a classic gimmick most magicians already own. We can't reveal it here, without ruining the secret, but if you don't

already own one, you can puck on up for just a few dollars, almost

anywhere that sells magic tricks. Full details are given to you in the

explanation section.

LEARN FLAUNT RIGHT NOW! CLICK HERE

Mr Yonezo Mikame

2010-09-12T08:30:00.000+01:00

The Merchant of Magic and the entire magic community mourns the loss of a great friend, legendary craftsman and creative magician.

David Forrest's thoughts on Nevermind By Mat L'Anoire

2010-09-07T16:55:00.000+01:00

What can I say about Mat L’Anoire? Not much actually. If I’m honest, I barely know the chap! I have become very familiar with his work of late though, so perhaps I’ll just sum it up with an analogy...

I watch a lot of movies and I’ll watch pretty much anything. So, as well as sitting in front of the current A-lister’s, twelve squillion dollar, digi-fest I can often also be found, eyes glazing over, in front some obscure, low budget independent. I have to be honest – a lot of the ‘indies’ can be a chore because a lot of them are, well, shit. I always slide the DVD in with some trepidation, wondering if the next two hours will be spent with some young directors ‘artistic vision’ slowly eating away at the core of my very being, digesting my will to live. But, I watch them anyway because there’s nothing better than the thrill of stumbling upon a gem! Which brings me to Mat L’Anoire...

The first I ever heard of Mat L’Anoire was through a short e-mail with a simple Word document attached. Having read the e-mail, which was short but polite, and regarded the moniker with some dubiety, (I was really hoping it was a stage name!) I double-clicked the little ‘W’ icon, simply entitled ‘ACAAN’. I began to read the contents with the same type of trepidation that one of the afore-mentioned ‘indies’ might induce. Was the next ten minutes going to be spent trying to make sense of another poorly written variation?

It seems superfluous now to tell you that I was delighted with the contents but delighted I most certainly was! “What do you want to do with this?”, was the crux of my reply. Mat said that he’d like to publish it along with some of his other creations in a small book of mentalism. Other creations? There was more? There was more! And so it was that I sat at my PC, happily double-clicking my way through a lot more little ‘W’s, completely devoid of all trepidation – it turns out this particular ‘indie’ was definitely one of the gems!

As I said earlier, I don’t really know Mat L’Anoire (and I still don’t know if it’s a stage name or not) but I do know his material is among some of the nicest mentalism I’ve seen in a long time. I only wish I’d come up with it myself!

So, here it is folks. I give you - Nevermind: The Mentalism of Mat L’Anoire.

MENTALISM : Food for thought:

2010-09-02T11:36:00.000+01:00

An inescapable part of being a mentalist is to write predictions that come true. Whether these predictions come true supposedly through mystic forces or more rational explanations is down to the performers' preference and style. Either way, the trouble with calling a prediction "a prediction" is that the outcome in a spectator's mind is pretty clear: it's obvious what's coming - the prediction is going to be correct. It's like going to watch a film only to work out the ending half way through. Sure, the prediction hasn't been revealed yet which creates tension, but to a spectator with half a brain cell, it's pretty clear what's coming.

I always try to implement at least one of the following subtleties to make my performances that little bit more interesting:

1- Don't call it a prediction.

It was Paul Brook that first planted this seed in my head, he said rather than explicitly referring to a prediction as a "prediction" call it "an idea".

I really like this because it creates an air of mystery without spelling out that the contents are supposedly going to come true. Other effective alternative wording include "In this envelope is an idea / observation / calculation / belief"

2- Fail

Use a prediction as a red herring. To most audiences, totally messing up is actually more surprising than if you were to get a prediction right! Why is this so? Because as I mentioned earlier, by coming to watch you perform, they expect you to get it right. Although it may be more surprising, it certainly isn't impressive, so you must to proceed to floor them either immediately after, or turn the failure on it's head later down the timeline of your performance.

3- Don't make it evident there was a prediction in the first place

This is an re-occurring phenomenon with multiple-out routines where the (appropriate) prediction is shown after the event has taken place. So long as the prediction is revealed in a justifiable manner, this is a nice way of showing that you knew how the participant would behave without them second guessing what's coming.

The above subtleties are certainly not always necessary, sometimes it's great when a spectator strongly suspects you are going to be correct only to turn over a prediction to have their suspicions confirmed.

Like I say, it's food for thought.

Until next time,

Jack Curtis

Check out Jacks now book Distorted Thoughts

The Merchant of Magic Cinema is OPEN

2010-08-18T12:11:00.000+01:00

Today, we have opened out new STREAMING VIDEO SERVICE

We now offer a huge range of instant streaming magic videos from the best magicians, creators and performers worldwide. New and classic titles will be added all the time. We have added over 90 titles for you to collect already!

WHAT IS STREAMING VIDEO?

We offer internet video streaming of specific magic video's directly to you. You can watch the magic video's directly on a PC or Mac. Think of the service we offer as a form of iTunes for magicians!

IS IT EASY TO DO?

Streaming your magic video's is so easy! Each title you purchase is automatically added to your own personal 'Media Vault'. You can view them any time you want, as many times as you want! Just log-in to your account, go to your 'Media Vault', and press the "Play" button. Videos can be paused or restarted at will. Your 'Media Vault' uses a special Adobe Flash video player which makes watching your magic videos simplicity itself!

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF STREAMING PRODUCTS?

No postage and packing costs!

You can watch the magic video's you purchase instantly!

The purchased video's are available 24/7

You can watch your video from anywhere in the world, just log in to your account and view your collection of videos!

Your collection is fully backed up, secure and will not fill up your hard drive!

WE JUST GOT A LOT BIGGER!!

2010-08-13T10:31:00.000+01:00

Today is really exciting for us. For the last few months we have been working on a massive project. The whole team, and a load of 'friends of the magic shop' have been working into the night to get our new facilities up and running. It's now complete and means we have a new central distribution base to stock and ship items worldwide!

The Merchant of Magic Shop remains the heart of the business, and continues as normal. Our new warehouse facility expands on this, allowing us to expand the range 20 TIMES OVER!

That's good news for us, but even better news for all our lovely customers. Our new warehouse facility not only lets us stock THOUSANDS more magic items from all over the world, but more importantly, we can now ship them to our customers SUPER FAST!

The best news is that we can now warehouse more magic than any other magic shop in Europe, so are able to pass on the benefits:

DRAMATICALLY LOWER PRICES

SUPER FAST SHIPPING

AN AMAZING CHOICE

Distorted Thoughts - Coming Soon

2010-07-27T14:04:00.000+01:00

Facebook Magic Competition

2010-07-20T18:09:00.000+01:00

We are running a competition this week to give away a Magic Goodie Bag stuffed full of £150 worth of magic tricks. Enter the competition now over on our Competition Page

SICK INTERVIEW - Ponta the Smith

2010-07-20T16:45:00.003+01:00

I only wanted to do coin tricks! In fact, for the first year learning magic, I only worked on the content of Bobo's Modern Coin Magic and nothing else. I didn't even pick up a deck of cards. Luckily I now love good card technique, but watching expert coin magic is still a special rare treat for me.

Running a magic shop, you get to see a LOT of magic, but every now and then, something jumps out at you that is so far above anything that's been released in the last few years, that it's in it's own special class. SICK By Ponta the Smith, is just such a thing. I would even go so far as to say it's a thing of beauty! Anyone serious about learning coin magic, should watch this over and over again. - Dominic Reyes

Tim Trono caught up with Ponta the Smith in Osaka, Japan, and we are delighted to bring you this interview:

Dai Vernon - Showing his Slow Motion Card Vanish

2010-07-17T12:55:00.001+01:00

Wonderful card magic! Close-up Magic owes so much to Dai Vernon, and it's lovely to see his skill at work. If you want to learn from THE MASTER of close-up magic you may to spend a few hours learning from 'The Professor' himself. Dai Vernon Revelations

Visit to Murphys Magic Supplies

2010-06-29T17:48:00.002+01:00

Brian Krogstad - Lorie Slebodnick - Dominic Reyes - David Bicke - Michelle Quinn

Earlier this month I flew out to California for a visit to the worlds leading magic distribution company - Murphys Magic Supplies.

Murphys is a company that has constantly run at the very top of it's game. Not just supplying almost every dealer worldwide with the latest releases in magic, but also acting as a channel to market for both new talent and the worlds most established creative magicians.

It was great to meet the team, browse through the HUGE warehouse of magic (think of the warehouse scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Arc!) and sit down with them to discuss how The Merchant of Magic can expand over the coming year.

I have to say, I had a great time with the team and Murphys is clearly a wonderful place to work. Each department is full of positive energy, and everyone just 'clicks' with each other.

As a result of several days of meetings both with Murphys and other companies, we have some REALLY exciting new projects under way, which will radically transform your shopping experience on our website. I'll keep you posted as we roll out each new feature over July and August.

Dominic Reyes

WoW 2 Now taking Pre-Orders

2010-06-29T16:03:00.000+01:00

We have had it confirmed that The Merchant of Magic will have a large batch of WOW 2 ready to dispatch to customers on the day of it's release!

However, these will sell out FAST, so we are offering a pre-order now so you can secure your WOW from the first shipment from Masuda.

Wow 2.0 is THE most visible and amazing card change ever. It happens slowly and right before your eyes. Wow 2.0 is hailed by magicians around the world as one of the most amazing card effects they have ever seen. This looks like trick photography but happens right before their eyes.

A card is selected, signed, and lost in the deck. A random card is removed and fails to be the chosen card. This random card is inserted in a plastic sleeve to isolate it and avoid any chance of "tricky sleight of hand." The card SLOWLY and VISIBLY changes to the signed selection. You will be blown away by how amazing this looks. After seeing this trick, Lance Burton simply said, "WOW!" He was at a loss for words, thus the name.

Wow 2.0 (Face Up) now includes the gimmick and thorough instructional DVD. As a bonus, world renowned trade show performer Paul Gertner contributes an amazing effect where the magic moment is captured forever on a spectator's phone - a souvenir they will talk about long after it is over.

Wow 2.0 is one of the most amazing pieces of magic you will ever do. Easy, visual and stunning - you will do it just to amuse yourself and marvel at its effect. Includes instructional DVD and Face Up Wow 2.0 gimmick.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY NOW

MERCHANT OF MAGIC LOYALTY VOUCHERS

2010-06-29T15:59:00.000+01:00

The Merchant of Magic has been rewarding customers for their loyalty with special vouchers for many years now. We have given away THOUSANDS OF POUNDS worth of magic to magicians around the world.

We give you a £1 magic voucher with EVERY ORDER you place with us!

The vouchers can be exchanged against anything in our shop!. That means after just your second order, you would have enough vouchers for a FREE DECK OF BIKES, or as most customers do, you can save them up and use them to purchase some great magic books, DVD's or tricks.

There are no dodgy point systems to have to worry about, we don't force you to spend more to get more vouchers, and we send the physical gift vouchers directly to you! Best of all, EVERY ORDER gets a £1 voucher no matter how small the order value.

New Bicycle Deck Coming August 2010

2010-06-25T22:16:00.000+01:00

The United States Playing Card Company has created new design, the bicycle 809 Mandolin. USPCC will allow this new design to be used for all gaff cards.

The Bicycle 809 Mandolin will be THE OFFICIAL STANDARD DECK for all products with gaff cards that all major suppliers will stock.

Magic creators are finally free to customize both the backs and the faces of all the cards in the 809 Mandolin Design.

Absolutely ANY custom card gaffs can be made from the 809 Mandolin.

Design: Paul Harris directed the development of the new 809 design back with USPCC. Paul worked with three world class artists (including Garrett Thomas) to create a soothing, traditional looking back that's trusted as part of the Bicycle family. And yes, this classic lookingdeck features the trademarked Bicycle Ace of Spades, Joker and traditional box.

Quality: Richard Turner worked directly with UPPCC to ensure the new Bicycle 809 Mandolin has a superior cut and quality. These are exquisitely crafted decks.

From August 2010 many of the most popular card tricks will be converted on the 809 design. All of the standard gaff cards will be available (double backers, blank face etc). Classic magic tricks being converted include: Twisted Sisters, Twilight Angels, Strange Travelers, Marked decks, Invisible decks, Svengali decks, stripper decks and many more.

The Merchant of Magic is committed to helping the magic community switch over from the old Bicycle 808 Rider back to the new Bicycle 809 Mandolin.

Jason Latimer - Glass cups and balls

2010-06-09T12:17:00.004+01:00

Well, what can we say about this video? It kind of reminds us of how lay people think and feel! This definitely had us feeling like laymen again saying things like, 'hang on a second!' and 'Let's see that again!' With quotes like, "With Jason, the future of magic is in good hands." - Siegfried and Roy, Jason Latimer is obviously cooking up a storm with his wildy creative magic. A great talent at only 28 years of age he is set to stun the magic world for years to come.

Check this routine out, this is the cups and balls routine, like you have NEVER seen it before, I promise you that!

If you are interested in learning the classic Cups and Balls routines be sure to check out our great cups and balls set or our Chop Cup combo set.

For a comprehensive look at the Cups and Balls if you are looking at putting routine together be sure to check out these great Michael Ammar DVD's.

Mirko's FISM Routine - Showing his talent & originality!

2010-06-08T16:31:00.005+01:00

This is Mirko's winning FISM routine for the General Magic category. A wonder to watch, this is a perfectly paced routine (something a lot of us magicians could learn from) that is just fun to watch. Not only that, it has a killer ending that completely took us by surprise!

This is a great example of structure and consistency within a routine, technically superb as well it is not hard to understand why this is a winning act!

For all your sponge desires check out our vast range of sponge products.

Also if you are interested in manipulation routines you should view some of the best references in the world for this fantastic magic art form.

If manipulation with balls is something that takes your fancy then pick up our beginners set of multiplying balls or our professional balls set.

Area Man Sits on Box Made of Fire

2010-04-26T17:48:00.004+01:00

Submitted By Cole Stryker

What a great visual illusion! We here at the Merchant of Magic love quirky videos like this one, it shows how creative we can be with such simple items.

If optical illusions are something that you enjoy or if they inspire you check out some great products by Robert Neale such a great magician whose magic stems from real life optical illusions. Robert knows some and has created some of the most out of the box magic that seems to completely defy any logic or knowledge of physical law! Expect to see some great stuff, impossible boxes, walls with invisible holes, and multidirectional arrows! Not to mention his work on folding money!!

Wonderful Coin Magic

2010-04-08T11:53:00.006+01:00

Submitted by Mike Eddowes

This has to be one of the most circulated magic videos of the year, it has gone viral in a big way, this upload has had nearly 3 million hits!! And when watching it you can see why, this is the sort of close up magic that would be great to watch with the family on a Saturday night, something that has vanished in recent years (excuse the pun!). Lu Chen and Cyril Takayama are definitely paving the way for television magic in the East!

Great coin work and a good example of how magic is progressing and even in this world of multimedia and technology how we are still staying one step ahead of everyone else!

If you are interested in learning coin magic then pick up this great DVD to start you off with the basics. We also offer a more comprehensive look at coin magic from beginner to pro.

If you are looking to brush up on your technique and make your coin magic more magical then you really should own Sick by Ponta the Smith it's an absolute sell out hit, one of the bestselling DVD's on coin magic.

Rene Lavand Cup Routine

2010-03-30T11:51:00.001+01:00

Rene Lavand is a true legend in magic, a professional performer of sleight of hand magic with cards and coins and everyday objects yet he only has one arm! His technique has been developed by himself specifically for his own needs. With his casual style and clever thinking you wouldn't be blamed for not noticing he is only performing with one arm!

Teller Fooled - Teller speaking about the cups and balls.

2010-03-30T11:40:00.000+01:00

Teller speaking about the cups and balls magic trick. From Penn & Teller's Magic and Mystery Tour. :

SILENT RUNNING - RELEASES WORLDWIDE 30TH MARCH

2010-03-17T16:27:00.001Z

SILENT RUNNINGby Ben Harris

(with BONUS Material from Bob Cassidy, Devin Knight and Steve Shufton)

60 pages

POSSIBLY THE MOST AMAZING "THINK OF A CARD”

METHOD IN YEARS!

“If you are seeking the holy grail of truly prop-less mentalism then you NEED to get this routine. Ben’s thinking has always been unique and here he excels himself!”

Marc Paul (UK)

WHAT IS SILENT RUNNING?

SILENT RUNNING is a "Think Of A Card" concept that requires no props at all. You don't even need a deck of cards. Any spectator is asked to THINK of any number from 1-10, and then asked to THINK of a suit (either Clubs, Hearts, Spades or Diamonds). She does ALL OF THIS IN HER HEAD—TELLING YOU NOTHING. In her MIND she combines the chosen number and suit to create the visual image of a playing card. Again, SHE SAYS NOTHING! Once it’s confirmed that she is thinking of a card that NO ONE CAN POSSIBLY KNOW, you proceed to reveal it in any number of ways, including:

DIRECT MIND READ

You ask the spectator to concentrate. You then reveal her thought-of card with 100% accuracy. It's that simple. Once you know the method you'll be able to do this at ANY TIME, ANYWHERE! In fact, you'll be doing this for the rest of your life. It is that strong, practical and simple!

THE DISSOLVING CARD

The spectator is handed a deck of cards BEFORE YOU BEGIN. She is asked to think of a card WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING. When she has confirmed that she has a card in her mind, you ask her to imagine it "slowly fading way”. Upon confirming that her mental image is gone, she is asked to take the deck and to remove her thought-of card. She attempts to do this, and counts the cards. However, there are ONLY 51 cards and her thought-of card IS NOT PRESENT—IT HAS REALLY FADED INTO NOTHING! You NEVER touch the deck—in fact you never need to know her thought of card at all! Thanks to a clever Bob Cassidy idea, you can even do this with TWO spectators, having TWO cards DISSOLVE one after the other!

SPIRITED CARD STAB

A deck is shuffled by a spectator, spread upon the table, and covered with a sheet of newspaper. A knife is introduced and the spectator is asked to THINK OF A CARD. Once she has done this, she is asked to imagine the spirit of HER IMAGINED CARD flowing down her arms, through her wrists, into her hands and finally into the knife. AT NO TIME DOES SHE REVEAL HER THOUGHT OF CARD. The performer now takes the knife and lunges it through the newspaper—where it stands proud for all to see. Now, for the FIRST TIME, the spectator announces her thought-of card to the audience. The knife is ripped from the newspaper and is seen to be IMPALING THE VERY SAME CARD. There are no switches—the thought-of card is genuinely impaled on the knife blade!

IMPORTANT POINTS

**Nothing is EVER written down—this is strictly a verbal procedure!

**There is NO dual reality. The spectator and audience experience the same effect!

**There are NO GIMMICKS used at all, no nail writers, electronics—NOTHING!

**The effect is EASILY learned!

**Perform for a single spectator or a thousand!

BONUS IDEAS, ROUTINES & EFFECTS

In addition to the above, STEVE SHUFTON contributes further nuance for card workers and presents “SPEECHLESS”—a devastating version of “The Open Prediction”.

As a very special treat, professional mentalist DEVIN KNIGHT provides TWO FULLY DEVELOPED ROUTINES—each bristling with fine detail and subtlety. Any of these bonus items are worth the price of admission on their own!

What they're saying about SILENT RUNNING:

“F*#%ing Brilliant!”

Nathan Kranzo (USA)

“This is going to become the best effect of 2010 and possibly of the decade...the genius magic engineer Ben Harris has done it again.”

Chris Wasshuber (Lybrary.com)

“I highly recommend Silent Running to serious students of the art as well as to professional workers.”

Bob Cassidy (USA)

“The perfect effect for those times when someone says ‘Do Something’ and you have nothing with you. With this effect you need only your mind.”

Devin Knight (USA)

“I love the newspaper Card Stab as it has the perfect combination of drama and impossibility. Great stuff.”

Peter Duffie (Scotland)

“I will definitely be working this—

amazing stuff.”

Dee Christopher (UK)

The Merchant of Magic blog has moved

2010-03-17T12:58:00.002Z

The Merchant of Magic Blog has moved to a new location. It is now located at http://merchantofmagic.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
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MAGIC MAGAZINE REVIEW

2010-03-02T15:34:00.002Z

Repertoire - By Ben Williams - INSTANT DOWNLOAD

Joshua Jay reviews the effect 'Heartless' (taught in Repertoire) printed in this months MAGIC Magazine

'Heartless is a trick that I started working on as soon as Ben Williams showed me. I knew the effect would be strong for a lay audience - and it is! Of all the tricks to pass my desk over the past few months, this is the one I have been using the most.

I spent time with Ben in the UK, and he's a clever magical thinker with many good ideas. This was my favourite of his effects in Repertoire VOL 1, and I use a version of it regularly in my professional work. I think very highly of this plot and am indebted to Mr Williams for sharing it.'

Joshua Jay - as seen in MAGIC Magazine

CLICK HERE to read more about Repertoire

TAKE THE DHARMA INITIATIVE TEST

2010-03-02T15:24:00.000Z

The Pen Spinning World Tournament

2010-02-24T14:45:00.001Z

They fight with felt tips, and do battle with ball points.

They... are Hong Kong's competitive pen spinners!

Faultless - Now live on site

2010-02-17T17:13:00.000Z

What practice can do...

2010-02-16T23:43:00.004Z

Self- working magic tricks are great, but if you feel like tackling something that requires time and practice, this video (although not magic related) demonstrates just what's possible when you apply time and effort to learning a skill...

Performer Showcase : Levent

2009-12-23T15:41:00.004Z

Levent recent appearances on MyNetwork-TVs new series “Masters of Illusion”

MAKE A BOTTLE INVISIBLE

2009-12-09T22:28:00.001Z

CAN YOU READ THIS?

2009-12-08T13:48:00.004Z

fi yuo cna
raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe
out of 100 can.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Performer Showcase: Dimitri Arleri - "Opera" Card Flourishes

2009-12-02T15:42:00.002Z

Performer Showcase: - Camouflage artist - Liu Bolin

2009-12-02T11:34:00.004Z

LEAKED EXPERIMENT - ISOLATION

2009-10-08T13:16:00.003+01:00

Something of a 'holy grail' in the mind of Dee Christopher, to physically affect something while it's completely isolated.

IS THIS POSSIBLE?

Check out THE DEE CHRISTOPHER SECTION for his full range!

MEN IN COATS

2009-10-02T09:15:00.007+01:00

We have seen this video floating around Youtube being used to advertise/promote spam advertising for the last few years, but there are no references to the artists. Just for the record, these guys are Men in Coats.

BEN HARRIS INTERVIEW + DOWNLOADS

2009-10-01T11:38:00.005+01:00

The Merchant of Magic is please to have teamed up with one of the most influential magic creators of our time.. Ben Harris.

For those of you new to magic, Ben Harris has been inventing magic tricks since the late 1970's. His most famous invention, COSMOSIS: The Original Floating Match (1986) is one of magic's most popular effects. It is also one of the most ripped-off tricks in modern history as any search on the internet will prove. As the author of dozens of books, manuscripts and lecture notes on the art (as well as 40 plus individual tricks), Harris has toured, lectured and performed in over 30 countries.

Over the next few years, we will be slowly adding Ben's full range to the site! Check out his range in our BEN HARRIS SECTION

Interview with Ben Harris

“Card magic and guitar playing both float my boat. I like to explore the possibilities with each medium.”

Ben started his magic career in 1979 after a childhood obsessed with: searching for mysterious secrets, faking UFO photos, pretending to read minds, and karate chopping through stacks of roofing tiles with his proclaimed magical “Qi” power.

“I was a naughty boy, and still am.

Sometimes I really like to screw with people’s minds, push the boundaries. Take the ‘karate chopping through a stack of tiles or bricks’ as an example. It's a trick, but people are prepared to believe it’s something more mystical. They are prepared to believe that this trick demonstration "PROVES" some higher, or special, power of some sort. That's scary!

It even fools the Guinness Records people.

My first marketed trick was called ‘Needled.’ Immediately after releasing this I completed a booklet called “Eyes Only” which I self published. It was then picked up by Hades.”

“Hades published ‘Gellerism Revealed’ too, I believe.”

“Yes, they did,” Harris replies.

“What led to the Geller book—why did you write it?” I inquired.

“I wanted to join the Magic Circle in London. That was every young magician’s dream, right? My thesis for membership is what, in due course, became ‘Gellerism Revealed’. It took years of careful research and observation. The book is credited with being the first to really lay bare the methods and the all important psychology of the so called 'Geller Effect.'

I'm told that James Randi has even called it The 'Bible' of gelleresque methodology.

I recently watched Richard Osterlind’s ‘Easy To Master Mental Miracles Volume 4’ on DVD, and both he and Jim Sisti spoke fondly about it. This is the book that really pushed metal bending along in the magician’s realm.

Uri quotes from it at his website, twisting the context in a quite brilliant stroke. We once debated head to head via satellite which was quite a buzz.”

Harris pauses at this point and a card exits the deck with a little click. Gliding across the table, it comes to rest at my fingertips.

“Examine it, if you will. Make sure there are no secret attachments or motors, or mirrors, or...”

We both laugh, we both know the drill. Seriously, let’s get back on track. When did you start touring and creating magic for a living?

“The big break came in 1980 when I created the ‘Epic Flight’ concept. This was a genuine discovery of an odd scientific principle. No one had noticed it before. The effect sold by the thousands and by this time I had a whole swag of other effects.”

“Epic Flight? That’s with the keys and marking pen?”

“Yes, the secret being that a dry erase marker will neutralise a permanent marker. What was not possible to erase became possible to erase. The method has found much praise in the professional mentalism field.”

“You undertook world lecture tours in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. What were the highlights—your favourite countries, your most vivid memories?”

“I could not do it today. With all of the current travel restrictions, the delays, the delays, the delays. I just don’t have the patience. However, in my day I lectured in over 30 countries. I’d attend the big conventions too. Running a dealers stand really is hard work. Have you examined the card? May I have it?”

Ben takes the card at his fingertips and places it face-down on the table. He now waves his hand in small circles above the card. He’s moving his hand in swirling circles, casting a magical “spell” so he says.

Amazingly, the card starts to move. It firstly slides across the table top—in little jerking moves—AWAY from Ben’s hand. It looks so weird. Logic dictates that if there were any threads, it simply would not “look” like this! Then, suddenly the card simply “took off”—sliding across the table and leaping into my lap.

He laughs and asks that I examine the card again. He then takes the card back, asks that I examine his hands, then repeats the effect. I was baffled. This was like real PSI (or so I imagined). Harris then picked up the phone and muttered what I assume was a product number. Promptly, a slickly packaged product called “ZOOM” was delivered to the desk.

“A gift. Now let me show you something special. I’d like you to sign the card in your lap with this pen. Or if you like, you may want to exchange it for one of these...”

He spread the deck face up between is hands allowing a free choice. As I’d be signing the card, I opted to exchange my Jack of Spades for a more signature-friendly Two of Spades.

“Will I sign the front or the back?” I asked.

“It matters not” came the reply.

As I inscribed away, Ben picked up the tale where he’d left off.

“The times we are talking about, all the tours and what now seems like and endless stream of product, all occurred between 1985 and 1995. Cosmosis was a hit and controversial. My books like ‘Killer Klose-up’, ‘Dimensional Relativity’ and ‘Off The Wall’ were all successful. Tannens now own ‘Wall.’”

I proffered my now signed card to Harris and he slowly slid it into the center of the deck. He snapped his fingers and then turned the top card over. It was my signed Two of Spades. Once again he slipped the card into the deck’s middle. He handed the deck to me and asked that I hold it on my flat, outstretched, palm. Again he snapped his fingers. A look of “go on check it out!” prompted me to turn over the top card. Again it was my card.

I was impressed, but this is fairly standard “Ambitious Card” fare at this point.

“You see, that’s the ‘power of enlightenment’ at work. The term ‘Enlightenment,’ contrary to popular belief, does not refer to the gaining of wisdom. Rather it is...

“Rather it is...

The ability to make an object lighter, by increments—to ‘enlighten.’ Let me show you. Turn your card face down atop the deck. Now watch...”

Harris made strange passes from his position across the table. I held the deck in my outstretched palm in front of me.

“A fully fledged demonstration of the power can achieve levitation. It’s complete ‘Enlightenment,’ nirvana.”

As he spoke, the IMPOSSIBLE began to happen. The top card of the deck, my face-down card, BEGAN TO FLOAT. It lifted about an inch or so into the air, hovered and then settled back down onto the deck. I’d already turned the card over before Ben had a chance to say, “Go on, you know you have to take a peek!”

“Leave the card face-up this time.”

I’d placed the deck on the table and now placed my card as instructed. Once more, after the magical incarnations, my CARD ROSE INTO THE AIR. Again it hovered, and then floated back down. This was a card I freely selected. I signed it. Harris is across the table. I held the deck! I examined everything. The grin on his face was broad. He knows that this is something special. (Update: Indeed it is something special! This effect is called ENLIGHTENMENT and it was released to the magic fraternity in May of 2008. It has met with international acclaim, becoming one of the years best-selling and most discussed effects).

One of those “I have to take it phone calls” interrupts the proceedings. Harris is required at the factory to “place nicks.” These are the small nipples that hold die-cutting within it’s parent sheet to stop all the bits from falling out. “The positioning on some jobs is critical,” Ben adds. With this, the meeting is wound up and I proceed to my car—Zoom in hand and my head filled with ‘enlightenment.’

WE HAVE FINALLY UNPACKED!!

2009-08-31T10:59:00.005+01:00

Pheww... About 30 minutes ago, I unpacked the final box of magic tricks and added it to the stockrooms at our new shop location. We have been working late into the night for the past week, to get the whole move finished in time to start dispatching orders when we reopen tomorrow. A big thank you to everyone who has helped with the move and setting up the shop
(especially John, Caroline, Steve and Darren)

The biggest thanks should go to all of you who have continued to order from us while the warehouse has been out of action. It great to get so many emails and messages wishing us good luck with the move.

Today and tomorrow we will be working through all the orders placed last week while we were closed. Once they have been dispatched we have some AMAZING new magic tricks to add to the site. Our new shop gives us a HUGE amount of stock space, which we have been needing for a long time now. It means we can expand the range in several new directions, so watch this space!

Keep practicing and good luck with your magic!

Dominic Reyes

These guys are just too ridiculous.

2009-08-06T17:27:00.006+01:00

Wanna see proof of a couple of guys who can do an INSANE card flourish?
I'm not talking the usual stuff where you see people fiddling with a deck of cards.

This is stuff of movies, that even the most experienced card handlers only dream about. Remember what Gambit did in X-men Origins, where the cards flew into the air? This is it, but the real deal, with an absolutely normal deck of cards.

These guys make mastering it EASY, and they're the best teachers I've ever seen with video production standards that match up to Hollywood. No kidding.

They're giving out a bunch of tutorials absolutely free that some of the best teaching we have ever seen.

Check out some tutorials they're sharing at WLD2009 here:

CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS & SOME FREE DOWNLOADS

So what is this all about?

Well, modern card flourishing legends Virtuoso and Bone have organized the largest online event ever in the art of playing card flourishes, and they're featuring a card flourish known as Anaconda: "The World's Longest Dribble".

There are 78,000 magicians and card flourishers attending from all over the globe, and so many people have been waiting for this for the longest period of time.

Even if you're not into card flourishing, you'll love the free tutorials that touch on style and finesse when handling playing cards.

They have this stylish elegant feel that you just have to witness.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS & SOME FREE DOWNLOADS

P.S. These guys have legendary reputations- not some BS product of the month. And it has nothing to do with rigging a deck together. This is the real deal!

VENOM - By Mike Davis - Release Date : AUG 09

2009-07-13T13:34:00.004+01:00

A most distressing discovery, it is attracted to human flesh...

Charlie Caper wins Swedens Got Talent 2009

2009-06-14T17:43:00.004+01:00

Congratulations Charlie! We didn't understand a word of it... and we enjoyed every minute of it!

Parsing image illusion that tricks your brain

2009-05-21T00:07:00.003+01:00

Move far away from the picture and it will change.

The Samsung HD Phone Illusion

2009-05-17T10:17:00.004+01:00

For the release of the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD Mobile Phone, here is a very clever visual puzzle. There are lots of clues in the clip too!

If you really can't work it out, the answer is in the clip below:

TWITTER TIPS FOR MAGIC BEGINNERS

2009-05-17T08:59:00.004+01:00

We ask our @merchantofmagic Twitter followers to give us a tip for complete magic beginners. Here's ten of the best replies:

1) Keep eye contact, keep it simple, be clear in what you are saying, sum up before effect, take it slowly, be confident From @TMBrainwasher

2) For anyone who wants to get into card magic 'Royal Road to Card Magic' Jean Hugard is a must! From @richardmagic

3)Study magic books first, then move on to DVD's. Then you get to be yourself not a copy of someone From @AidanHeritage (MoM Note: Many beginners do find learning from DVD's easier to begin with. However, once you have the basic skills, you will find a lot of original material in books, so don't overlook them.)

4) Don't start with JUST gimmicks and gaff's. Learn stuff with normal cards or coins as well. From @LokiB

5) Read a good book on acting or storytelling. Purchase a magic book or DVD with several tricks instead of just one. From @DonTheo3

6)Stamp your own personality on a new trick, instead of being a carbon copy. From @Stephen_ward

7) Don't worry about the shaky hands phase. It will pass and you will become the cool, calm, collected magician you wish to be From @swede1403

8) Learn just two or three simple tricks at first then you can concentrate more on your performance From @Markcookx1

9) Magic is a form of expression...present yourself through the effect From @owlmagic

10) Get out of your bedroom and show some real people some real magic! From @gingermagic

Amazing FREE tool for Magicians

2009-05-10T12:16:00.005+01:00

For the over a year now, the team at The Merchant of Magic have been using Evernote to make our magic lives easier and more organised. What is Evernote?
On the web it allows you to Create, clip, and share notes and see them everywhere. On your phone you can take snapshots, read to-do lists, record audio whenever and wherever you like. On your desktop you can use evernote to search through all your notes, even find text within images, whether online or off!

It's such a useful tool for magicians, that we thought we would share our top 10 ways magicians can use it..

1) Keep copies of all your booking contracts, so wherever you are, you can see all the details.

2) Clip a copy of all the magic items you own as an instant inventory

3) Clip all the magic items you would love to get in the future (the ultimate want list)

4) Save copies of company logo's at gigs

5) Save copies of all the business cards you get given, and have then at have and instantly searchable wherever you are.

6) Hear a great oneliner or routine idea? Save it instantly.

7) Parking your car for a booking. clip it's location and you can find in instantly

8) Save copies of all your trick instruction sheets, so you have everything always accessable.

9) A prospective client gives you their telephone number for a booking enquiry - Clip the image into evernote and you never lose a lead.

10) save copies of all the magic pdf's you own, so you have a library of magic to read wherever you are.

To get Evernote visit them HERE

Piers needs more magicians on BGT

2009-05-08T15:44:00.003+01:00

Piers Morgan has said that he would like to discover new magicians on 'Britain's Got Talent'.

Reported in the The Sun, the talent show judge said: "I've seen some great magic acts and we're all aware of people like David Blaine and David Copperfield, and we've seen nothing like that on 'Britain's Got Talent' in three years."

"I don't know where they are, or whether they're scared because we have a sort of anti-magician feel to the show."

"All those acts you expect to see on an old-fashioned variety show we've not seen a lot of at a high level."

Source http://www.rte.ie/arts/2009/0508/morganp.html

Interview with Jeremy Hanrahan

2009-04-22T13:15:00.009+01:00

Dominic Reyes caught up with magician and magic creator Jeremy Hanrahan (inventor of the international hit 'ENTITY' ) to find out more about him and what he has planned for the year ahead.

Dominic: Please tell our readers about yourself.

Jeremy: I Live in Hamilton Ontario Canada and am married and have a gorgeous 3-year-old daughter. I run Undergroundgaffs, which deals mostly in off brand specialty card gaffs. I perform on average theee times a week and love to hang out at Morrissey Magic in Toronto. I am laid back and like jamming with other magicians to see what ideas come from these sessions. I have made a lot of friends from around the world as a direct result of magic and would not change my life for the world!!!

Dominic: What do you like about developing your own magic tricks?

Jeremy: I would have to say being able to perform effects that others can’t is a good feeling. I love fooling magicians more then spectators, and enjoy being fooled by magicians myself more so. Also seeing other magicians perform my magic tricks is real humbling, makes me smile whenever I see a haunted deck in sealed bag being performed lol.

Dominic: You have a growing range of effects out, which is your favorite?

Jeremy: It’s hard to say, as the three magic tricks I have out now are so different from each other. I like the visual aspect of my Coin through bottle called Untouchable which is no longer available.

Dominic: Will you re-release it?

Jeremy: Possibly later this year as a download. It has the most visual penetration of the bottle I have seen and it is real easy to perform.

Entity is my baby though, I love the trick because it enables the magician to do the things we are suppose to do, moving a card just by a magical gesture or cutting a deck in sealed bag while not using Invisible thread is truly a joy to watch. And the reactions from spectators are over the top. Tapout is a crazy visual sandwich effect that has three phases, each phase more impossible then the last with a nice little kicker at the end.

Dominic: How do you come up with your effects?

Jeremy: I picture the type of effect I want and then work backwards. Once I get the general feel I work out a routine so that all actions seem natural and fluid. Once that is finished I test it out on magicians and spectators tweaking it and improving on the method if need be.

Dominic: Do you then use a 'test group'?

Jeremy: Yes. Once all these are taken care of I teach the effect to workers and they take it to the people so to speak. I collect feed back from them if any and improve or update the handling even more. I then look to see if there are any effects that are similar. The reason why I do this last and not first is because I do not want to be influenced by other peoples work. Ideas and methods will always be rehashed and improved on, but it’s the routines you can come up with using different methods and tactics that can make a mediocre effect and turn it into a giant!!! I don’t have dreams of magic tricks and they do not come to me in visions lol, I create to add signature pieces to my act and create to really make people think what they are seeing is real magic. I always say to myself after a creation, “Does this look like real magic”? If the answer is no then it gets dropped on the floor with the hundreds of ideas that feel before.

Dominic: Who are your favorite magicians?

Jeremy: Performing magicians I would have to say Greg Frewin. His dove act is aces and his stage presence is strong and masterful!! The first magician that has influenced my magic the most is by far Michael Ammar. I like his style and the way he talks to spectators. He always has insightful information in his training videos, and has a way about him that makes learning effects easy and enjoyable. Others include Paul Harris (no brainer), Marlo and Bro John. More recent influences come from Steve Haynes, Jason Messina and Luis Castro. These guys always have the time to talk magic and help me get my ideas from my head to the performance. I have also started to dabble in card flourishing and have had the chance to befriend Huron Low from Virtuoso who has given me some much needed advice and teaching that I can not believe I flourish the way I do in such a short period of time. Thank god for good teachers lol.

Dominic: What do you have planned for this year?

Jeremy: Shock and Awe. The most visual and devastating magic trick of mine to date that will be released thus far is planned to release late May. I don’t want to let too much out of the bag but you have seen it, maybe Dominic, you can tell your readers about it lol. I just don’t want people to think I am biased and that I am exaggerating lol.

Dominic: Yes readers, more information about this will be released next week.

Jeremy: I will say this though; everyone will want to perform this. Its so visual it’s crazy!!!

Dominic: If you could only perform three magic tricks, what would they be?

Jeremy: Hard question, I would have to say Invisible Palm Aces, Your signed card and Bizarre Twist. All three are visual stunners and get the reactions I look for in all my magic. Not to mention that all the effect seem impossible with only one explanation, Magic!!!

Dominic: On an average, how long do you practice?

Before my daughter was born on average I practiced for 5-6 hours a day. If I wasn’t practicing a new trick I was playing with a deck of cards, or reading a book or watching a DVD. When my daughter was born I cut back a bit to 4 hours and slowly realized that there is more to life than magic. As with everything in life it should be done in moderation.

Dominic: So has your passion for practice decreased?

Jeremy: well, yes and no. Why waste time getting a move down 125% when 100% will do the job. My point is that you don’t need to learn or know how everything is done. Just pace yourself or you will burn out like I almost did. My wife saved me from this when one night I was working on the Spring Board Double by Lee Asher (which I still have to master lol) and my lovely wife walked over to me with our beautiful daughter in her arms, removed the deck of cards from my hands, placed our new born daughter in my arms and kissed me. Enough said? There is more to life than magic friends. Don’t be a spectator in life, be an actor friends.

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Magicians needed for Hospitals

2009-04-17T17:08:00.001+01:00

The Hospitality Organization is a voluntary organization aiming to connect volunteer performers, such as comedians, magicians and musicians, with local hospitals where they can perform for the patients. The organization focuses on bringing entertainment to the children's wards, but will later expand into adult and senior groups as we feel all ages can benefit from entertainment during recovery and/or treatment.

The organization is currently in its early stages and is therefore is looking for volunteers to handle tasks such as scheduling, interfacing with the hospital staff to organize dates for performances, as well as approaching entertainers to get them to volunteer. For the same reason the organization currently only operates within Surrey and neighboring counties, but with hopes to expand as volunteers from other areas become available.

If you wish to volunteer, perform or help further the organization's goals in any way please send an e-mail to volunteer@hospitalityorganization.com with your:
Name, E-Mail, Phone Number and Location.

Click here to visit their website

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Masked Magician gets it very very wrong

2009-04-15T11:27:00.004+01:00

One of our regular customers sent us this very funny clip of the Masked Magician messing up his magic trick on TV. We can just imagine how he must have felt, when he turns over the wrong card, then puts it back and turns it over again, as if that will somehow fix the mess up..

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Learning Magic Tricks - Where to start

2009-04-09T17:07:00.003+01:00

So, you want to be a magician. Maybe you want to entertain friends and family, perform children’s shows, or maybe you have aspirations to perform professionally.

Where do you begin?

Well, just by having a keen interest in magic is just the beginning of the journey. What with there being so many different areas and styles of magic, and so many different ways of learning, at first, it all seems like a minefield.

The first thing to do is decide upon the area you wish to focus on. Once you have done this you can crack on with the fun part –selecting the magic tricks you wish to learn, practicing them and then performing them.

Here are some great starting points to get you well on your way, whichever area you wish to focus on.

Card Magic.

Every magician knows a good handful of card tricks, some even know hundreds. Personally, I love `good` card magic. But the question is – what is `good` card magic, and what is not? Again, this is subjective – I believe any card effect is `good`, but only if it is `performed` well, so it is important that you start from the right point, and learn from a good, reliable source. Any of the following suggestions will get you well on your way to performing some excellent card magic, whether it be quick close up effects, or full-length routines. Also, they will teach you the essential `sleights` and moves required, which once learnt will always be a useful and essential part of your arsenal.

If I were asked by a beginner to recommend a starting place, it would be the following.

Amazing secrets of card magic by Michael Ammar. Michael Ammar is a name well known amongst professional magicians, and for good reason. He is rated as simply one of the best teachers of magic to date, and on this DVD he performs, and then teaches, some excellent material, that is not only easy, but will get you used to handling and perfoming with cards in no time at all.

If you are looking for a more in depth approach, then Michael Ammars Easy to master card Miracles DVD set, volumes 1 – 9 contain, quite simply, some of the greatest card routines ever, fully performed and explained in Michael Ammars excellent style. These are classics for good reason, and you couldn’t learn them from a better teacher.

Coin Magic.

The beauty of coin magic is that it can performed at a moments notice with the coins in your pocket, or the spectators own money, and, you can practice just about anywhere!

If your looking to get into coin magic as quickly as possible, and want to learn all the essential moves and some top quality routines, you cant go far wrong with any of the following –

The complete introduction to Coin magic by Michael Ammar is again, expert tuition, expert performances and excellent value. By studying this DVD you will be taught the fundamental essentials of coin magic, along with routines using these techniques.

Alternatively, for the more serious student, wishing to learn the essentials through a progressive and detailed journey from beginner to expert, then David Roth’s expert coin magic made easy Volumes 1 – 3 will take you step by step. Volume one teaches you the basics of coin magic. Volume two takes you from beginner to Intermediate, and finally Volume three will take you from Intermediate to Advanced. A thorough course. David Roth is renowned as the worlds greatest coin magician, so, rest assured, you couldn’t be in better hands.

General magic.

What is general magic? By this we mean mind reading, magic with cards, coins, sponge, string, finger rings, rubber bands, balloons and more. Focussing on general magic will show your audience that you have diversity. Also, it means that you could apply the tricks you have learnt to either adults or children. The beauty with this magic is that it appeals to all.

The Exciting world of magic by Michael Ammar is the perfect place to begin. Covering a large range of effects using all kinds of different objects, and covering a whole range of styles, you could very easily take a handful of these effects and put together an entire act. But it doesn’t stop there. Michael has also gone to the lengths to offer advice on magic clubs, magazines, attending conventions, practice tips, psychology, and the golden rules of magic. An excellent package.

Fooler Doolers by Daryl volumes 1, 2 and 3 are the next level. Daryl (the magicians magician) performs and explains some of the most entertaining magic out there. Every routine is commercial, and again, a full professional routine could be made from just some of the effects included here. The hardest part will be choosing just which ones you wish to use. This set comes highly recommended.

These are just my personal recommendations, but all of these have stood the test of time. Any of these will get you well on your way into magic. Don’t be mistaken though. These are not just for beginners. I personally know many professionals who regularly revisit these classics, and who regularly perform routines straight out of these products for paying customers.

So….what are you waiting for?

Paul Knight

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Magicians Against Piracy

2009-03-19T13:17:00.004Z

This week The Merchant of Magic has been helped by the great people behind Magicians Against Piracy (M.A.P)

M.A.P are fighting illegal magic files and media on the web. They aim to help professional magicians and magic creators preserve their work and livelihoods.

Unfortunately, many people today are damaging the viability of a small market such as magic, by distributing illegal 'stolen' media through the Internet.

M.A.P helps by investigating and informing the creators and authorities about the location of websites, links, and people involved in this kind of activity.

For more information about Magicians Against Piracy and how to help their cause, CLICK HERE.

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Ali Bongo, 1929 - 2009

2009-03-19T09:09:00.004Z

Ali Bongo passed away on Sunday, 8th March 2009. Richard Pinner has created a remembrance website dedicated to Ali Bongo, showing obituaries and providing a 'Visitor's Book' and a 'Photo Gallery'. A memorial service will be held on Friday, March 27th in Surrey. www.pongolia.co.uk

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March Competition

2009-03-07T09:12:00.002Z

Here at the Merchant of Magic, we LOVE a good magic Giveaway! So Every Friday in March we will give away a magic prize worth at least £30 to 2 randomly chosen lucky entrants.

How to enter

Entering takes one step:

Visit our page on Twitter http://twitter.com/merchantofmagic

* Send a Twitter message containing:
#MerchantofmagicGiveaway

That's it. You can include other text in your tweet, but you must have the full hashtag as written above. You only need to tweet once to be entered in all the March giveaways. Don't forget to follow @merchantofmagic and we recommend our US customers also follow @esleights

How will I know if I won?

We will announce weekly winners on Friday March 13th, March 20th, and March 27th at 12pm GMT on our Facebook fan page, so make sure you're a fan. The submission period for the Merchant of Magic March Giveaway ends at 10am GMT on Friday March 27th, 2009.

Winners will be contacted via direct message on Twitter.

Good luck.

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FIND US ON FACEBOOK

2009-03-04T11:55:00.002Z

Our magic shop now has it's own page on Facebook! We will be using it to preview new effects, highlight promotions and more importantly, get feedback and discussion from you about the products and services you would like us to offer. Click the buttom below to visit us on Facebook.

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We recommend that you watch this video

2009-03-03T19:45:00.003Z

You may think this video has nothing really to do with the subject of magic, but maybe in a very real way it does:

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Join the MoM Affiliate Program and earn loads of commission

2009-03-02T13:50:00.003Z

We would love to have you help us spread the word about our magic shop. So if you have a website, or even if you just want to add our advert to your email signature, you can help us grow, and earn commission as you do!

By joining our affiliates programme, you can earn commission (or even discounts on your own purchases) of up to 10%. Joining is free and very easy to do.

If you have your own website, you can earn commission by referring your site visitors to us.

You can also add our link to your email signature, and earn commission as you refer people to our site.

Our affiliates programme offers the following benefits:-

* Commission of 5% of the TOTAL order value with us. This INCLUDES any charges made for postage and packing.

* Get paid a comission for any new customer who places an order with us up to 30 days after clicking on your initial link.

* Full online statistics available so you can monitor the effectiveness of the campaign on your site.

* Commission is paid monthly, By Cheque , Bank Transfer or paypal.

* You don't need to join a third party affiliate program or pay any joining fee.

* Top Refering affiliates can get increased levels of commission up to 10%!

Click HERE to sign up for our affiliates programme now.

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Magician Interview - Wayne Fox

2009-02-27T11:13:00.005Z

We caught up with professional magician and magic inventor Wayne Fox, to find out what makes him tick, and exactly waht he has 'up his sleeve'!

Tell us about yourself
I'm A full time pro magician and have been for 15 years, I have been interested in magic since I was a child but really got into it when I was about 19. I started performing in local restaurants and gradually got a steady client base. I then directed my attention to restaurants in hotels, as the clients dining there were from the corporate field that I wanted to be part of. In all I guess it took around two years to get my business running securely, I then dropped the day job and never looked back as they say.

What do you like about developing your own effects?
Originality!! Developing my own effects is something that I'm dedicated to, I would always try to perform a piece of 'out the bag' magic, in a way that seemed unique to me. I encourage that in all my DVDs, if you perform a set piece that you have just bought, then try and perform it different to the creator has done, this can only be a good thing in magic and keeps it fresh for the audience. Imagine performing an effect for a group of people only to have them say "yeah Ive seen that one'. you've just been gutted!!

You have a growing range of effects out, which is your favorite?
Its hard to choose a favorite out of my effects, as they are all very different from each other. Neat & Tidy is great for its Hi Visuals Ive been performing it for 5 years so far and yet it still gives me a great buzz when performing it. Make Amends is my latest piece its a TnR effect and again its a great visual trick, and I love to perform this.

How do you come us with your ideas?
I have always been very creative, and I come up with my ideas by thinking logical. I look at classics of magic and think of performing them with a different slant. Make Amends was just that, I work a lot of restaurants and wanted an angle proof, and instant signed card restoration and this was my answer. I just keep trying to be original, my head is always buzzing with ideas, always.

Who are your favourite magicians?
My favorite magicians the late Tommy Wonder, David Williamson, I like Daniel Garcier's thinking, I met him recently very nice guy. Nick Einhorn has some great ideas, I have had some brilliant brainstorming sessions with him.

What do you have planned for 2009?
For 2009 I am filming my lecture DVD, all commercial stuff performed for restaurants, its for the workers. My new lecture has been popular so far which I'm very greatful for.

There is one effect that I have been trying to produce for about three years now but have not been fortunate enough to find a company to manufacture it, but last month that changed. I may now be able to release the quirkiest piece of magic I have ever come up with to date. Lets see if it happens shall we?

________________________________________________

Wayne Fox Magic Releases:
Neat and Tidy
Make Amends
Secret Soldier
Full House

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Merchant of Magic Toolbar

2009-02-26T11:43:00.003Z

The New Merchant of Magic toolbar is now available completely FREE!

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@Blackpool By Ben Williams

2009-02-24T16:28:00.013Z

Well, what a weekend! I’m sure you all were up in Blackpool this weekend, if not, why not?!?!? (I know, you just spent the weekend wishing you were there didn’t you?) I had great fun going around showing everyone my new effect Squished check it out here. It has had great responses from everyone which I am very thankful for.

Anyways there were loads of great things to see and some great performances to boot. This year actually saw the turn out of some of the biggest names in magic, including as I’m sure you know… David Blaine, but more on that later!

Personal highlights of the weekend for me were of course, the lack of sleep, the empty wallet and amazement when it was revealed that my voice had vanished! Only joking, for me it had to be seeing DB constantly interrupting Danny Garcia’s lecture, very funny! Danny was performing and his phone rings and he says, “oh it’s David Blaine”, everyone is obviously thinking this is a joke but it turns out DB is at the back of the lecture room with phone in hand slating Danny!! As the lecture went on he interrupted Danny again with a pork sandwich and a shot of tequila! Not too kind but very funny!!!

Also, meeting with the mind that is Daniel Madison with his highly annoying, extremely clever effect Advocate. Daniel you are a b******!! Anyways to sum up the effect he was performing…, a spectator thinks of any card and then takes their own deck and they shuffle it, the deck is then spread on the table and one card has a different back design, it is the spectator’s thought of card. Any card, with any deck, I know what you are thinking, how????? Tell me about it!

Not to mention Twist by Titanas, super cool, visual feast of strange! This is all kind of hush hush at the moment so more on that later!

But my real highlight was being asked to join David Blaine and Doug McKenzie, with Charlie Fry and Titanas to show him some magic in a private ‘session’. This has to be one of the most surreal but cool things to happen to me ever! I kept thinking ‘I am showing David Blaine magic?’ how did this happen!??! But once again should you be reading this DB thanks for taking the time to do this and to see my magic.

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Now on Twitter!

2009-02-20T12:35:00.004Z

We've started tweeting on Twitter. Follow us for extra tips, news and discount/bonus/promotion codes and vouchers from the magic shop. Click the button below to visit our Twitter page.

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Not going to Blackpool? + SQUISHED Released!

2009-02-18T15:13:00.005Z

Well, it's time for the Blackpool magic convention again! Everyone got their tickets? If you're going, and see Ben Williams (he will probably be near the bar!), make sure you ask him to show you his latest magic release - SQUISHED! - Details below:

If your NOT going to make it to the Convention this year, don't worry! You have probably saved yourself a few hundred pounds by the time you purchased your ticket, hotel room, food and drinks. That's before spending hours walking around the dealer halls loading up with 'impulse purchases' you will never use! I've a MUCH BETTER IDEA! Get comfortable, pour yourself a favourite drink, then browse through www.magicshop.co.uk You can watch hundreds of performances with no 'timetable clashes' see hundreds of top dealer dems, and why not search for that magic item you have been planning to purchase for ages. Best of all,unlike a packed hot magic dealers hall.. the whole thing can be searched by KEYWORD! oh you lucky lucky people....

SQUISHED - RELEASED TODAY £14.99

Ben Williams has done it again! SQUISHED is the next 'off the wall' magic trick release that's so much fun, we guarantee you will be SQUISHING pennies all over yourself!

SQUISH pennies to amaze your friends! SQUISH pennies to fool your enemies! but most of all... SQUISH pennies because you just can't help yourself!

Make Amends By Wayne Fox Coming Soon

2009-01-19T15:24:00.005Z

Over the last few years Wayne Fox has made a reputation for producing REAL WORLD practical effects for the 'workers' out there.

Unlike so much of the new magic released lately, Wayne's effects were not invented to sell. They developed through professional performance. It's always a great feeling each time he sends us a preview of his latest creation, because we know it's not going to be just another re-hash of the latest craze. He steps over the countless 'coin in bottle' clones, the 1001 snap colour changes, impression pads and psychological suggestive mentalism. His magic is released for one reason only - it works and goes down a storm actually performed for the public.

This brings me to his latest offering, Make Amends. Take a look at the demo and see if it has a place in your card work...

White Star Now Released

2008-06-22T14:14:00.005+01:00

The Merchant of Magic is proud to release the new effect: White Star by Jim Critchlow. Check out the trailer:

Secret Soldier - Coming Soon

2008-05-06T16:36:00.003+01:00

The Merchant of Magic is proud to release the new effect from Wayne Fox ( Creator of Neat and Tidy)

SECRET SOLDIER

Due for Release July 2008
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