Review - Magic: The Complete Course by Joshua Jay

The "Complete" in the title implies that everything that a beginner needs to learn and master magic can be found within its pages.

Indeed, Joshua Jay has written a fine book for beginners, but it's not as thorough as "Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic," the gold standard. Despite this, Jay's book, which is geared towards adults, offers a good selection of great tricks, 100 in all; thorough explanations, color pictures and a first rate DVD.

In the book's introduction, Jay questions why magic is considered trivial and concludes that "most of the material magicians use is outdated or out of context." He offers examples that include the "rabbit from a hat" and "cut and restored string."

According to Jay, the "cut and restored" effect that employs a drinking straw, which he says appears in "every bad beginner's book," employs tubes and/or handkerchiefs. However, I've never seen this trick performed with such cover. And while I don't perform the trick, I think it's quite baffling to lay audiences when performed well. Furthermore, there are plenty of tricks in Jay's book that employ handkerchiefs and he even offers instructions on creating a gimmicked tube.

The point of all this is that Jay says that his collection of tricks are different because they are "relevant" and have emotional hooks. And in this regard, I tend to agree. The book features a strong assortment of effects and when possible, he suggests presentation ideas to those beginners who will take the time to consider them. Most of the tricks will be known to most magicians.

The first section covers impromptu magic with common objects that include books of matches; pool stick chalk and balls of napkins. The trick with the chalk is a cool variation on a classic. The effect with napkin balls is a nice version of classic "sponge balls," which Jay refers to as "silly magic props" that are in need of an update. I'm willing to bet that a lot of working pros will disagree here.

There's a good prediction effect based on a well known method. However, the bar bet with a glass of water seems out of place. It's not a magic effect, but a stunt.

In the second section, Jay teaches tricks with props found around the dinner table. Here you'll learn to change a packet of sugar into a salt shaker, bend a spoon or fork, make salt vanish into a rolled-up dollar bill, suspend a spoon against your hand and cause a banana to cut itself inside the peel.

A nice innovation, for explanations, when employing the shroud of a handkerchief in a trick, Jay shows you what's going on by using a sheer one that you can see through.

Next are the "Ten Greatest Card Tricks of All Time." While there are some good ones here, I think most magicians would disagree with many of the choices. The chapter begins with some lessons on basic sleights. Jay then teaches Paul Curry's "Out of this World," which probably belongs in a top ten list. The rest, particularly with the beginning methods employed, probably fall short of being top ten material.

Jay teaches how to find four aces, a prediction effect where a spectator's name is written on their selected card, "Do As I Do," "Ashes on Arm," and "Rising Card." Interestingly, in the first of several tricks that require props that are purchased from a magic store, Jay teaches "Invisible Deck" as well as another that relies on "The Svengali Deck." I particularly liked the Max Maven effect, a prediction that definitely meets Jay's relevance requirement.

A section on performing for kids includes: ribbons through body; a visual effect where an object vanishes from a photograph, a great adaptation of a well known method and more. Jay also teaches you how to make a simple production tube.

The next section teaches tricks that you can perform in an office with items found on desks: pen through bill; a paper clip bend; a vanishing pen cap and more. I really liked the trick with the coffee cup and creamer. There are also tricks that work with Jay’s website to predict a selected card.

Tricks with money has its own section with "miser's dream," a vanishing coin, coin through table, torn and restored bill, coin in bottle (with the dealer item) and more. The parlor section covers stand-up magic and teaches a well known water glass production; a "do as I do" with your hands where spectators fail to follow your actions; torn and restored newspaper; a book test and a simple routine with linking rings (another dealer item).