Rating: 
Summary: The Secrets Behind Every Magic Effect Ever Made...
Review: Read the title again. Yes, that's right... Magic for Dummies, a book targeted towards interested laymen, holds the greatest secret behind all magic, whether or not you're Lance Burton or David Copperfield up on a stage or a teenage magician strolling the streets.
The secret behind all magic: showsmanship, patter, personality, and intrigue. The effects in this book, simple as they are, are the building blocks of all magic. Beginners will learn the integrity behind the magic, the showsmanship necessary to perform, and some great but simple effects. Intermediates will find the importance of showsmanship and patter... reemphasized tenfold - and, maybe, some new effects will be learnt. Advanced magicians? I can not speak for them... but sometimes, a magician needs to take himself down a few notches in practicing advanced, knuckle-breaking sleights and, instead, concentrate on the magic behind the magic - the presentation.
Behind Magic for Dummies exists a magic for professionals. There's a brief history of magic, a compilation of great magicians in history, a list of things to say when you make a mistake, and hilarious magic cartoons. For those who don't know much behind magic, this book holds everything from the old static pencil on hand to a simplified restaurant zombie effect.
I recommend Magic for Dummies for young and old alike, whether you be layman or magician... it will make a magician out of a layman and a wizard out of a magician.
I'll leave it at that.
Rating: 
Summary: Bring out your offbeat side: Be a magician!
Review: There's no better way to add a funny, likable, entertaining side to your personality than to learn a couple of great tricks. Trust me on this: learning magic has made me more comfortable in front of a crowd, more fun standing in movie lines, and several inches taller."Magic for Dummies" has 350 photos, plus favorite tricks submitted by 35 of the country's top magicians (including Lance Burton and Jamy Ian Swiss)--and it's a REALLY funny book.
Rating:
Summary: The book really got me into the hobby of magic
Review: This book is great for beginners and advanced magicians. Its a great book!
Rating:
Summary: How to get over stage fright and still keep your integrity
Review: This book is more than a simple collection of tricks. It's a full introduction to the world of magic. Not only do you discover the secrets behind tricks that you can reproduce without much special equipment, you also get a foundation in the whole art of magic. Most of the book is, of course, consumed with telling you how to do stuff. The tricks are organized by the venue in which they could best be performed. There are tricks for the office, tricks for restaurants, tricks for parties, and tricks for wherever you carry a pack of cards. The instructions for all the tricks are clear and even humorous. Mr. Pogue is an excellent teacher, able to convey in writing what many couldn't do through speech. But the book is more than just these tricks. It's also a guide to the performance art of magic itself. Nothing, according to Mr. Pogue, is as important as the panache you can exhibit. And of course he's right. Pogue teaches you that the projection of confidence is, more than anything you do with your hands, responsible for the creation of illusion. He also gives you a real sense of the history and tradition of magic. There's an introduction to famous magicians and a listing of resources to help you continue your exploration of the craft. I was also impressed to discover that there's an attempt at a "trickography"-something like a bibliography attempting to credit, where possible, the inventors of the included tricks. This trickography goes into some detail about the responsibility that magicians have towards each other, even though there's nothing in the magician's trade which can be copyrighted. All in all, it's a fine work, well worth your money. Still, it's worth mentioning that the style of trick included here isn't necessarily everyone's idea of "magic". This is simple, sleight-of-hand stuff. It's not, for the most part, stage magic. There are no rabbits drawn from hats nor beautiful assistants sawn in half, here. Of course, to many readers this will be considered a virtue: these tricks can be done anywhere with minimal investment. But if you're hoping to make a career-or at least a paying hobby--of magic, this book is probably just a baby step along the way.
Rating:
Summary: How to get over stage fright and still keep your integrity
Review: This book is more than a simple collection of tricks. It's a full introduction to the world of magic. Not only do you discover the secrets behind tricks that you can reproduce without much special equipment, you also get a foundation in the whole art of magic. Most of the book is, of course, consumed with telling you how to do stuff. The tricks are organized by the venue in which they could best be performed. There are tricks for the office, tricks for restaurants, tricks for parties, and tricks for wherever you carry a pack of cards. The instructions for all the tricks are clear and even humorous. Mr. Pogue is an excellent teacher, able to convey in writing what many couldn't do through speech. But the book is more than just these tricks. It's also a guide to the performance art of magic itself. Nothing, according to Mr. Pogue, is as important as the panache you can exhibit. And of course he's right. Pogue teaches you that the projection of confidence is, more than anything you do with your hands, responsible for the creation of illusion. He also gives you a real sense of the history and tradition of magic. There's an introduction to famous magicians and a listing of resources to help you continue your exploration of the craft. I was also impressed to discover that there's an attempt at a "trickography"-something like a bibliography attempting to credit, where possible, the inventors of the included tricks. This trickography goes into some detail about the responsibility that magicians have towards each other, even though there's nothing in the magician's trade which can be copyrighted. All in all, it's a fine work, well worth your money. Still, it's worth mentioning that the style of trick included here isn't necessarily everyone's idea of "magic". This is simple, sleight-of-hand stuff. It's not, for the most part, stage magic. There are no rabbits drawn from hats nor beautiful assistants sawn in half, here. Of course, to many readers this will be considered a virtue: these tricks can be done anywhere with minimal investment. But if you're hoping to make a career-or at least a paying hobby--of magic, this book is probably just a baby step along the way.
Rating:
Summary: ITS GREAT
Review: THis book is the best it takes you step by step through SWEET tricks I am 14 and my 10 year sister loves it also
Rating: 
Summary: Lack of Magical Sparks
Review: This book is trying too hard to emphasize in being funny. It is filled with mediocre 'funny' patters that the readers are encouraged to use, but the quality of the actual magic effects demonstrated is poor. Balancing two forks on the edge of a glass should not be considered magic. Once you read a few samples, the reading becomes stifling, knowing that you are not going to learn anything new that other magic books cannot teach you. Some areas are brighter: the photos are clear, and it blends magician bios and history within. But one can do better with other books around.
Rating:
Summary: Lack of Magical Sparks
Review: This book is trying too hard to emphasize in being funny. It is filled with mediocre 'funny' patters that the readers are encouraged to use, but the quality of the actual magic effects demonstrated is poor. Balancing two forks on the edge of a glass should not be considered magic. Once you read a few samples, the reading becomes stifling, knowing that you are not going to learn anything new that other magic books cannot teach you. Some areas are brighter: the photos are clear, and it blends magician bios and history within. But one can do better with other books around.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent introduction to performing magic
Review: This light-hearted book pleasantly surprised me. It manages to teach a broad range of effects while emphasizing the real goal of performing magic, which is to entertain an audience by providing a moment of astonishment. It also lists resources for anyone inspired to continue beyond this introduction. I thought it was well done, and suitable for interested beginners of any age.
Rating:
Summary: It was great
Review: This was a great book. I did the "Pencil Up the Nose" trick, and everyone except my brothers thought I was gross. I love the sense of humor in this book. I really do think that this is a great book.
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