Now You See It, Now You Don't
I'm not a big fan of stage magic with elaborate, gimmicky effects with lots of colored smoke, false-bottomed cabinets, showers of sparks, and girl assistants in sequined bikinis.
OK, that last part isn't so bad, but I'm much more interested in close-up magic, were it's just one guy with some undoctored coins and a deck of cards making the impossible happen right under my nose. It impresses the hell out of me and makes the pleasure center in my brain light up like a moth in a bug zapper.
David Pescovitz gave me Bill Tarr's book a few years ago, and I pulled it off the shelf recently, because my daughter is interested in magic. The line drawings are much better than photos ever could be in explaining how to pull the sleights described here.
As Tarr explains in his introduction, magic is a great hobby because you don't need to spend any money to do it and it is very creative. It's all about learning the skills and applying them in new ways. So much better than collecting junk that clutters up the house. $12.97 on Amazon.com
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Tarr's book is excellent. If your daughter yearns for more, try The Mark Wilson Course in Magic, next.
Years ago I learned the trick illustrated on the book's cover, although from a slightly different source -- Young Guns II! Emilio even 'flaired' the trick a little by "shooting" at the empty hand with a "gun" made from the hand concealing the coin. It's official: he's a genius actor AND magician!