Help, Missing Foundations

[Delusional]

Hey everybody,
Recently, I've been reading some forums and analyzing performances, etc. And I saw alot of nuances I've been missing on effects I've been performing for years. I've also noticed that I'm missing some background knowlege in some areas. So much so, that if you were to ask me to tell you something about Dai Vernon, I wouldnt know what to tell you. (yea its that bad) As it is, my goal is to gain as much knowledge around the art as possible, and use that to my advantage. Who here has some books/dvds that are essential foundations for gaining an understanding of magic.

Background Knowledge- I do mostly card magic, but I love performing non-card stuff with bills, matches, coins, and rings. So I like to do a little bit of everything.

 

[toolnard]

The Expert at the Card Table by S.W. Erdnase. Legend has it that Vernon could recite the whole book. If you want a classic in card magic, this is it.

Also I would recommend Stars of Magic by Meir Yedid. It has a lot of classic routines (not just cards), and it's definitely worth a read.

Both books are available for relatively cheap too.

 

[ChrisWiens]

Do you want indepth background knowledge of the history of magic and magicians? Then I would suggest reading some of the biographies out there.
For example http://www.vanishingincmagic.com/magic/magic-history/Dai-Vernon-A-Biography/

For his magic: http://www.vanishingincmagic.com/magic/card-magic/essential-dai-vernon/

 

[RickEverhart]

I just finished reading Hiding the Elephant and The Magician and the Cardsharp which have been very valuable in teaching me some magic history and a wonderful story of Dai Vernon. I recommend both! They do not teach you any effects but give you more of a background history lesson.

 

[rich23]

I just finished reading Hiding the Elephant and The Magician and the Cardsharp which have been very valuable in teaching me some magic history and a wonderful story of Dai Vernon. I recommend both! They do not teach you any effects but give you more of a background history lesson.

I just picked up The magician and the cardsharp but have not opened i yet i just finshed from witchcraft to card tricks
by stephen minch its a great read there is a ton of history in there.

 

[S.G]

You could get Foundations v2 by Jason England. He says that the things that he teaches in that one are more of the basics for magicians and not just gambling experts.

 

[RealityOne]

MAGICPEDIA is a great place to start. In addition to Hiding the Elephant and the Magician and the Cardsharp, check out Steinmeyer's The Last Greatest Magician in the World.

For actual foundations in card magic, I'd recommend the following books (all of which are inexpensive):

Hugard and Braue - Royal Road to Card Magic
Hugard and Braue - Expert Card Technique
Arthur Buckley - Card Control
Erdnase - Expert at the Card Table
Hugard - Encyclopedia of Card Tricks
Scarne - Scarne on Card Tricks