Feldman captures Thurston's incredible life in new DVD

Rory Feldman, who has more than 15,000 pieces of Howard Thurston memorabilia in his Brooklyn, N.Y., home, has produced a full-length documentary about the "Master Magician's" life. (A video of the trailer appears below.)

Originally, Feldman created a 35-minute video of Thurston based on a William V. Rauscher lecture, "When Thurston Came to Town." Feldman took the audio and overlaid pictures. That original effort has since been expanded to a full length DVD with rare photographs, audio clips and video clips. You can read and learn more about Howard Thurston and the DVD here. Read more about Rory Feldman here. Feldman is on the cover of the February edition of The Linking Ring.
(View DVD trailer)

Osterlind answers your questions each month on I.B.M. Web Portal

Richard Osterlind, one of the top mentalists and magicians (and Order of Merlin), will be answering questions each month from members of the International Brotherhood of Magicians in a new feature, Osterlind Q&A.

With his 40-plus years of performing and amazing audiences around the globe, feel free to ask him any question that relates to magic, mentalism, hypnotism, performing, routining or handling the business side. Or, ask him yourself at his four-day Mind Mysteries Seminar (details here).

The I.B.M. Portal staff is anticipating a great response to this new monthly feature, so we have set up a special e-mail address for questions to be considered. Questions will be gathered by the Portal staff and forwarded onto Osterlind for consideration.
(Read Osterlind Q&A)

Did you know I.B.M. offers members free Web pages?

The I.B.M. Web Portal received an e-mail from someone asking for instructions on how to set up the free Web pages offered to members of the I.B.M.

As the instructions were sent, we realized if there is one person wondering how to go about this, then there are probably more with the same question. After all, we are continually adding new members.

So, let us share with you a few links that will help you get on your way to establishing a Web presence for your magical services.

To learn about your benefits, click here.

To read Mike Durant's instructions from 2008 on how to build your Web pages, click here.

To jump right to the page where you can build those pages, click here.

Bracco enjoys friends, looks to add more I.B.M. Rings in Asia

We are into 2010, and the past year has seemed to fly by so fast. It was just last Christmas that my wife and I were in America celebrating the holidays with my family. It was a very special time for us and the first time I have been able to make it home for Christmas in eight years. But this holiday season was very special, too. It was a magical holiday season for us here in Korea.

The week before Christmas I got a call from some friends living in Busan, a major city in the south of the country, inviting us to meet them in Seoul to go and see some magic shows. We went up on the 26th of December and got to see the evening performance of Charming Choi’s Magic Concert called Tarot-By Destiny. (Read More)

President Jack White works mid-year magic at trustees meeting
By Bobby Warren

Until I was asked to deliver a report Jan. 23, 2010, at the mid-year meeting of the International Brotherhood of Magicians' Board of Trustees, I had never met International President Jack White. I had the honor and privilege of doing so at the meeting.

Those who have followed President White's health challenges through his column in The Linking Ring have an insight into what he has had to endure. However, at the meeting I met someone who was not feeling sorry about his predicament, rather someone who was tackling everything life was throwing at him and prevailing. It was clear President White is at the helm of the world's largest magic organization.
(Read More, View Video)

Magic serves as an integral part of Shirley Ray's life
by Dennis Schick

Q. First of all, congratulations on being elected president of the largest I.B.M. Ring in the world. Tell us how you came to that position.

A. Thank you. I was honoured to be asked and look forward to representing the British Ring as its ambassador during my presidential year. Of course joining and being an active member of a magic club is important, along with the willingness to volunteer and to accept responsibility. When I lived in Scotland, I was a member of Edinburgh Magic Circle and the Forth Valley Magic Circle.
(Read More, See Photos)

John Calvert's magical life captured in new documentary

On Dec. 10, the documentary, "John Calvert: His Magic and Adventures," appeared on DVD, not out of thin air, but through the laborious efforts of the masterful magician's nephew, Fred Calvert, over the past nine years.

Samuel Patrick Smith, executive editor of The Linking Ring, interviewed Fred Calvert about the project and learned how the film producer and director tried for the past two years to finish the project, but he was not satisfied with any of the results. So, he pressed on until he had a product worthy of his uncle's famed life.

(Read More; Watch Video)

Extensive Online Database
Benefits Researchers and Others
By Dr. William E. Spooner

The Conjuring Arts Research Center was established in 2003 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of magic and its allied arts. The Center, located at 11 West 30th Street in Manhattan, is the brainchild and creation of William Kalush who has amassed over 12,000 volumes of books and journals and rare documents. The rare book room contains an impressive collection of books dating back to the 15th century, including a number of variations of Reginald Scot’s Discovery of Witchcraft...