Branded Into Your
Audience's Memory
Review by
Joel A. Moskowitz, MD

How would you like to devastate street urchins in the manner of David Blaine? There is a saying, "Build a better mouse trap and the world will build a path to your door". Walt Disney took it one step further: He built a better mouse! Tim Trono didn't invent the principal or even the idea for the blister gadget. He did create a better instrument to elicit acclaim from audiences. Want a device applauded by Daryl and Paul Harris? Contact Tim Trono at Murphy's Magic Supplies. (read more)

Linking Rings - The Book
A Review by
Joel A. Moskowitz, MD
February 2009

Compounding Prescription: Add one part magic history and one part American politics and take with a large spoon as antidote to lack of information, and enhanced good mood. . . What organization was founded on February 10, 1922 in Winnepeg, Manitoba?  Who was William Walter Durbin?  Did you know that he began the Egyptian Hall Museum in Kenton, Ohio?  That said museum of magic was moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1953?  That it would be futile to search for it when you attend the I.B.M. Convention this year?  That the Wizard of Oz was modeled on the physiognome of Harry Keller as portrayed in his poster of "Self Decapitation"?  (read more)

Magic Prescriptions
by

Mark Edward is an equivocator, fibber and mountebank.  Which begs the question; if a liar admits to lying, can he be telling the truth?  The opening deprecations of Mark Edward are entirely false.  Rather, he is a literate, informative, intellectual, a student of the psychology of humans, a foe of those who would defraud the public for personal gain and as an author and practicing psychic, he is first and foremost, an entertainer. He has written two books, personally published  (aka Mindscapes Unlimited), spiral bound, "Psychic Blues"  Confessions from a Happy Medium. pp 241, (2007) and "Hand Springs" The Charleton's Book of Palmistry", pp 187.  (release set for 2009)  (read more)

The New England
Magic Collector's Association
By JACK WHITE

The New England Magic Collector's Association held their 12th annual Yankee Gathering, at West Borough, Massachusetts (November 13 - 15), attracting nearly 200 attendees for this year's lectures, exhibits and banquet.   Special honorees were Eddie and Amy Dawes, from Great Britain.   They are well known magic collectors, writers and historians.   Their life long work was given special tribute at this event that is held every other year in the New England area. (read more)

Magic Prescriptions
by Joel A. Moskowitz M.D.
Willard - A Life Under Canvas & Is Life an Illusion - Jerry Andrus

A family of magicians and their Real Life Experiences -  Not a Dime Store Novel. Why do magicians buy books about other magicians?  A generic biography of most conjurers might read like this:  At age 7 - 12, a young boy (more recently also girls) was enchanted by an uncle or grandfather who pulled a coin out of his or her ear.  Or, said youth received a magic set or became the proud possessor of a Svengali deck etc ... Mesmerized and addicted, the next several years is a see-saw of attention to matters legerdemain.  Interrupted by concerns relating to education, the opposite sex, and limited finances, the story of many magicians finds the compulsion to magic waxes and wanes.(read more)

I first met these fellows at the IBM/SAM Louisville Magic Convention.  Well, that is not entirely correct.  I had received a few emails from them that I unfortunately ignored because I did not know who they were and I tend to be a bit paranoid about unsolicited email.  But there they were with a dealer's booth at the convention.  The booth was a bit underwhelming at first glance.  It was pretty empty without much to see.  But, as I soon found out, that was because all their electronic gadgetry was somewhere on the sixteenth floor. They had a full working studio operating into the wee hours of the night.  (read more)

Web Notes
by Mike Durant
Review of Reel Magic

Things certainly are changing quickly in this ‘information age' and that is especially true in the world magic.  When I first started dabbling in the magical arts, printed books and magazines were the only ways to ‘distribute' magic knowledge.  Video tape came next and then the Internet, replacing books for many people.  But magazines continued to ‘hold their own'.  Sure there were electronic newsletters like Alan Watson's excellent and, despite the name, very international Magic New Zealand. (Read More)

SUCOP SUCOH
Thru the Mirror of Time by Paul Kieve
A review by
Joel Moskowitz MD   
August 2008
Magic Currents Ring 76, San Diego

Not to be confused with the book of the same name published in 1634, this Hocus Pocus authored by Paul Kieve is a Scholastic Press publication (2007) targeted for the nine to eleven years old, which is when many magic obsessions begin. Daniel Radcliffe, in his introduction, praises Kieve as one who taught him some tricks. Kieve may be less widely known than the stage name of Radcliffe, Harry Potter. Now that is impressive credentials! (read more)

Convention Review
I.B.M. Ring 129
Kansas City, Missouri
Heart of the Ring Newsletter
by Steve Steiner

The long-awaited IBM/SAM Combined Convention was held in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. A virtual who's who of magic attended the week-long convention billed as the "Magic Event that the World has been waiting for...". This was the first such combined convention in 35 years and those in attendance vowed that it wouldn't be another 35 years before the event happened again. (Read More)

Fantasma Magic
Digital Downloads
by Mike Durant
July, 2008

The I.B.M. started out (in 1922) as simple correspondence between a few magicians. After a time, the organization took shape as more and more magicians took an active part.  They talked about the latest effects in letter after letter having to wait for the next envelope to show in their postbox.  It's now the twenty-first century and things have changed...not so much in the content but more in the delivery. The folks I am going to talk about in this column have only been in the retail magic business as a company for a few years (since 2006 to be precise).  But it was started with a vision of what they could do for magic in the delivery of products and ideas.  And they have done an amazing job, so let me start off with just a little ‘hype' and an ‘attaboy' or two for Fantasma Magic. (Read More)