I, Smallini, am very pleased to report that excellent progress has been made in the development of my version of Houdini's Walking Through A Brick Wall. With the aid of Mr. P.T. Widdle, we ran through a full "walk-through" (Ha!) of the illusion on the Suitcase of Wonders stage. This included building the wall in real time using a trowel and a bucket of mortar (both mini-sized, of course). The result was a solid and heavy structure of quite an imposing nature, most certainly so for any individuals who might attempt to walk through it.
While the method is complex, it is also progressing well. I should be ready to run this illusion with music and lighting very soon.
While the method is complex, it is also progressing well. I should be ready to run this illusion with music and lighting very soon.
I am happy to say that it is still possible to procure a magic book "find" in an ordinary book store these days. Magic books are notoriously hard to come by in used book stores as they are most often scooped up by dealers and collectors before they have a chance to hit the shelves. If you can find a used book store these days, chances are there might be a copy of "Magic for Dummies" (actually not a bad book) or some such title tucked away in the Games section.
An exception here in New York City is the famous Strand bookstore on 14th street. Downstairs they will often have at least a dozen copies of very good used magic books, usually Dover titles. Last week, I saw the spine of this beauty, "Secrets of Magic" by Walter B. Gibson (famous writer of The Shadow radio series). The cover is fantastic, and when I opened it I saw that it was a first edition, published in the year of my birth, 1967.
It's such a fun book to leaf through, containing fantastical dream-like illustrations and wonderful prose from Gibson. And I am happy to have found it serendipitously, the best way to discover a magic book in my opinion.
An exception here in New York City is the famous Strand bookstore on 14th street. Downstairs they will often have at least a dozen copies of very good used magic books, usually Dover titles. Last week, I saw the spine of this beauty, "Secrets of Magic" by Walter B. Gibson (famous writer of The Shadow radio series). The cover is fantastic, and when I opened it I saw that it was a first edition, published in the year of my birth, 1967.
It's such a fun book to leaf through, containing fantastical dream-like illustrations and wonderful prose from Gibson. And I am happy to have found it serendipitously, the best way to discover a magic book in my opinion.
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