Showing posts with label gifts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gifts. Show all posts

Friday, October 6, 2017

Houdini Month: Coming Up Next Week

What's coming up next week?

  • A Houdini Month Contest! 
  • An Article On A Special Type of Handcuff used by Houdini
  • Houdini AT ...  (these will be Houdini appearing at Certain locations, more than one article is being prepared)
  • Your Money Is Always Safe With Houdini
  • Houdini's MAGIC
  • And still much more to come as the month progresses! 

Over on Instagram,  https://www.instagram.com/carnegiemagic/ I'm also celebrating Houdini Month, but in a slightly different way. I'm posting photos of all my Houdini books. I have a feeling the month will run out before I get finished.

For now, I'm giving you all a rest while I get more articles finished for Houdini Month. But I thought I'd share with you a link to a site where you can pick up this cool Houdini Mouse Pad (photo above). I actually have one, it was given to me as a gift some years ago and frankly, I've worn mine out. So I had to find out who makes them and sure enough, I found them. http://www.yowzers.com/viewitem.php?productid=149

And if you click this next link, you'll go to a page with two other Magic Poster mousepads. http://www.yowzers.com/viewcategory.php?groupid=41


Sunday, December 1, 2013

Holiday Gifts for Magicians - Organizations & Periodicals

I'm going to give you some real practical suggestions for gifts. A subscription to any of the following magazines and organizations will pay for itself over and over again. First up we have the GrandDaddy of all magazines, GENII. Along with the subscription, you also get access to the digital version and the entire archives of every Genii ever printed.

Next we have MAGIC Magazine. Always well done, always great articles. And they featured my artwork on two of their magazine covers! They offer a monthly subscription or a yearly. They also have a digital version of the magazine which I think is a separate subscription.

If you are into the history of magic, and you should be if you are reading my blog, then you'll want to get a subscription to MAGICOL, the Magazine of Magic History and Collectibles. I love this magazine!

The Society of American Magicians is the oldest continuing magic association in the world. They publish a great magazine monthly MUM, and hold a wonderful magic convention each year. In addition they have assemblies all over the globe that meet monthly to share magic and learn magic.
Any magic group is only as good as the effort put forth by it's members. It is a great learning ground for the beginner and a wonderful place to hang out with fellow magicians.

The International Brotherhood of Magicians is the second oldest magic association in the U.S. and was founded in 1922. Like the SAM, they put out a monthly magazine called The Linking Ring, and have local 'rings' that meet monthly across the globe. You can't go wrong with a membership to the IBM!

KIDABRA International is the Association of Kidshow and Family Entertainers. They also have chapters that meet in various cities in the U.S. and abroad. They publish an online only magazine called The Kidabra Journal bi-monthly. And they run an annual convention in Pigeon Forge TN called......The Kidabra Conference. If you are a family entertainer, this is the group to be associated with.

The Magic Castle and home of the Academy of Magical Arts. This is for the more hardcore magician and magic enthusiast. One visit to the Magic Castle will make you want to be a member. But you can't just walk into the Castle. You have to be a member or be the guest of a member...thus membership isn't such a bad idea.

Finally, if you are in the U.K. you should consider applying for membership with The Magic Circle. This is the oldest continuing magic organization in the U.K.. Unlike the SAM, IBM and Kidabra, the Magic Circle has their own Headquarters, with it's own meeting room, museum and theatre.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Last Minute Gifts for the Serious Magician

Here are a few more last minute gifts that you can get someone who is magically inclined.



Tobias Beckwith Get Your Career in Gear Course. Tobias is the manager for both Jeff McBride and Marco Tempest. He is an extremely successful business person who gives many incredible insights into getting your own career in gear. You can purchase the whole course, or buy the lessons individually. The first two lessons are currently free.


Aaron Fisher Personal Coaching in Card Magic. Aaron is a friend of mine and he is also someone very passionate about the art of card magic. He is using technology to allow him to personally coach people all over the world without actually being there in person. You can't go wrong with Aaron's teaching if you wan to learn the right way to present card magic.

Rick Marcelli Book. If you're not interested in becoming famous with magic, skip over this. I'll tell you up front, I have a copy of this book. Mine looks like it's been through a war. I've read it 4 times at least, some chapters even more. There is a great deal of valuable information here. If you aren't truly serious about a career in magic, move on.

Our Magic by Nevil Maskelyne and David Devant. This book was published back in 1911. The first few chapters should be required reading for everyone interested in magic. If you can survive chapter two, there might be hope for you as a magician. Truthfully, most magicians wouldn't make it past chapter two. The link above is for the Lybrary.com version but do yourself a favor and try and hunt down an actual copy of the book.


Magic Castle Membership. Why not become a member of the Magic Castle? There are different levels of membership to choose from. It certainly would be helping out the Castle right now due to their recent tragedy (fire) that they are still trying to recover from.



FREEBIE: The Manifesto by Helmer GuimarĂ£es and Derek DelGaudio. Its' free at JournalofSecrets.com. Read It!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

2011 Gifts for Magicians

I provided two lists of holiday gift ideas for the magician and/or magic fan last year and I thought I'd do the same this year. Last years lists were fun and for the most part rather lighthearted. This year I'm offering suggestions for gifts that someone serious about their magic would enjoy.  I've tried to give a mix of fun stuff, practical stuff and things for the serious performer. Please follow the links to see where to purchase the items and services*.



MASTERS OF MYSTERY by Christopher Sandford. This is a new book, just recently released. It's about the friendship and struggles of Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini. Ideal for the Houdini fan, the magic fan and even the Sherlock Holmes fan!


The Conjuring Anthology by Jim Steinmeyer. Every person who does any sort of stage magic, or is even considering doing stage magic should have this book in their library. These are the columns that Jim wrote for MAGIC Magazine, gathered together in one book. I'm sure he probably added a few things as well. The amount of good, solid, deceptive magic in here is staggering.


A Subscription to Genii Magazine and Magic Magazine are worth their prices in gold! They are put out by two different publishers so you'll have to subscribe separately but you'll be glad that you did. They both offer digital versions of their magazines as well.

Hire professional Director/consultant Joanie Spina to help you with your act. Let's face it, most magicians do not need new tricks. We need to know how to make our magic better, stronger, more entertaining. There is one lady in magic that has been helping performers take their magic to higher levels for many years. That person is Joanie Spina. She has worked with all the top professionals, and if you are serious about your magic, it's time you talked to Joanie as well.


Doug Bennett has been one of the creative minds in magic for many years. He has created a number of marketed tricks and also wrote scripts and dialog for some of the biggest names in magic, like Doug Henning, David Copperfield, Siegfried and Roy and Harry Blackstone Jr.. Now he is offering his services as a writing consultant. This is for the serious performer only, and if you are a performer in todays market you damn well better be serious if you expect to work.

Another thing you can do to take your career up a notch is to hire a professional photographer. I'm listing two photographers here who are top notch. I've had my photos taken at Beckett Studios and was thrilled with the results. The other photographer, Zackary Belamy, works mainly overseas, but he is coming to the U.S. in January of 2012, so the door is wide open to use his services as well. Both of these gentleman will make you look like a celebrity!


Let's face some reality, in the magic world the majority of working professionals are not illusionists, not trade show magicians, not mentalists, the majority of the full time working professionals are family entertainers. For years they've had to suffer the scorn of others in the business who look down their nose at 'kiddy performers'. But the world of the family entertainer has changed thanks to the efforts of Mark & Tami Daniel and the staff at Kidabra International. They have a bi-monthly magazine, and local chapters throughout the U.S. and abroad. They also have the single best convention of it's kind. Do yourself a favor, if you are in this market and you are not part of Kidabra, JOIN!

Now, for the collector, if you are not already a member of the Magic Collectors Association, you need to be. Their periodical is great and their website is superb. And while you are at it, why not join the Conjuring Arts Research Library. Their AskAlexander database is the most incredible online research tool for magic that there ever was.



I've been a been fan of the Essential Magic Conference from the start. The first conference in 2010 was fantastic. The 2011 conference was even better! Do yourself a favor, pick up the DVDs for both conventions and then when the time comes, register for the 2012 convention.


For the close-up worker who would like to add a novel card routine, I can't recommend Aaron Fisher's two DVDs highly enough. I'm a stage magician, but I really enjoyed the effects taught on these DVDs. The first is Search&Destroy and the other is The Revolution & Helter Skelter. Aaron is passionate about card magic and he is an excellent teacher. I understand he offers lessons and tutoring so you could be learning from a modern day master.  He offers other products at his website so please check them out!


If you are a close-up artist and you've not heard of Theory 11, you're living under a rock. I don't know how they do all that they do, but it's extremely impressive. I'm not endorsing any specific product, but instead encouraging you to check out all that they offer, they're that good.


For the Illusionist & Stage worker, The Magic of The Pendragons 4 DVD Set. I know these came out a few years ago and I know the Pendragons are no longer together. But the information on these DVDs is just too good to pass up for anyone interesting in learning to work with illusions. If you just want to know how illusions work, don't waste your money. These are for people who are serious about techniques, methods and ideas to make illusions look like real magic.

MY FAVORITE BOOK of 2011, Memoirs of An Elusive Moth by Adele Friel Rhindress. I totally loved this book when I read it. I was thrilled and surprised to see my entire review of the book up on their website. If you like magic history, this is a very fun and enjoyable book. Plus if you are lucky enough, maybe you can track down Adele at one of the magic conventions and get her to sign it!


Finally, support your local brick & mortar magic shop. I always send people to my favorite magic shop, Denny & Lee's. Denny Haney is a great guy, he was once a full time performer, he was a manipulator, an illusionist, you name it, he's done it. If he doesn't know the answer, then there probably isn't an answer to your question!


Bonus: THREE FREEBIES: WildaboutHarry and HoudiniHimself are two of the best sites on Harry Houdini. And the third freebie is my site Carnegie: Magic Detective. I work hard to make this the best general magic history website there is and I think I've done that or at least come awfully close. I'm not too shabby in the Houdini department either if I do say so myself, though John Cox and Kevin Connolly constantly amaze me with the stuff they come up with. The three of us offer free articles on the history of magic and HOUDINI all year long.

*For the record, I do not make a dime off of any of the above items. I'm only suggesting them because I think each one of them is first rate. It would be nice if you told them that Carnegie: The Magic Detective sent you though, at least that helps more people aware of my site.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Unusual Gifts for the Magic Fan

Here is a list of gift ideas for the Magician or fan of Magic from those of you that are none magicians.

Conjuring Lights is an interesting site. Inside their gift shop you'll find a number of unique Magic related Greeting Cards.
http://www.conjuringlights.com/CL/CL%20Limited%20Editions/CL_Limited_Editions_CARDS.htm

This is an ornament. I collect magic related figurines and they aren't always easy to find. This one is an ideal one to start a collection or add to an existing one.
http://www.ornamentshop.com/order.asp?ProductKey=3301&cat=42

What magician doesn't need a magic wand?
http://www.stevensmagic.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=103_39&products_id=111571

This might be the ultimate in Geeked out magic wand stuff! A remote Control Magic Wand
http://www.reevoo.com/decidewhattobuy/2009/12/gadget-watch-magic-wand-remote/

Magic Poster Reproductions. These are not cheapo versions, these are high quality versions of many classic magic posters.
http://nnmagic.com/posters_magicrepros/magicrepros1.htm

This might be the ultimate gift for the magician or fan of magic, a bust of a famous magician. There are several in the line; Kellar, Thurston, Chung Ling Soo, Houdini and Robert Houdin.
http://spectralmotion.com/merchandise/merchandise.html


T-shirts with a magic slant to them.
http://www.zazzle.com/do_you_believe_in_magic_gifts_tshirt-235535602772305853

This was one of my personal favorite gifts, the book MAGIC. WARNING: It's gigantic! It weighs 20 lbs and is 20x12x3 in size. But it's super cool
http://www.amazon.com/Magic-1400s-1950s-Mike-Caveney/dp/3836509776/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1292085502&sr=8-14

I'm not sure this next one is for sale, but it's a wonderfully quirky concept. It's a portable closet designed after a magic illusion.
http://www.rafaelmorgan.com/2009/03/deadly-multipurpose-closet.html


Another cool Magic Book gift would be the new Jim Steinmeyer book on Howard Thurston. One problem, it doesn't come out till February. But you can order it now!
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Greatest-Magician-World-Thurston/dp/1585428450/ref=pd_sim_b_49


Here's one, a one of a kind personalized piece of artwork. That's right, you can get a commissioned piece of artwork by none other than ME. It's not cheap, I only take a couple commissions so it's first come first serve. You can email me at carnegiemagic@me.com for more info.

Can't afford a customized painting. Why not try one of my artwork tshirts. There is only one right now, the Dante. On one side is a picture of Dante, the other side has his slogan 'Sim Sala Bim'.
http://www.cafepress.com/CarnegieArt.4858517#

IF you really want to give a magician a gift, consider a photo shoot. Often overlooked by magicians, but a good quality photo can do wonders for your career. Finding a good photographer for a magician is another thing. I'm going to give you several selections depending upon your part of the world. These are not the only photographers around but check them out, do your own homework and see if they'll work for you.

In England...
http://www.photographyformagicians.co.uk/About.html

In France...
http://illu-coower.com/zakarybelamy/

In USA
http://www.beckettstudios.com/

Finally, this set of books should be in every magicians library. The Tarbell Course. Get them from my friend Denny.
http://dennymagic.com/products/?view_type=grid&product_search=tarbell&search_in=All

Disclaimer: Other than my two products, the only products here I can actually endorse are the photography of Beckett Studios because that's where I had my photos done, and The Tarbell Course from Denny's Magic Shop. Denny is a straight up magic dealer and you can't go wrong buying from him.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with anything else, but you should check them out yourself and see if the product or service meets your needs.