Impuzzibilities Series by Jim Steinmeyer BOOK REVIEW

 

I just watched a lecture by Jim Steinmeyer over on Vanishing Inc and he mentioned his Impuzzibilities books. Apparently, according to Jim, when he first put these out, many of his friends kidded with him about this project. From his comments it sounds like they gently were poking fun at him for putting out such material. Why? Well, many effects used a method that many thought 'out of date' or 'obvious' or maybe even hackneyed. But this was far from the truth.

In his defense, he also said he never expected to put out more than one book. That was not the original plan. But now, he has 10 in the series and potentially more coming.

I can't vouch for every book in the series, but I can vouch for MOST of the books in the series and say these are filled with diabolical magic material. The reason I purchased the first book, and then many subsequent books, was I was looking for 'radio' material. In other words, I wanted magic effects that could be done on the radio. I had a couple radio interviews on the horizon and wanted to be able to do some magic on the air. And, I did, thanks to these books.

When the pandemic happened, these books became invaluable to virtual magic shows everywhere.  And then after the pandemic, I tried to figure out the best material and include it in live shows. I honestly, do not like to share my favorite material from the books because I don't want a lot of people do it, if they haven't discovered it already. BUT, I will share one.

From the book, Subsequent Impuzzibilities, is an effect called Fingertip Mindreading. I first saw this on Jim's older website, when he had a client newsletter section. It contained an interesting image of a performer standing next to a giant hand on a stand, if memory serves. That image is NOT in the Subsequent Impuzzibilities book. But the cover does have a gold hand, which, alludes to that trick. Basically, Jim suggested you could make a big hand from wood, plastic, or whatever and use it to illustrate the trick. So I built a giant sized one out of wood. mounted it on a stand, and made it so that each finger could bend down. Why? Because during the routine, you eliminate fingers until only one remains. You don't need a giant prop like that, but it takes a small trick and makes it stage size. And I've used mine literally hundreds of times. (the hula hoops are not part of the trick, but it makes a good stand to hang stuff as well, lol)

There are tricks that are really only for one or two people. There are tricks that truly can be done on the radio, or tv, or virtually. And when I say that I mean, they are interactive and the audience can follow along and the magic will happen right there in their own hands. The majority of the material doesn't require any special props, other than some cards or coins. A few you might need to make up, but diagrams and such are given. 

The smart performer will figure out a way to incorporate some of these into their shows. I truly think these are a must have for any performer to keep in their library. They are available through most magic dealers, but why not get them from Jim at https://jimsteinmeyer.com/product-category/books/

New Magic History Books You MUST Have

The book above, The Secret History of Magic, just arrived in the mail yesterday.  This book is by Peter Lamont and Jim Steinmeyer. I wish this was a book review but I've not finished the book yet. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but I must admit that I LOVE The cover! They took a Servais Le Roy poster and deleted the background so it's against a layer of white, with the books title. Wow does it look good.

As for the content. Some interesting chapter titles: Origin Myths, False Accusations, Disenchantment, Second Sight, Separate Spheres, The Confessions, The UnMasking, The Golden Age, Variety, Thought Transmissions, Before Your Eyes, The Real Secrets of Magic.

I can tell by some of the chapter titles who may be the 'stars' of those chapters. But again, this is no review of the book. To get a copy yourself, go to https://www.amazon.com/Secret-History-Magic-Story-Deceptive/dp/0143130633/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531919580&sr=8-1&keywords=the+secret+history+of+magic

I'll have a review of the book at a later date!

A Unique Piece of Doug Henning's Magic

The illusion above is a Disembodied Princess created for Doug Henning's touring show by Jim Steinmeyer. It was called 'Seeing Through Surrounded' and was the last illusion designed for Doug Henning.

The very first prop of this kind was created by P.T. Selbit and was called The Man Without a Middle. His version was quite different from what many are used to. In the Selbit version, the entire middle section of the box is removed leaving the head section to be held up by two poles.

The next version to come along was created by Carl Owen when he worked for Thayers. He called his version 'The Disembodied Princess' and his version was a vast improvement on the original because the methodology was simplified. In the Carl Owen version, the top door would show the girls head, her legs could be seen in the two sections below. Two large blades would pass through her neck and waist and then the middle box was opened to show that part of her body was gone, even though the legs and head could still be seen.

In the book, P.T. Selbit Magical Innovator, the authors Eric Lewis and Peter Warlock comment that if Selbit had never created The Man Without a Middle Illusion, then Robert Harbin would never have developed his Zig Zag Lady. The Zig Zag was Harbin's way of creating a similar effect with even more advancements.

Getting back to the Doug Henning prop, this was developed because Doug was appearing in a number of 'Theatres in the Round' and they were unable to do the standard Disembodied Princess due to site issues. So 'Seeing Through Surrounded' was built to allow a view of the prop from any angle. A full description of the prop along with it's inner workings appeared in a small booklet called Square One put out by Stan Allen of MAGIC Magazine.

I had read Square One and was instantly fascinated by the line drawings of this prop but was never fortunate enough to see it in action. Imagine my surprise while visiting a Science Museum in Tampa Florida to come upon a large touring feature called The Magic of Science, and among the items on display was this prop once owned by Doug Henning.