Welcome back to another issue of the Erudite Magic Digest. This is an offshoot of Erudite Magic, the premier magic book channel on YouTube. In this issue, you can read about:
Meeting your magic heroes
A sought-after book thatās finally back in print
An easy-to-do and self-contained bill switch
A magic trick entry into a book Iām writing to encourage magicians to use a memdeck. The goal is to give you tricks you can do at every step of your memorization journey - even when you donāt know very many cards.
The Maestro was in town
Juan Tamariz doesnāt travel stateside very often, so when it happens, itās big news. Recently, he visited the USA, and magicians flocked to see him while he was here.
It reminded me that itās important to have heroes, especially in your passion, whether thatās a hobby or a profession. While I donāt consider Juan to be one of my personal heroes, thereās no doubt about his positive influence and contributions to the magical world, and I hold him in the highest regard. Iām thrilled that so many of his acolytes had an opportunity to meet with him and thank him in person for his influence.
Iāve had the privilege to meet several of my own magical heroes before they passed: Barrie Richardson, Simon Aronson, and Paul Daniels, just to name a few. Each was special for various reasons, but each had a profound impact on my own magical development, and that was what was important. Interestingly enough, I needed to take a trip to see each of them.
Whatās the point? The point is that itās a special moment when you get to meet your heroes in person, and itās almost always worth it do so. Magic conventions are a great way to meet several at once, and I would encourage you to plan to attend when you hear that one of the magicians you look up to is going to be there. You never know when the next time theyāre around may be the last.
While weāre on the subject, sound off in the comments with your favorite magical hero!
Derren is back in print
Derren Brown caused quite a stir when he first published his Notes from a Fellow Traveller a year ago. The release was mired in controversy, with buyers claiming they had received defective copies, books lost during transit, and slow fulfillment times. It certainly didnāt help anything that it was the first book from Derren in quite a while, and it was supposed to be a limited printing, which only added to the frenzy.
The book itself shares what Derren has learned from performing over the last 30 years in easily digestible and story-driven narrative. Even though Derren Brown is a mentalist, you donāt have to be a mentalist to gain wisdom from his experience.
The hardback version has now been reprinted in a Second Printing, and itās back in stock on his website. If youāre interested in my complete thoughts on the book, you can check out my review below:
Be the change
Last Sunday, I shared my book discussion on John Lovickās Switch: Unfolding the $100 Bill Change. As promised in the notes to the video, Iām sharing the version I performed (which you can see below):
Switch is FULL of excellent bill change possibilities, and even has many versions that have nothing to do with money. Itās an amazing example of the power of a book thatās laser focused on one type of magic, and the kind of reference work I love having in my magic library. ICYMI, hereās a link to Sundayās video:
And now, for the promised information. While there are versions for every need, I chose one that requires no gimmick, just a certain office supply that many magicians have laying around. If you want to perform the same clean effect youāve seen in the video, check out āSelf-Contained Bill Changeā on p. 157. The author teaches it with a piece of paper changing into a bill, but I decided to perform it as a 1-to-100 change. Itās obviously flexible and powerful. The tradeoff on this version is that you canāt borrow the bill or hand it out afterward (without resorting to further trickery, anyway). But you decideā¦make one of these up and carry it around, then report back with your findings.
A paid subscriber bonus
As noted in previous issues, I attempt to make every other newsletter include āpaidā benefits. While the majority of the content is free, becoming a paid subscriber (for as little as $8/month) entitles you to make comments, see the full archive of posts (including where I published my previous magic trick write-ups), listen to voiceovers of the issues, and be a part of the community. If you decide to take your support to the next level (Erudite Magician), youāll have access to not only all of the paid subscriber benefits, but Iāll also include your name in the end of my YouTube channel videos.
If you want to try out the paid membership before you commit, the Substack system lets you trial it for a week or so to decide if you like what you see. There are even ways to earn a paid membership by sharing this newsletter with others. So take your pick, and know that I appreciate you, no matter what your membership status. Thanks for being a part of this journey.
Another memdeck miracle
One of the strongest effects in card magic is calling out a thought-of card (or cards!). In this issue of The Erudite Magic Digest, Iām sharing a version of that effect that fits with the premise of the magic book Iām writing - you donāt have to know the whole stack to perform this!
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