The Billet Article - Librarians Page

Librarians Page

Once again I have been delving into the dusty shelves of the BMC library. The more I look through this wonderful resource that we have the more amazed I am. While these books I have found are not directly about magic they are on related topics.

I have discovered books about Punch and Judy shows. The World of Punch and Judy (BMC book no 75) tell you just about all you need to know about the history and performing Punch and Judy.

The Complete Juggler takes you through all the steps from beginner to professional. It is written by Dave Finnigan who has taught 350,000 people how to juggle. So why not give it a try. In no time at all you will probably find yourself balancing on top of a chrome ladder juggling six Indian clubs with a football balanced on a stick held between your teeth. (this last trick may be of more interest to our younger members).

The Sound of Magic (BMC book No 149) is a volume that tells all you ever wanted to know about microphones, amplifiers, public address systems and speakers that will transform your act. Not only that but it covers the reproduction of mood music mixed through the amplifier while you are performing.

The Pegasus book of Magicians is a great read, covering the history of magic and magician in an easy to read form. It covers magic from the earliest times to the present day, (well to 1968 when the book was published at least).

I could go on and on. I have found books on ventriloquism, how to book your shows, publicity stunts and even 100 ways to win a tenner!! Where else could you find this kind of knowledge. On top of these there are countless books on magical techniques, tricks, lecture notes and effects. Well this resource is nearer than you think. Try looking on my table and see what treasures there are.

Long Division mental magic My trick this month comes from Karl Fulves book Self Working Mental Magic. (BMC book No.41) Ask a spectator to write down a number, say a long number with about 20 digits. You claim that merely by glancing at the number you can tell if it is divisible by 4. The spectator jots down a random number like 57645389763402094333. You glance at it and say it isn’t divisible by 4 but by adding two digits you can make it evenly divisible by 4. You add 28 to the right end of the number so it reads 5764538976340209433328. When the spectator divides the number by 4 (after lengthy effort) he discovers that it is indeed divisible by 4. Like all the best mental tricks this one is extremely easy but can only be performed once on the same spectator. (Could be good for restaurant table hopping). No matter what number he writes, no matter how long or short it is, no matter which digits it contains, simply add 28 to the right hand end and the number will be divisible by 4. As I have said do not repeat the trick with the same spectator for obvious reasons but done once it is enormously impressive and you will be credited with tremendous ability at working out long division in you head.

Easter Eggs Well just a few lines on my other passion - films and DVDs. You may have heard of Easter Eggs. These have nothing to do with the confectionary that we all like to get at Easter. These are hidden extras that lurk on some DVD's. They are not always advertised and you may have to press several buttons on your remote to find them, but they are quite interesting.

Here's one I found if you have the three disk special edition of Fawlty Towers Series 1 & 2.