Saturday, October 15, 2005

Halloween Is Coming!

Greetings from all of us at Hank Lee’s Magic Factory. If I told you when I was writing this week’s email letter, most certainly a huge lightning bolt would come from the sky and fry me to a crisp. So, I will not tell you. However, I will wish all of our Jewish friends a belated Yom Kippur.
This has been one hectic week, to say the least. With the Fall Extra out (you do get one in the mail, don’t you? If not, let me know and I will hook you up), we have been busier than busy. By no means is this any form of a complaint. Both the elves and I love it when it’s busy!

And, now to the reason we all came here, this week's Hotlist at www.magicfact.com

Shufton’s Floating Match - Beware: This effect is a killer!
Display and open a book of matches. After removing a match, you explain that matches hold a "charge" similar to electricity.
By simply rubbing the single match on the other matches in the pack you explain that the match is now charged and will resist the other matches.
Hold the match above the other matches in the pack and release your hold on the match with only one finger touching it. It remains suspended!
Explain that, "it seems the match may be attached to my finger - until I pull my finger away!" Remove your finger and the match remains suspended, floating above the matchbook! By waving a toothpick under, behind, over and all around the floating match, you show that there can be no possible means of support!
Pluck the match out of the air and pass it through the area in which it floated, demonstrating again that there can be no possible support. Once again cause the match to float!
If desired, matchbook, match and toothpick can be handed out for examination!
Completely self-contained, can be done anywhere, anytime. Very easy to do! The best, most compelling, simplest close up floating match effect on the market today! No hookups! Always ready!
Each one is meticulously hand made with close attention to every detail. Each one is inspected and tested to make sure it is perfect! These are sturdy, and with proper care, will last indefinitely.
This is not the cheaper match on a playing card effect. There are no suspicious moves, no bending of cards or other out of place manipulations - this is the Cadillac of close up levitation effects. Most importantly, this will stun your audience! $24.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=7991&cat=&page=1)

MAGIC Calendar - A calendar unlike any other!
MAGIC Magazine has teamed up with master photographer Richard Faverty to produce the 2006 Calendar: Magic of Las Vegas.
Twelve amazing images have been created exclusively for this calendar, featuring a dozen of the hottest magicians in Las Vegas.
Plus, over 40 additional shots of these magical stars. The perfect gift, for you or a friend! $14.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=7990&cat=&page=1)

Magician And The Cardsharp – Karl Johnson - A famous magician's journey to find the greatest cardsharp ever evokes the forgotten world of magic where Americans found escape during the Great Depression.
It has the nostalgic quality of an old-fashioned fable, but Karl Johnson's book is a true story that lovingly re-creates the sparkle of a vanished world. Here, set against the backdrop of America struggling through the Depression, is the world of magic, a realm of stars, sleight of hand and sin where dreams could be realized-or stolen away.
Following the Crash of '29, Dai Vernon, known by magicians as "the man who fooled Houdini," is tramping down Midwestern back-roads, barely making ends meet. While swapping secrets with a Mexican gambler, he hears of a guy he doesn't quite believe is real - a legendary mystery man who deals perfectly from the center of the deck and who locals call the greatest cardsharp of all time. Determined to find the reclusive genius, Vernon sets out on a journey through America's shady, slick and sinful side - from mob-run Kansas City through railroad towns that looked sleepy only in the daytime. Does he find the sharp?
Well, Karl Johnson did - after years of research into Vernon's colorful quest, research that led him to places he never knew existed. Johnson takes us to the cardsharp's doorstep and shows us how he bestowed on Vernon the greatest secret in magic. A unique and endlessly entertaining piece of history that reveals the artistry and obsession of a special breed of American showmen. $26.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=7986&cat=&page=1)

Chimera Wallet - From the mind of James Cheung comes a new utility wallet that adds real punching power to the arsenal of the professional mentalist.
A synthesis of some of the most deceptive principles in mentalism, Chimera combines a performance-proven real world peek with the ability to steal and load billets, predictions and business cards and nail-write on cards inserted inside the wallet.
Chimera can also function as an out-to-lunch wallet and contains a notepad that can be swapped in for a Janus Pad or Invisible Assistant, two of the best impression pads of recent times, thus enabling the modular addition of multiple information gathering techniques.
The wallet measures 10.5 cm x 8.5 cm and each one is handmade in England by Savile Row craftsmen out of black premium Italian chromium tanned leather. Internally it features two credit/business card pockets, a pen loop, notepad and large pocket behind the pad to store ESP cards or packet tricks and is finished with gold corners.
The Chimera is aimed at experienced or professional mentalists and as such comes with basic handling instructions only. $105.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=7989&cat=&page=1)

Reading Is Magic – Available again! Barry Mitchell has created some of the most interesting kidshow magic around. Reading Is Magic is absolutely perfect for any family-oriented show. Great for school shows, library shows, it is really a wonderful routine!
Pick up a beautifully bound Reading is Magic book. Suddenly, the book comes to life for your audience.
As you open the book it begins to narrate the story of King Midas and the Golden Touch. As the book narrates, you become King Midas. From the pages of the 14"X 9"X 3" book, you produce a king's crown, loads of cash, five huge gold nuggets, a gold rose, a flash of fire, gold bed covers, a gold banana, a glass of gold water, and even gold credit cards. So much golden stuff coming from one book means Reading is Magic!
The story has been cleverly adapted to teach a heart warming moral. You get: gimmicked book with all props, audio performance CD and video of Barry's performance and instructions. Open the minds of children, teachers, librarians, and storytellers to see that Reading is Magic! $199.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=3434&cat=&page=1)

Heat Wave - Peter Eggink’s Heat Wave is one hot card trick.
A spectator selects a card, memorizes it and shuffles it back in to the pack.
Explain that the spectator's card will rise up through the deck and it does, arriving at the top.
When the top card is revealed it appears to be the wrong card.
Next, you take out a lighter, light it and hold it under the wrong card: “Sometimes when you heat the card, it changes.” Turn the card over, only to reveal the spectator’s selection!
So far, nothing new. But, read on. You attempty to change the selection back to the wrong card again. For the second time, hold the lighter under the card. This time the card gets way too hot, which causes the ink of the card to run! When the card is shown again, the face of their selection has actually melted away!
Visually and magically, the card is “restored” back to its original condition, and can be handed out for examination!
Comes complete with photo-illustrated instructions, and the custom gaff printed by the US Playing Card Company. $14.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=7987&cat=&page=1)

Clearly Amazing - Imagine placing a clear plastic envelope (the type they put baseball cards into) with a playing card inside, face down on the table.
Now have a card selected and signed. No force. Return it to the deck. No sleights. Now turn the envelope face up and inside is the signed selected card! Unbelievable, but true!
To top it all off, you now give the envelope with the card still inside to the spectator to keep! Really!
And that is just the beginning. The routines included with Clearly Amazing turn an amazing effect into a truly memorable experience.
Includes 15 page illustrated instructional booklet and necessary gaffs to perform the many different effects. $24.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=7985&cat=&page=1)

Dr. “Q” Locking Slates - The Dr."Q" Slates, invented and manufactured by Nelson Enterprises, were last available in the 1980's from Venture III Magic who acquired the rights from Nelson Enterprises. The Slates were soon swept up by performers and collectors of quality mentalism. Maverick Magic has acquired the rights from Venture III Magic and is once again making the Dr. Q Slates available for today’s performers.
The Dr. Q Slates have been regarded as the acme of perfection in pseudo-spiritualistic slate writing. Their ease of performing, mechanical perfection and effectiveness leaves nothing to be desired. These slates offer fine applications in the realm of mysticism.
Only a limited quantity will be available as each will be hand crafted by a Master Craftsman. $250.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=7984&cat=&page=1)

How To Cheat Your Friends At Poker – Penn Jillette & Mickey D. Lynn - Penn Jillette has been the larger, louder half of the performing team Penn & Teller since 1975. He is the author of the novel Sock and, with Teller, the bestselling author of Cruel Tricks For Dear Friends and How To Play In Traffic.
Mickey D. Lynn is a writer and poker expert. He has written for television, worked in the film industry, and worked with the talent department of Celebrity Poker Showdown, but no cheating happened there. Really.
From the Inside Flap
Penn Jillette, entertainer and magician extraordinaire, knows poker. Not necessarily because of his own skill, though he has that in spades. Jillette knows poker because he knows “Dickie Richards,” a lifetime card player who has earned hundreds of thousands of dollars over more than thirty years of cheating at home poker games. Dickie’s wisdom, filtered through Penn’s showman’s style, is distilled into this tidy volume.
This is not a book about how to play poker. It’s about how to cheat, make money, and win big. You’ll master the art of making friends just so you can gull them at cards, you’ll excel at marking cards and tossing the pot, and you’ll understand why the dealer should always win. Lousy with attitude, stylish with swagger, this book delivers a true card-sharp’s tricks and tips, down to the last gambit. $19.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=7988&cat=&page=1)

And, that’s all folks. Of course, it’s not really all, as we have tons and tons of other great magic just waiting for you in our Online Catalog at www.magicfact.com.

I hope you will find some time to spend with us either live and in person at our Boston location, 122 South Street, or live and online at www.magicfact.com. Either way, we do love the company.
Hank Lee