Greetings from all of us at Hank Lee's Magic Factory. A milestone week, this week. Lucas, the younger son, passed his driver's license test. He has now joined the ranks of teenage demons who can drive on the same roads as me. I can remember when Lucas was just a little pisher in diapers. Now he's driving, and pretty soon I'll be in diapers. Sheesh. Not yet. Not for a long yet. Seriously, Lucas is a good driver, and as everyone with a teenage driver at home knows, they make terrific errand runners.
All kinds of exciting stuff going on here. The new Extra is at the printer, and will be in the mail in about 10 days. You can start checking your Snail Mail Box anytime, but don’t expect anything for a couple of weeks. Of course, as soon as the Extra is ready, you will be able to find it online at www.magicfact.com, under the Extra Button.
And now, this week's excitement.
FREE SHIPPING: For the next 7 days, until Thursday the 14th of September at midnight, we are offering free ground shipping to anywhere in the US, including Alaska and Hawaii! Just enter the special code SHIPMEFREE in the Discount Coupon Box at the bottom of the third page of the online checkout at www.magicfact.com. We will happily pick up the ground shipping charges on your order. Of course, if you want your order sent Fedex Three Day (Express Saver), Second Day or Next Day, you will just have to pay the difference. Overseas customers will save as well! We will pay one-half of the Air Post shipping charges on your orders for the next 7 days! Just remember to enter the special code SHIPMEFREE in the Discount Coupon Box, or let the person taking your phone order know when you place your order at 800 874 7400.
Now, let's take a look at all the great magic in this week's Hotlist.
Trevor Lewis Uncut: A remarkable collection of Trevor Lewis' professional children's magic and comedy, this book, contains an incredible eighty-five routines.
The material is perfect for schools, libraries, and parties. Each routine is carefully worked out for the most effective presentation. You will learn how to create laughs at the right places, include educational points at strategic moments, and bring each effect to the most amazing and satisfying conclusion. In short, this is magic which delights, educates, and amazes children.
Starting in 1978 and continuing for over twenty years, Trevor Lewis released his unique brand of kid-show magic in a series of books which included Party Pieces, More Party Pieces, Still More Party Pieces, Further Party Pieces, Favorite Party Pieces, and Final Party Pieces.
This volume contains the complete contents of all of his books, plus new material—Unexpected Party Pieces—previously unpublished.
The unique wit and style of Trevor Lewis is sure to strike your funny bone, and win laughter and applause from your own children's and family audiences.
Contents of Trevor Lewis Uncut:
The Flowering Bouquet • The Telescope • Take Care • Happy Birthday • The Road Code • Happy Birthday Blind • Tommy's Teeth • Cards Across • Cheers! • The Breakaway Wand • George Blake's The Silver Sceptre • The Safe • T.I.P.S. • The Flashlight • Wandering Wand • Magic Painting • Silks from Newspaper • Road Safety Chicken • The Cuckoo Clock • Ditching the Flap • Production with a Message • Twentieth Century Minus • The Flower Pot • Mismade Flag • Cards Across Again • The Magic Umbrella • TV Start • Opening the Show • Abracadabra Rope Opening • Before Cards Across • After Cards Across • Pump Wands • Close Up for Children • Tantalizing Traffic Lights • Beacon Ball • Magic Lesson on Road Safety • Sunday Egg • How to End on Applause • Floppy Flower Opener • Little Wonder Box • The Balloon Routine Competition • Another Mix-Up • The Black Cat • The Clatter Box Camera • Time Will Tell • The Tumbling Blocks • The Pop-Away Wand • Take Care • Children?s Chop Cup • That's Torn It • Up
Your Sleeve • The Rainbow Silk Routine • Cane Opener • Kid Glove • The Cotton Wool Necklace • The Adder • Cards Across Conclusion • The Broken Window • It's Curtains! • Freezer Fun • The Beads of Prussia • Mis-Made Traffic Lights • Cigarette Regret • Lesson in Magic • Six Oblivious Students • The Magic Wand Banner • Wand-erful Tubes • The Miser's Dream • Fez Egg Bag • Trevor's Torch (Flashlight Fun) • Balloon Business • Honk-Honk • Silly Billy • Wistful Wand • Put Some Life Into Your Die Box • Rabbit Wand Routine • Just in Case • The Magic Bag • The Christmas Box • It's on the Slate • The Magic Lesson • A Helping Hand • Block Buster • Christmas Tree Routine • The Firework Trick • Golden Girl • Road Safety Puzzle. 270 pages.
$35.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8447&cat=0&page=1)
Kinetic Sphere: Few effects in magic have attained the height of super-stardom that Joe Karson’s Zombie has. A good presentation of the Zombie Ball is a thing of real beauty.
On your table is a brilliantly shiny metal ball. You exhibit a large foulard, show it on both sides, and drape it over your arm.
The ball is taken up and placed on your outstretched arm, where it somehow remains balanced.
Suddenly, the ball becomes possessed of a life of its own, moving up and down the foulard.
Quickly, it darts out of sight behind the cloth. Then, it tries to soar ever higher as you attempt to restrain it. The ball becomes calmer and it appears floating up and over the edge of the foulard. It perches itself on the cloth, again balancing itself as you slowly turn to show all sides of the ball and cloth. Finally, the ball returns to rest on your table.
This is where The Kinetic Sphere takes over. The ball begins to rise up from table and floats in front of you, then floats behind you. The ball appears at times to float to over 6 feet away from you, and it can all done without a cloth.
Many new moves are now possible. Mixing the best of Zombie and Astrosphere methods to provide a new twist on old Ideas! The Kinetic Sphere (Combined with the Custom Foulard) can even be made to vanish into thin air!
All that is left to do is to step forward and receive your ovation.
Kinetic Sphere is a 100 MM, Acrylic Magnetic Ball.
And the weight, what weight? It is 2.7 ounces. Light as a feather! No more broken fingers or calluses. No need to worry about a 2 finger grip gimmick or a 1 finger as Kinetic Sphere comes standard with a 1 finger magnetic gimmick for quick release from the ball. Plus it comes with a special device for floating Kinetic Sphere without the cloth.
The chrome Kinetic Sphere with mirror-like finish is something to behold!
Good one-person floating effects are hard to find. Everyone has preset ideas as to what the Zombie, Astrosphere or Dancing Cane should look like. But now Magicians have the ability to put them all together and for some completely different effects. It is a complete, one man floating ball effect.
Kinetic Sphere Comes complete with:
One 100mm Precision Acrylic Kinetic Sphere
One Kinetic Sphere Bag
One Standard Gimmick Magnetic
Standard Foulard included. $129.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8450&cat=0&page=1)
Hot Rod Convertible: Imagine having just performed your best Hot Rod routine and, as a finale, the body of the hot rod changes to match the color of gem that was selected by the spectator. Requires only the paddle move for your entire routine! No buttons; No chemicals; No electricity or batteries used!
Can be performed surrounded!
May be performed in the spectator’s hand!
Only one rod is used (Convertible may be used as your regular hot rod)
Beautifully made in the USA of solid aluminum stock.
Precision made Hot Rod is 3.5 Inches Long. (Allowing for easier manipulation of the Rod)
Absolute perfect weight of 8 Grams.
The Precision made Hot Rod is square, making the paddle move easier to perform.
Precision drilled holes set with large 7mm, highly refractive rhinestones.
Complete examination before and after the trick.
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8451&cat=0&page=1)
Insta-Ball: Imagine opening your briefcase and producing a basketball, or a soccer ball, or maybe even a football!
It isn't a fake ball and the ball can actually be bounced and used.
You choose the ball you want to use in your briefcase. But, depending on the type of ball and briefcase that you use, you could even produce two balls.
May be performed on stage, or even close-up, and with little preparation or practice.
Under the right circumstances, you could even produce the ball from a spectator’s briefcase or maybe even the guest of honor’s!.
Fast set-up. Great for banquets, street performers, parties, board meetings, and table hopping.
Insta-Ball can only be used one time without a reset. However, reset time is under one minute. The cost per reset is under $1.00 and the reset material is readily available in a local store.
In order to produce the two balls you must own two Insta-Ball gimmicks!
A very practical product. Precision-made reusable gimmick. $34.95
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8452&cat=0&page=1)
Urban DVD - Richard Bellars: Richard is fast becoming one of the most requested magicians at the top celebrity parties. His no nonsense, high impact approach to Magic leaves any spectator speechless.
On this DVD you will get the low-down on the astonishing feat of card throwing as Richard takes you step by step through every minor detail including: stance, aim grip, and everything you will need to know to throw cards further, faster and harder than you could ever imagine.
No stone is left unturned as you watch Richard take a complete novice and teach him to cause cards to cut through the air like a razor blade. You will see how you can add this unique skill to your magic as well as impressive demonstrations such a slicing through newspaper.
In addition to this, Richard hits the streets to perform and explain some of his astounding street magic. These are routines that are straight from his professional working repertoire and you too will be performing them everywhere.
Effects Include:
Selective Amnesia
Make someone completely forget something that they have been painstakingly trying to remember and with just a snap of your fingers you can make them believe that the thought never even existed.
Small Change A rapid fire impromptu coin routine.
Very Ambitious
A perfectly structured Ambitious Card routine that has been honed to perfection through countless performances.
Observation Test
Never know how to open when you hit a group of people? Look no further. The Observation Test is a quick, eye-popping, two-phase routine that climaxes with a deck vanish that will hit 'em so hard they will be begging for the next trick.
Also includes the first trick Richard ever performed on the streets. $37.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8453&cat=0&page=1)
Lasting Effects - Kenton Knepper: This work contains novel and weird presentations as well as unusual effects many have been waiting for Kenton to release, such as Paul Stockman's Pendulum Curse.
Kenton's presentations and secret handlings of Out Of This World, The Slydini Silks, Dial-X (Magic Clock) and more are revealed here.
Plus:
Buddhist Equivoque by Neo Lama
Michael Van De Carr's Phaded Photograph
Kenton's Invisible No More Invisible Decks that many feel is worth the price of this book alone.
And…Kenton on his Cobain Book Test, new entertaining readings effects, creating lasting effects and more.
Get a real look into Kenton's thinking, and perform magic that lingers in the minds and hearts of your audience long after you have left their presence.
These presentations and methods will change how you perform.
Even your standard "Ambitious Card" will never be the same again!
If you are serious about entertaining others, not just "tricking" them, this is the book for you.
If you like tricks only, we have some real goodies for you here as well! But be warned that this book is about much more than the primary tricks. It is about the magic one can put into magic, and how to make mentalism realistic while still being highly entertaining.
The book for those who wish to entertain. Find out why Kenton's friends and peers insisted he put these effects and presentations into print at last!
40 pages. $25.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8454&cat=0&page=1)
Final Curtain - Borodin: For the first time, Borodin reveals parts of his performing repertoire that he has used very successfully as a mental magician, a bizarrist and a story teller.
The secrets here have been carefully guarded. They are the ones Borodin did not want to reveal until the time was right. And now is the right time.
The 24 routines from the original German work are contained here, as well as an additional 12 new routines that were prepared especially for the English edition.
Final Curtain is the logical sequel to Borodin's Sheherazade. It is an excellent choice for the experienced story teller or the neophyte.
There are several different kinds of routines within these covers. Some are very spooky, others humorous, still others, spiritually uplifting. And there is some excellent mental magic as well.
No matter whether your taste leans toward the bizarre or you prefer stories with a moral, there will be something in here that you can enjoy and which will undoubtedly lead to a better understanding of how story magic can and should be done.
So, with this book, sit back and relax. Take your time with the material presented, and pay particular attention to the way Borodin emphasizes the use of the voice, which, after all, is the real medium of the bizarre magician and the story teller.
Final Curtain is a chamber of mental treasures that will be difficult to put down, once you have started to read it.
Borodin has been called the king of the story tellers.
Punx called him his "master student."
Final Curtain will show you why.
Final Curtain will show you the way.
338 pages. Hardbound. $50.00
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=8446&cat=0&page=1)
And that's the cream of the crop for this week. Some truly great items, and well worth more your undivided attention
I hope you will find some time to spend with us online at www.magicfact.com or in person at our downtown store at 112 South Street in Boston. Either way, we love the company.
Hank Lee
