Greetings from all of us at Hank Lee’s Magic Factory. The season has officially begun. We are totally inundated with orders. The elves are packing and shipping and shipping and packing. If the first week is any indicator of what the rest of the season will be like, we are going to be mighty tired by the time it’s all over. But, a good tired.
On the home front, Aron left on Sunday, heading back to school in Florida. We had a wonderful week together. Hardly argued at all. Seems the older he gets, the better we are together. Lucas is back to working on his college applications, which all have to be done by this Saturday. Do you hear me Lucas, all done by Saturday. Get on the stick! That’ll work, not.
By the time you read this, the Holiday EXTRA should be in your mailbox (the one outside your house). As you might imagine, it is stuffed with great new magic! If you didn’t get one, it’s possible that you are not on our snail mail list. A travesty. Just drop me an email to magicfact@aol.com and I will make sure to get you on the list. In the meantime, you can find the entire Holiday EXTRA online under the EXTRA Button at www.magicfact.com.
If you have people of a magical bent on your holiday list, and don’t know what to get them, we offer the ever-popular Gift Certificates. You can order the Gift Certificates online, or you can order them by phone toll-free at 800 874 7400.
Another great holiday gift is a Conclave Registration. The 2008 Conclave is coming up on April 4th, and is our 20th edition. Suffice it to say it will be one special event. And, it’s a great weekend get-away. You can read all about next year’s Conclave by clicking on the Conclave Button at www.magicfact.com. I know I’ll be there. You should be there, too!
As our special Holiday Gift to you, we are offering Free Ground Shipping from now until the 24th of December. Read all about it…
FREE SHIPPING: Until Monday, the 24th of December at midnight, we are offering free ground shipping on any order over $25.00 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 first 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. Note: Your email confirmation from our online system will still list the shipping as free, but we will charge the difference when we ship your order. Overseas customers will save as well! We will pay one-half of the Air Post shipping charges on your orders until the 24th! 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 this week’s Hotlist
Porper’s Master Key Ring: No one really knows the origins of the Linking Rings. It is an effect that has stood the test of time. And it remains one of the most popular of the classic tricks in magic.
There have been hundreds of routines published over the years and lots of speculation as to the origins. Many call them the “Chinese Linking Rings,” but there is evidence the trick existed in the Middle East and traveled to China along the trade routes.
Throughout the years, magic mechanics have devised a number of mechanical improvements to the rings, including locking keys and special keys, like Joe Porper’s Ghost Ring. One of the problems, until now, with locking key rings, is the ability to unlock the key ring without detection.
Joe Porper has devised a clever locking/unlocking key ring that automatically opens by striking one ring against the other. Operating Porper’s Master Key is simplicity in itself.
This set comes complete with the brilliantly designed key ring and two solid steel 13” rings. Plus a specially designed carry bag and photo-illustrated instructions. $450.00 (60.1495)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9157&cat=0&page=1)
Richard Ross DVD: "To the audience, magic is an illusion. To the performer, magic is reality." -Richard Ross
Witness the spellbinding stage magic of a three-time FISM winner. He needed no bravado to mesmerize spectators. His cool elegance and exacting skill enchanted the thousands who saw his magic.
Richard Ross began working at age 16 in an Amsterdam magic shop. When he entered and won his first FISM competition, he'd never performed on stage. Yet natural ability and consuming perfectionism provided the springboard for his accomplishments. Today his contributions to the magic fraternity are held in the highest regard.
This DVD includes:
* Cane transformations to: Glitter ball, handkerchief and miniature canes.
* Billiard Balls
* Invisible Thumbtips
* Coins in a Glass
-Das Ringspiel (Linking Rings): performance and explanation of ring techniques including a ring routine based on Ross's three-ring routine
* Giant card fans (performance only)
* Basic Billiard Ball Manipulations (explanation only of a three ball and shell set)
$30.00 (DVD00798)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9158&cat=0&page=1)
iVanish-Ben Seidman: Never stick a sharp object in your eye unless you mean it!
What makes a trick an instant classic? It takes several components. First, you must have an incredible method that fools everyone. Second, you need an emotional hook that insures that your audience cares about watching your performance. But the one thing that really makes a trick a classic is that it gets an incredible reaction…guaranteed.
iVanish meets and exceeds all three components.
First let’s talk about the methods.
There are three methods included in iVanish and each method is totally different from the others. In fact the solutions are so different that each method absolutely cancels out the other two! This is great for repeat performances.
Each method is incredibly clean. Your hands are completely empty immediately after each vanish. All three methods are done standing. Of course you can use iVanish while seated but there is no lapping. Each vanish actually looks like trick photography!
One of the best features of iVanish is that all three methods are really easy to perform; in fact anybody can do it! You’ll be up to speed in no time at all!
Second, the emotional hook that iVanish creates that will guarantee your audience will be riveted to your performance. It’s simple. When we were kids, we had it drilled into our heads to never, ever put anything in your eye. Using the iVanish techniques you’ll be able to rub or shove a coin directly into your eye! People are forced to watch. Some will squirm, some will wince, many will cringe; but they’ll all watch. iVanish is part geek, part magic but 100% a showstopper. They simply have to watch. It’s human nature.
Third, is the reaction. iVanish isn’t standing ovation type material. It’s “Oh, my God” material. People absolutely freak.
iVanish can be applied to many routines as a great solution or addition. For instance, it’s a tremendous solution to the last coin in a 3 Fly routine. It can be used to great effect in any single coin routine such as Slydini’s or Gary Kurtz’s Flurious. The applications are almost endless.
The iVanish DVD contains a live show that combines iVanish with an idea from the legendary Mac King that destroys the audience. The reaction is through the roof.
The routine is logical, amazing and disgusting; it’s wonderful.
Now we’d like to introduce you to the creator of iVanish, Ben Seidman. Ben has been in the Las Vegas underground for the last few years. He recently graduated from UNLV with a degree in Theater. Ben is a tremendous magician that oozes talent. iVanish is his first release to the magic community but he’s got a lot of other cutting edge magic in his brain. You’ll be hearing a lot about him very soon.
$24.95 (DVD00797)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9154&cat=0&page=1)
Celltic: From the creative mind of David Kemsley comes Celltic.
This effect brings magic and modern technology together and makes the perfect trick for any situation. Any time and anywhere. Let your mobile phone find the chosen card! Yes, your phone. This really is an amazing trick that will shock. It just seems impossible.
The trick needs a regular deck of cards and will work with most modern mobile phones. It goes without saying you have to have a camera on your phone for this trick.
* Impromptu!
* No forces!
* No Helpers!
* You don't touch the phone!
* Your cell phone!
The instructional DVD teaches you how to turn your mobile phone into a powerful magic tool. $29.99 (30.1279)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9156&cat=0&page=1)
CastleMaynia: Imagine a card castle that folds down to half a deck of cards! Small enough to fit in your wallet!
Use it in the middle of a close-up effect, on stage or anywhere
you want to produce a fun visual prop!
Andrew Mayne presents a new twist on the classic card castle production: CastleMaynia! A card castle that folds down small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and instantly opens to over a foot tall!
• Use it to reveal a selected card
• Produce it at the end of a card manipulation routine
• Pull it from your wallet
• Use it as a magical production
• Produce one and then split it into two
CastleMaynia folds down small enough to fit into a card case along with half a deck of playing cards.
Ships flat: One-time assembly required
Includes 16 minute instructional DVD including 6 routines
$15.00 (30.1278)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9155&cat=0&page=1)
Dove (Or Anything!) From Tissue- Tony Clark: This very versatile prop comes direct from Tony Clark's Unmask II DVD.
Simply pull a few tissues from a tissue box and rub them together. Like magic a real dove appears! You can also produce spring bills, fountain of silks, sponge balls, candy etc. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. This is one of the easiest and most deceptive production props you'll use.
Also includes an instructional video you can download for free! $37.50 (60.1494)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9153&cat=0&page=1)
A Wonderful World of Hand Shadows - Raymond Crowe:
Twenty hand shadows you can learn
Fourteen "fingercises" for your hands
Raymond Crowe's tips for better shadows
34 illustrations showing exact hand positions
Raymond Crowe's beautiful hand shadow act featuring Louis Armstrong's "Its a Wonderful World" has been enchanting audiences around the globe.
Now you can perform your own hand shadows with Raymond's new book featuring twenty great shadows you can learn. The diagrams show the exact positions of your fingers. Just shine a light and follow Raymond's hands.
A 28-page gem on full-color high-quality glossy paper, saddle-stitched, with a charming old-style design and a classic black-and-white photo frontispiece of Crowe and his hands. $15.00 (BK01552)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9152&cat=0&page=1)
Thurston And Dante – The Written Word - If you want to study the history of any given magician, and get insight into his personality, there is no better way to do so than through his correspondence. Phil Temple's latest publication does just that!
The publisher describes his new work as follows:
“In presenting the Thurston-Dante Letter Set, I have undertaken to provide the magic fraternity with the most complete historical record between the last two ‘greats’ of magic ever offered to conjuring historians.
“For years, these letters and thousands of other ephemeral items relating to the professional career of Dante (Harry Jansen) were locked away in old theatrical trunks until June of 1980, when the trunks were released to me for disposition by Milt Larsen. After months of sorting, identifying and assembling, many of these 'collectibles' were then made available to those who would appreciate them most – magic memorabilia collectors!
“A true collector of magic memorabilia or student of the art of magic will appreciate the wealth of first hand knowledge contained in this publication. These letters will provide hours of enjoyable reading, offer the reader insight into the workings of trouping the world’s greatest magic shows of yesteryear, and reveal illusion secrets heretofore unknown to many in the magic profession. These letters present many of the various magic personalities of the time, as seen through the eyes of Thurston and Dante, and in general show the true relationship—as it really was—between these last two greats of magical history.
"Now, 25 years later, when reading the more than 750 pages of this enhanced collection of letters and related material, a new generation of magic historians and enthusiasts can travel back through time to that 'Golden Age of Magic,' quite possibly finding their journey as magical as the art itself."
This work is beautifully produced and presented in a 2 volume boxed set:
Volume 1 includes the letters between 1923 and 1927.
Volume 2 covers 1928 through 1935.
Both volumes are hardbound and total 783 pages.
$150.00 (BK01551)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9151&cat=0&page=1)
Rope Magic DVD – Greater Magic Video Series: Professional rope routines by professionals! Rope magic is one of the most fascinating magical effects in the art. Learn from the pros: Tony Binarelli, Aldo Colombini, Frances Tabary, Joe Stevens, Shigeo Takagi and Karrell Fox.
These professional magicians offer beautiful, different rope routines. Binarelli, one of Italy's most famous performers, teaches two of his favorites. Aldo Colombini could make a living doing just rope magic - he is that versatile. Karrell Fox could take the most difficult routines and simplify them - as he does on this DVD with his own rope routine. Frances Tabary is known world wide as an expert rope manipulator. Learn why on this DVD. Shigeo Takagi was one of the most respected teachers of magic in Japan. His rope magic is revolutionary. Joe Stevens teaches the Ungimmicked Linking Ropes. $30.00 (DVD00796).
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9150&cat=0&page=1)
The Osterlind Trilogy - Richard Osterlind
Three acclaimed books now together in one deluxe volume!
Thousands have read Richard Osterlind's e-books Making Magic Real, Making Real Magic and Essays and many have reported that the way they approached their magic—and even their lives—was changed forever.
Now, for the first time, these three ground-breaking books have been assembled into one beautifully-bound softcover volume that can change your life and magic.
You’ll find the secrets to what really makes magic not only memorable but relevant to today's sophisticated audiences. In a recent survey, Richard Osterlind was named the most influential mentalist of all time and in these pages, you’ll discover the exact methods that have made him one of the world’s most successful mystery entertainers.
Also included are three powerful effects, including the original Osterlind Design Duplication System, Osterlind’s Amazing Memory Demonstration and a wonderful handling for the classic Haunted Key.
If you’re ready to take your magic and mentalism to the next level, The Osterlind Trilogy is ready to help you get there.
148 pages. $39.95 (BK01550)
(http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=9149&cat=0&page=1)
And, that’s this week’s greatest hits. Something new. Something newer. Something newest! And, most importantly, something great! I hope you have a wonderful week. I hope you find a parking place at the mall. I hope you will stop by our delightful showroom at 102 North Street in Medford, where the parking is free and never a hassle! And, if you can’t stop by in person, I hope you will visit us online at www.magicfact.com. Either way, we do love the company.
Hank Lee
