Hidden Magical Gems

Why am I starting this blog?

Oh no ... you all say ... not another blog from some magic geek spouting off his theories about magic.

Well, I agree with you completely. So, I am going to avoid rehashing theory that has been better put by Ortiz or Nelms or Fitzkee and instead concentrate on where I think there is value to be added - hidden magical gems.

"The best way to hide a secret is to publish it"

If anyone knows the source (or the accurate rendition) of that quote, please let me know, so that I can attribute it properly.

In the meantime, I am going to be doing some treasure hunting through my magical library to find hidden magical gems.

My intended guidelines are as follows:

• Concentrate on books and magazines rather than videos - this reflects my own preference and also the fact that I suspect that there are more hidden gems there. I also look forward to seeing more magicians with more range rather than seeing a large number of hobbyists (and professionals) performing Jay Sankey stuff less well than Sankey does.
  
• Achieve a balanced mix between old and new publications. Some of the sources may be out of print, but many of you will have them in your own libraries or be able to get hold of copies from friends or your local magic society library.
• Achieve a balance of different types of magic. Whilst I probably won't cover children's magic or escapology (because I have neither much interest nor a relevant library in these fields) I will try to keep a balance between close-up, platform and stage, between sleight of hand, self-working and apparatus etc.etc. Neverthless, I imagine you may start to spot themes in my interests!
  
• Attempt to keep up a fairly regular publication schedule. I will initially avoid publicising the blog until I am comfortable that there is sufficient content to generate interest and to see whether I can actually keep up the schedule. I will also generally keep postings short, concentrating on individual items rather than whole books.
• Accept contributions on a case by case basis. Whilst I expect to generate the majority of content myself, particularly in the short term, I would welcome contributions of ideas or even full postings. I'm afraid I will reserve the right to edit copy as I see fit, but will always offer contributors the option to request that their content be taken down if they feel that the editing means that the text no longer reflects what they were saying.
• Rigorously respect author's rights and magical secrets. I may use short excerts of the original but will always attribute it as best I can. I will never reveal magical secrets in these pages. I will, where I can, refer to or even add precedents to the effect described.

Please do not hesitate to let me know if you feel I have fallen down on any of these principles - or indeed if I should adhere to others.

You may ask why I feel myself to qualified to do this. Ultimately, you will decide my suitability by your decision whether or not to read this blog. However, in the meantime:

• I have had a deep and passionate interest in magic for the last thirty-some years. As a teenager I would eagerly wait for the next package from Supreme with the next Ganson book that I could afford. For what it's worth, I am a member of The Magic Circle and an Associate of the Inner Magic Circle. I am also an extremely active member of the Zodiac Magical Society.
  
• My interest in magic is broad. I have been interested in, and performed, close-up, platform and stage magic; I have performed magic with cards, coins, apparatus and the mind; my training in magic was based on working through Tarbell and Routined Manipulation. I am an amateur in the true sense of the word: a "lover" of magic.
  
• I love books of all forms. I have voraciously read almost anything I could get my hands on. At school I missed classes as I sat in the library so involved with some book that I had no idea of the time.
• I have a reasonably extensive library - of around 1,000 books which takes up far too much of my small appartment! I have read most of most of the books and have a good grounding in many fields of magic as a result.

It's down to you to decide whether it's worth reading this blog. I hope you do ... and that you comment as much as possible.

Now, go out and enjoy magic as much as I do ...

posted by Alexander Crawford @ 2:50 AM