Approaching Magic

THE BLURB:
Over 500 Pages and 1000 Photographs

Bills, beer, socks, envelopes, DVDs, coffee cups, baskets,
boxes, borrowed rings, portable darkness, pieces of paper,
paperback books, a bulletin board, a glass canister, a wand,
a pencil, and a marshmallow...plus Cards & Coins.

Magic for Stand Up, Sit Down, Near and Far. How it Works and
How to Perform it.

"David Regal's magic is just sensational, and the
presentations are equally ingenious. He's fooled me,
surprised me, made me laugh, and made me wonder. Most of
all, he made me wonder where all these great ideas come
from. Now every magician will know. They come from this
book."
- Jim Steinmeyer

"Brilliance in action, David gives you his real world - real
work."
- Jeff McBride

"I have had the privilege of experiencing Davids fine
performances and lectures. David has the insightful
understandings of magical theories that I have heard
Professor Dai Vernon preach on for years. He understands
what makes for good magic."
- Richard Turner

"In the UK, 'REGAL' is a brand of cigarette. David's
material relates to this in two ways; It is of highest
quality and it KILLS."
- R. Paul Wilson

"Very few tricks give me the feeling that 'In Darkness' gave
me. In short it blew me away."
- Dean Dill

"The 'One=hand Half Pass' completely flew by me...I simply
had no clue, David has given the brethren a diabolical new
tool to create miracles."
- Roger Klause

"Please ignore David's 'Change for a five'. People feel
abused and mentally violated after seeing it."
- Derek Delgaudio

"After reading three coin effects, 'Consolidation', 'An
Attractive Vanish', and a 'A Quiet Good-bye', I can honestly
say that they are stunning, cunning, and diabolical."
- Mike Gallo

Pages 500+ - Hardcover with dust jacket, Photo illustrated

MY COMMENTS:
So, why am I reviewing a magic book? Simple. David Regal
is one of the art's most creative and prolific magicians.
And he loves doing mental effects. There's a whole chapter
in this huge book (8.5" x 11", hardback with a dustjacket
and plenty of photographs, 500 pages) filled with 14 mental
effects. I've seen e-books, and some physical books, with
14 effects or less which sell for more. So, you could
consider that you're buying David Regal's book of mental
effects and the magic stuff comes extra. Okay, I'm
stretching it, but there is a level of truth there. Also,
it's true that much of his presentations are mental magic
ones, but they can certainly be adapted.

Among the effects are Thinking Ahead, a very interesting
one-ahead routine; Will The Socks Match?, a witty version of
the Larry Becker effect; Equiv-O-Cash, an entertainer and
quick opener; Hotel 52, a fun presentation of a Kolossal
Killer type routine; Simpatico, a newer version of David's
classic Self-Evident (I think the original is better and one
of the greatest mentalism card effects ever created, IMHO);
312, another interesting gimmick to use for a one-ahead
routine; 312.5, the same effect as 312, but with a different
method; The Impossible Envelope, an intriguing question and
answer routine that employs quite a few principles. Other
mental effects in the section are Window Replacement,
Special Bulletin, The Harlequin Book Test, and Porn in Your
Pants.

Aside from the mentalism section, David throws in quite a
few discussions about some key performance concepts that can
apply to any performer, mentalist or magician. If you've
ever watched him work, either in performance or lecture, you
know that David is a brilliant creator and performer, as
well as a top comedy writer for television. He's an
excellent teacher and one of the few magicians that I'd
recommend for mentalists. I'm biased, of course, because
David helped me with my current act. Despite that, I feel
honored that I can comment on this book and perhaps turn you
on to a very creative individual, if you aren't already a
fan.