Bill Severn's Complete Book of Magic: The Ultimate Book of Fascinating Illusions with Rope, Ribbon, String, Money, Coins & Mental Magic

This is a massive compilation of at least three of Bill Severn's earlier books. Bill Severn gives some really novel plots for some of his effects and the patter he supplies with the tricks is usually quite good. He gets rid of the old "During my travels to India... " type patter and instead suggests patter that sounds like something that someone would actually say. One thing that is unique about his books is that he doesn't rehash the same old tricks normally found in beginner's books but tries to create new effects and presentations based on the old classics. I think Severn was the most prolific writer of magic books for the general public since Walter B. Gibson. Plus, he wrote so clearly I can't recall an instance where I couldn't follow the instructions given in any of his books (something I can't say about a lot of magic books). This is not just a book for beginners, however; even working pros can find some novel plots and routines here. Some of Severn's most novel money tricks are a clever twist on the "Six Bill Repeat" in which the money actually changes colors in your hands, a trick where the money "blushes", and one in which you transform newspaper strips into real bills! The section on rope and string magic contains the complete working of the famous trick "The Professor's Nightmare" (although here it's called the "Odd Even Ropes Routine"). Other clever tricks are one where you clap your hands and a rope suddenly appears between them (a great opener), "Tricky Knots" (a complete routine), "With a Loop of String" (a close-up routine), "Knot a Rope and Catch a Ribbon" and "The Rope that Flies Wild", in which a rope actually floats between your hands! Plus, the "Mental Magic" section will have the audience believing that you can actually read minds! Not all the tricks in this book are winners ("Topsy Turvy" has impossible angles) but if you get just one great trick from a book you have gotten your money's worth and in this book you will find several. Enjoy!

This book may not be so great if you don't care about magic but I do and whoever else does will love it too. First of all I like Bill Severn's books because they have great magic tricks in them . This book is three of his great books combined into one!!!!