By Steve Marshall

“The technique of eating a horse.” It’s a magic effect not seen in 300 years, but Shintaro Fujiyama recently recreated it live onstage, along with other routines from the Edo period of Japan.

By Gabe Fajuri

In his latest theatrical effort, A Rogue’s Gallery, magician, historian, and raconteur Ricky Jay displays his skills in all these areas. It’s an evening of tales and tricks, partly determined by choices from the audience.

By Mark Nelson

Although only sixteen, Kyle Eschen’s dry wit and seemingly world-weary persona separate him from other teen magicians, as do his television performing credits.

By Nicholas J. Johnson

Trilero — it’s the old game of finding the ball under the three covers. While the spectators can’t separate the empty boxes from the one they want, the street hustlers can separate the bettors from their cash.

Shanghai International Magic Festival
The Sixth Shanghai International Magic Festival & Competition was held in China, November 5–8. With Juliana Chen serving as the artistic director, the cultural exchange program features a showcase for magic from around the world, as well as stage and close-up competitions. Performances were given for the public, and the 4,500-seat Shanghai International Gymnastic Center was sold out for the event.

Reveen Honored
Almost 200 fans, friends, and family gathered on December 7 at The Orleans Hotel to pay tribute to Peter Reveen, as Fantasma IBM Ring 257 of Las Vegas named him Magician of the Year. Highlights were Johnathan’s demonstration of hypnotism as “taught to him by Reveen,” ending with a “volunteer” taking a bite out of a spinning fan; and a special appearance by Jeff Hobson with a spot-on impersonation of the guest of honor.

A Moment With… David Ben
November 2009 marked the final issue of Magicol, the journal of the Magic Collectors’ Association, produced under the stewardship and editorship of David Meyer. As of December 1, the organization, and Magicol with it, was transferred into the care of Magicana, a not-for-profit arts organization based in Toronto and dedicated to promoting magic as a performing art. David Ben serves as Magicana’s Artistic Director.

John Nicholls Booth, 1912 – 2009
In 1998, at the age of 86, Dr. John Booth wrote: “I tried as a magician, cinematographer, lecturer, and Unitarian clergyman to bring people together in a more just, enjoyable, and harmonious society.” His Linking Ring column, “Memoirs of a Magician’s Ghost” from 1963 to 2000, comprises nearly 1,700 pages of autobiography and a history of conjuring and the magical characters he had met over the years.

Nineteen products are covered this month by Jason England, Peter Duffie, Gabe Fajuri, Brad Henderson, and John Lovick:

Bullets After Dark starring John Bannon
Color Fusion: The Real Works by Nash Fung
Ade Duval: Silken Sorcerer by David Charvet
Duke Tricks with Cards compiled by Burton Sperber
Con Cam Monte by R. Paul Wilson
No Smoking by Puck
Stand Up Coin Magic by Nathan Kranzo
The Everything Guide to Comedy Writing by Mike Bent
The Fine Art of Magic by George Kaplan
Harry Anderson: Wise Guy by Mike Caveney
Lou Serrano’s Steel Ball Routine
Professional Card Forcing Techniques by Paul Gertner
The Pain Game by Jon Allen
The Magic in Books by Leo Behnke
The Roy DVD by Roy Zaltsman and Roy Yozevitch
Triple Impact 2.0 by Matt Ellison
Illusion EFX with Andrew Mayne
Jumper with Joe Rindfleish
Whacked! by Mark Elsdon

Ken Niinuma makes his worldwide publishing debut here in “Talk About Tricks.” Japan’s newest creative force, Niinuma has a rare knack for combining obscure principles with familiar card plots. The results are fresh takes on classics, like Triumph, Out of the This World, matching effects, and more — something for everyone!

DEAR SHOW DOCTOR: Sometimes, people think they’re funny by saying things like, “Hey, if you’re a magician, walk up the wall like Criss Angel!” These types of jabs are really rude, but I never know what to say back and still seem like a nice guy. Do you have any sharp comebacks or pointed words for handling these awkward social situations? What kinds of effects do you do when someone on the street recognizes you and demands “Do a trick!” How do you gently refuse a person if you don’t feel like doing magic or just don’t have the time? — Magic Steve

The first round of “Classic Correspondence”lasted two years, followed by a two-year break. So this seems like a good time to begin another two-year cycle (24 articles) of classic letters from the files of Egyptian Hall Museum. Just the appearance of this letter qualifies it as a perfect example of classic correspondence. Today, magicians think nothing of banging out a few emails and transmitting them into cyberspace. The equivalent in 1918 was to type a note onto a lavishly designed and beautifully printed piece of stationary that also advertised one’s talent and boasted of one’s success. This letter was sent to Carter the Great, who had just recently brought his full-evening show to Baldwin’s home city of San Francisco.

It’s absolutely true: in watching other performers, we can see ourselves. We sometimes make the same mistakes or the same brilliant choices, but don’t recognize them until we observe them in someone else. Through this series of articles, enhanced by the accompanying videos you can find at www.MAGICmagazine.com, you can learn from watching other performers as I gently point out ways that their material can be improved, as well as the aspects of their acts that are working well. Although they refer directly to the video in question, these points also carry over as general principles of performing. There are many right ways of doing things, and these are a few options.