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The Phoenix: Volume 1 Number 15
Number 15, dated August 7, 1942, opens with two by J.G. Thompson and Bruce Elliott under the title, Blackout Magic. Both require the performance space to be darkened. While interesting ideas, I wonder about the practicality. Gaglet Department begins with a bowl production ruse from Hang Ping Chien. A three lota bowl production from Rush… Continue reading
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Dealer Notes
Two Magic dealers have shown up on my radar that deserve recognition: eBay’s House of Chuckles and Florida-based Playing Card Deck. I made rare purchases from both recently. The products and customer service were tops from both. I picked up one of House of Chuckles’ gaffed Bicycle decks. It’s 56 gaffed cards ranging from misindexed… Continue reading
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The Phoenix: Volume 1 Number 14
Number 14 opens with Walter Gibson offering his reworking of a billiard ball routine originally published in Hatton & Plate’s Magician’s Tricks. (Side note: originally published in 1910, this book was considered one of the ten basic books of magic.) In the Pocket is a nice ball routine that’s been updated and streamlined by Gibson.… Continue reading
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Time Shift
Whenever I find myself spinning a bit, I return to the writings, audio, and video recordings of Eugene Burger. I find it quiets me into a better place. Recently I dug into my collection looking for a quotation as I was trying to get a statement right. I couldn’t find it in a specific book.… Continue reading
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The Phoenix: Volume 1 Number 13
It’s been six months since the last time I wrote about the Phoenix. I might need to create a publishing schedule. Since Sunday is my weekly post, maybe Friday? Number 13 was published on July 10, 1942. It’s all George Armstrong’s material. According to Magipedia, George Armstrong (?-1985), stage name of W. G. A. Jenkins,… Continue reading
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Book Notes: Liz Moore
A fall excursion along the Oregon coast found us in a lovely independent bookstore where I purchased God of the Woods by author Liz Moore. I really enjoyed the book. I immediately followed it with her earlier novel, Long Bright River. I suppose the novels are mystery novels however I would argue that they’re more… Continue reading
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A Birds Eye View
The internet has been a buzz about the dust-up between singer and former talk show hostess, Kelly Clarkson, and the Buck twins and Adam Rubin’s Art of Play store. The conflict arose over a mechanical bird that may or may not have been for sale and whether the store clerk said or implied that Clarkson… Continue reading