Until recently I had not heard of Dr. Forster. I purchased Ted Lesley’s Paramiracles published by Hermetic Press book from a second hand dealer. It had come out about 30 years ago and, for some reason, hadn’t shown up on my radar screen.
Dr. Forster was a friend and confidant of Lesley’s and, for a time, the two were the sole German members of the Psychic Entertainers Association. He published some effects over the years – mostly in European publications. What drew me to his name was his forward to Lesley’s book.
Magic is a peculiar thing: It can totally fascinate people or bore them enormously, depending on how it’s presented. In no other art form are there so many “artists” hanging around who, without the least self-criticism, have the nerve to serve up something to an audience, then to believe that they have accomplished a truly magnificent act. The commercialization that exists in all fields of business has likewise had its effect on magic-every trick can be had for a price. Surprisingly, many of the purchasers of some cheap plastic puzzle, within minutes of their possession of it, think of themselves as serious competition for Siegfried and Roy. Because it is common for such individuals to use the patter furnished with commercially sold tricks, without the slightest alteration, it is certainly possible that a spectator who sees a trick performed in exactly the same way by several “magicians” could become bored.
When I reached school age, it was an impossible thing to coax a secret from a magic dealer; and I admit that I shamelessly tried every ploy I could think of. Hofzinser’s Card Conjuring by Ottokar Fischer was one of my first magic books, and I guarded it as if it were a costly treasure. Until about twenty years ago it proved to be an extremely difficult task in Germany to discover usable magical literature; so much so, that to find any source at all, one had to turn to English works. But even in English, works on magic were relatively uncommon compared to today’s market. Currently scores of books and magazines are published each year; so many in fact that, even if you have a fanatical interest in the subject, it is no longer possible to buy and read everything. This is the case not only for the English magical literature, but also for the German and other languages as well. A wave of exhibitionism seems to have broken out. Self-typed-and as far as correct writing and grammar are concerned —error filled manuscripts are commonly sold as “books”. And what do we find in them? So-called tricks, with methods that don’t work because they are too complicated, and with effects impossible for the spectator to understand. Some of the pipe dreams read well enough, even when it is highly doubtful that proper conditions necessary for their performance exist anywhere in the world. And not a few authors on the magic scene count on their colleagues not being well-read, and don’t give the smallest thought to providing literary details or references concerning the sources from whom they have copied their tricks.
These days the redundancy of magical publications indicates at least that there is no longer a lack of reading material. On the other hand, there is a problem of selection. How can you separate the wheat from the chaff if you do not have an unending source of money, a huge library and an immense amount of time at your disposal? There are some names in magic that represent a guarantee of quality in their publications. It has been my experience, however, that people who possess outstanding creativity and entertaining writing skills are often mediocre performers. Many professionals, on the other hand, keep their working secrets for themselves and explain them generally to a tight circle of friends. This is only understandable, when you realize that a person making a living from magic cannot be overjoyed to find that hosts of amateurs are imitating what has taken him much hard work and experience to learn-and then most often their mimicry proves incorrect and is badly done. This issue is not primarily a matter of money. A magician who really loves the art must sometimes endure a high level of frustration on witnessing the performances of certain colleagues, who would never perform a trick before an audience if they had loved magic as fervently.
Professor Dr. Toni Forster, Forward, Paramiracles, 1994
Dr. Forster’s words could have been written today. We haven’t changed much. There’s still an endless supply of books, tricks, and downloads. We’re still engaged in our endless search for the perfect magical moment. I suppose that the dealers, manufacturers, and creators are happy about that however it seems like a fools errand. Maybe the magical moment is in learning and perfecting what we have and not leaving it unfinished to go off in the endless search.
