A pocket-sized exploration of practice and aesthetics in card magic.
Mainspring is a revised version of a limited edition book from Alex Hansford (creator of The NEAT Review) that was first released in 2017. This 2022 edition is completely updated with rewritten sections and brand-new chapters.
At its core, Mainspring is a deep exploration of a concept first introduced by Dai Vernon. When he said “be natural”, what did he really mean? Mainspring takes a stab at answering the question.
Filled with handling adjustments, exercises, stories, and essays, this handbook is a must-read for any serious card magician. It will help you remove tension from your sleight of hand, communicate presence, and, most importantly, get out of your own head. While there are no magic tricks taught, the impact it will have on your overall magic journey goes well beyond another book filled with tricks.
The contents of Mainspring expand outside of magic and speak to the permeability of the creative worlds. It’s a showcase of how the motivators that drive magicians are also similar to those that lie at the core of all arts. Factors like state of mind, our relationship to our audiences and to our material, battling nerves and the opinions of our peers, our work ethic, etc. Many of the ideas are built from countless conversations with magicians, painters, cinematographers, skateboarders, musicians, theatre directors and the like.
Contents of Mainspring
- Introduction
- 2022 Preface
- Objectively Cool
- Whiplash
- Sprezzatura
- Flow
- Softness
- Pace
- Gravity and Momentum
- Cardistry
- Guilt
- Mind your Head
- Bigger Picture
- It is Not a Move
- Respect
- Nervousness
- Conversational Magic
- 'Performance Mode'
- Genuine Interaction
- Look How Clever I Am
- Just for Fun
- The Better We Want To Be
- Social Intelligence
- Diminishing Returns
- Expectations
- For the Art
- Negativity
- The Importance of Doing your Own Work
First released at Magic LIVE, this 2022 edition of Mainspring is limited to 300 copies. The small batch of copies we have available are some of the last in the world.
Mainspring has a beautiful flush cut metallic block softcover with screen-printed vellum dust jacket. It is sewn-bound and use a lithographic printing process throughout.
Softcover | Vellum Dust Jacket | 4.1in x 5.8in | Litographic Printing | Sewn Bound