Bill Goldman's Magic Bar & Grill by Bill Goldman

Reviewed by Jamy Ian Swiss (originally published in Genii May, 2003)

GENII READERS SHOULD certainly know who Bill Goldman is from his delightful columns in these pages. Mr. Goldman is a pro who, among pro circles, is widely regarded as a true "worker," the highest compliment a professional can generally offer. There are those who will also mention that he is a nice guy, an all but supernatural combination.

Recently someone loaned me a couple of copies of Mr. Goldman's intermittent homegrown publication, Bill Goldman’s Magic Bar & Grill a little eight-page rag consisting mostly of tricks and routines, along with occasional thoughts and anecdotes. While Mr. Goldman is quick to point out that he is not so much an inventor as a routiner and finesser (if that's a word or even if it's not), the fact is, this little bit of handiwork has a higher bang-for-buck ratio than most of the last 10 hardcover magic books you probably bought. There have been eight issues since 1995, and almost everyone has at least one piece that I would consider worthy of professional use. Read that sentence again and try to find out the last time I said that in 64 pages I found eight useable routines. I don't think so. That's all I'm going to say about it. Don't say I didn't warn you. Do something good for your-self. Buy this. Learn a good trick. What's wrong with that idea? Huh? Just tell me. You'll thank me later.