Practical Parlor Prestidigitation by Marko

Reviewed by Jamy Ian Swiss (originally published in Genii September, 2005)

This is a lecture manuscript which includes a version of the sucker color changing silk using a thumb tip (no reference is made to Gaetan Bloom's excellent handling); a card routine in which a spectator removes and pockets three playing cards, whereupon the magician withdraws three cards from another deck in his own pocket which prove to match the spectator's selections; a forcing procedure for one of four items or packets of cards for which there are probably far subtler equivoque approaches; a routine in which four spectators tear cards in half and retain one half each, whereupon another spectator chooses one of the remaining halves, and the performer locates the spectator in possession of the half matching the selected piece (phew!); a minor presentational touch on a Karrell Fox Invisible Deck method sans gimmicked deck; and a repeat cut and restored rope routine. Frankly, this booklet didn't knock me out, but since the manuscript also includes several pages of reasonable commentary about magic and surprise versus magic and comedy, when paired with the previous manuscript for the deal from H and R books, it's worth a mention. On the other hand, it would have been a lot more interesting—and far less schizophrenic—if some of the magic described was even remotely consistent with the opinions expressed in the opening pages. Whatever. Consider it mentioned.