The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing

By Héctor Mancha
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The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing

39.95 usd

Book or download by Héctor Mancha ($39.95 or download for $25.00)

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The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing - magic
The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing

Want to set yourself apart from other magicians? Discover the secret to a criminally-overlooked skill that is easier than you think and will help you stand out from the crowd with The Wonderous World Of Pickpocketing by Héctor Mancha.

The idea of learning pickpocketing is a skill that scares many magicians. But, what if we told you that you can enter this exciting world without actually having to steal anything? The Wonderous World Of Pickpocketing by Héctor Mancha is the ultimate guide to learning theatrical pickpocketing.

Theatrical pickpocketing transforms the art of pickpocketing into a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience. It has been used by many great magicians like Alexander Herrmann, Blackstone, Paul Daniels, Derren Brown, Tommy Wonder, Darwin Ortiz, Ben Seidman, and even our own Andi Gladwin. Yet very few resources have been available to learn it—almost none of which focus on presenting these ideas through the lens of magical entertainment.

That is why we are beyond excited to bring you FISM-winner Héctor Mancha’s new book, The Wonderous World Of Pickpocketing. Everyone from beginners to pros will love this book because it’s the perfect entry into the world of pickpocketing.

You will learn a ton of real pickpocketing skills, practice drills and routines that are perfectly explained and illustrated. But, you will also discover techniques that can be be best described as pseudo-picpocketing. Essentially, you can build up confidence and work toward stealing stuff for real through tightly-scripted, audience-tested routines that will convince your audience you’re a master pickpocket without you actually needing to be one.

There is no better way to add a new layer of mystery and excitement to an act than by secretly removing an item from a spectator. Giving someone their watch back as they leave the stage is a guaranteed moment of shock and laughter that will make your act instantly memorable.

So, yes, you’ll learn how to steal watches, ties, belts, wallets and even glasses. But, more importantly, you’ll learn how to script these steals and put them into action.

There are many complete routines included and very few of them actually rely on real steals to work. There’s room to add in real pockpocketing once you’re comfortable. But, it’s not needed to perform many of the routines and your audience will still be left with the impression you are a master thief.

Everything is explained across 113 beautiful pages accompanied by wonderful illustrations. And the book is funny too! Héctor is as hilarious as he is talented. There’s even a chapter with his Mother’s hot sauce recipe in that we highly recommend you try.

There really has never been a book like The Wonderous World Of Pickpocketing. Sure, you can learn “traditional” theatrical pickpocketing, but not in a way that applies that skill (or the appearance of that skill) to a parlor magic act.

If you are looking for new, super-strong, audience-tested stage and parlor magic material that will make you look like the master of an unusual, exciting and secretive skill, grab The Wonderous World Of Pickpocketing by Héctor Mancha today!

The Wonderous World Of Pickpocketing Contents

Prologue - Woody Aragon


Introduction


Before You Start

  • Preventative Measures
  • How To Practise

The Auditions

  • Studying The Value of Your Audience
  • Let’s Start Pickpocketing

The Groundwork


A Brief Guide To Pickpocketing

  • The Watch Steal
  • The Tie Steal
  • The Belt Steal
  • The Front Pocket Steal
  • The Blazer Steal
  • The Glasses Steal

A Basic Pickpocketing Script

  • Scripting

Magic Routines

  • Himber Night Revenge
  • Pick Bill in the Shadows
  • Ring Over the Rainbow
  • The F*ing Awesome Robbery of the Rainbow
  • The Doppelganger Comes Round for Coffee
  • The Impossible Robbery of the Invisible Man
  • Johnny Slates Steals a Bill
  • The Elegant Robbery of Sean Connery

Other Tricks

  • Other Tricks

Final Words

  • Final Words
  • My Mother’s Hot Sauce Recipe
  • Thank Yous
  • A Brief Bibliography

Hardcover | 113 pages


All of the techniques and routines used in this book are designed to be used for entertainment purposes only.

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Customer reviews for The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing

Reviewer

Zachary

My first book on pickpocketing was Jim Ravel's Theatrical Pickpocketing. It's a great book, but this modern take and the routines included are amazing. Not only do you learn techniques and routines, you also get great advice on the psychology of pickpocketing. If you're interested in this topic, get this book immediately.

 
Reviewer

Matteo

Great way to start getting into the world of Pickpocketing, the techniques are well explained and it is an interesting and fun book to read

 
Reviewer

Gerhard

To be honest I never thought I would buy this book as I can't imagine me doing pickpocketing, but I am really glad I got this. It's a fascinating read especially attention control. I actually learned a lot about spectator control in this book. It does give instruction around how to incorporate PP into a magic routine which is really cool. The production value of the book is stunning and modern. Highly recommend it.

 
Reviewer

Thomas

This book was great for what I think it was intended to be. I have had an interest in theatrical pick-pocketing for a long time. It is fun to watch. This book is a great launching point for learning how to do it. It teaches principles that will be important, but clearly one needs skills to actually perform it. He discusses and encourages you to practice, but the actual practice is up to you. It also requires a "mark" to practice on. I would like to learn these skills, but I won't have the time in the near future. The book also includes show routines some of which I have seen on TV before. It is important to understand that pick-pocketing is similar to mentalism in that there is a lot of improv!

 
Reviewer

Aaron

Pickpocketing is risky business. It's one Hell of a coin toss to know where to even begin. I can tell you right now... Start with this book. It serves as a perfect introduction to the craft, covering everything from how to select a target to exactly what to say and do to distract your target. And the hot sauce recipe is an interesting bonus from an interesting man.

Why are you still reading this? Buy this book. You're welcome.

 
Reviewer

Mike

I’ve never had any interest in pickpocketing and have read very few books, since there are very few books on the subject. This is a well written book excellent illustrations and routines and covers pretty much everything I’ll ever need to know about the art of pickpocketing. Even if you’d never do anything else in this book, it’s still a fascinating read, and should be on your bookshelf.

 
Reviewer
VI Monthly
Member

Adam

I love this book! As a magician I am always having some wise guys say “be careful or he’ll steal your watch.” And now I can, along with his, wallet, phone, tie, belt, and that smug smile on his face. The book is well written but also the hilarious Hector Mancha will make you laugh out loud as you read. Buy this book.

 
Reviewer
VI Monthly
Member

Ellis

I have always wanted to learn a watch steal, ever since watching Blaine steal a watch on one of his early specials. Stealing ties, belts, or even wallets never seemed as interesting to me, as it felt like more like thievery than magic. However, after reading the book, I've changed my mind.

The book gives a broad overview of how to pick pockets, steal watches, and other pickpocketing feats. There is a good amount of information on choosing your target, and how to make sure that all goes well. My favorite part of the book are the "magic" routines, where magic, pseudo pickpocketing, and real pickpocketing meet. The routines don't need you to pick pockets, but rather give ample cover to steal a wallet or a watch.

This isn't a complete guide on how to steal a watch or wallets, but it is a great first step into theatrical pickpocketing. Well worth the price!

 
Reviewer

Dan

I really like this book ! It helps with practising your pickpocketing and has some great ideas ! It still requires balls to do it to strangers and you will get caught, but that’s all part of the learning process, it’s a powerful tool to have in any entertainer’s repertoire !
Very glad I’ve purchased this book
Check out my YouTube review below
https://youtu.be/YcVV4Xo3cac?si=qCUCyuenUuFlJROI

 
Reviewer

Landon

A nice little book that you can devour in a single sitting. H Mancha give you a taste of what stage pickpocket is and takes you through each step. You won’t be Apollo Robbins but you can get a glimpse of his world.
My biggest con, I wish there was more content within the pages. There seemed to be a lot of dead space. It’s about 113 pages that could honestly be cut in half. Lots of fluff. It reminded me a lot of in college when you have an essay deadline so you double space and repeat the same ideas over and again. But all in all, it’s a fun read.

 
Reviewer

Austin

It's a super fun book. Hector is really funny, and that reflects in his writing. It's a great ready for beginner pickpockets, however, will leave you wanting more. The only other downside I saw was that it's not a book that teaches the steals technically and thoroughly. It's more of a basic glance, rather then a step-by-step tutorial. The routines are great, and will help you learn the basics of a steal, as well as "tricks" to disguise the steals. It's a great book, and I loved it.

 
Reviewer

Josh

An interesting read but it was pretty low on practical knowledge.

There was good information on organizing your pickpocket show. What to avoid saying, and doing while pick pocketing. I enjoyed some of the approaches to the pseudo pick pocketing. But much of this book reads as a big picture idea of what pick pocketing looks like. These were good as ideas but in order to apply any of the routines I would have appreciated more detail.

You will not learn how to pick pocket anything in this book. Hector recommends you look to other books for that. Overall, this was a fun read but don't think you will be able to perform theatrical pick pocketing after reading it.

 

Community questions about The Wonderous World of Pickpocketing

Have a question about this product? It's possible others do too. Ask here and other Vanishing Inc. Magic customers will be able to respond with assistance! Alternatively, email us and we can help too.

  • Max asks: There is actual pickpocketing taught in this as well, right? I understand most routines can be done with pseudo-pickpocketing, but I would also learn watch, belt, glasses, tie, etc steals, correct?

    • 1. Vanishing Inc. Magic responds: Yes, you'll get real and pseudo pickpocketing
  • Deryck asks: Is this a good book for those beginning in this field, or is there a better book on pick pocketing for beginners?

    • 1. Vanishing Inc. Magic responds: Yes!
  • Maarten asks: What does the audience see in the pseudo-pickpocketing routines? It sounds great, but before I purchase I need to know what it entails (not asking for methods, strictly what the audience experiences). Thanks in advance!

    • 1. Vanishing Inc. Magic responds: This blog post goes into detail about one of the routines. It should help explain what we mean: https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/blog/what-is-theatrical-pickpocketing
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