Merry Christmas to all in Penguin Town!!!!!!!!!! This is a thread to post what magic you received for Christmas, I for one got FAX but it was a present to myself!

I didn't get the Penguin gift certificate I suggested, but I did get various cash gifts which I'll use as soon as something floats my boat from the Cool Box, so I can place a larger order to qualify for the free shipping.

I'm considering Nesting Wallets, and Scratch, in addition to finally splurging on the $150 "Definitive Sankey" book set. The latter will be the hardest decision because of the cost. But the longer I do magic, the more value I find in the "technology products" like lectures, books and DVDs, as opposed to simple, stand-alone tricks. Although the two aforementioned stand-alone tricks do look pretty cool.

I got...
1. The Definitive Sankey
2. Switch: Unfolding the $100 Bill Switch by John Lovick
3. The Classic Collection Vol. 2
4. Tarbell Vol. 4
5. Card College Vol. 4

And I've got a few dvd sets from L&L on the way (Talk About Tricks, Psi Series, and Easy to Master Mental Miracles) since they had that special deal going on. So this was a great Christmas for me!

Cpnich: Don't hesitate to spend the $150 on The Definitive Sankey. I'm only 100 pages into the first volume and I can already tell it is awesome. There's so much material in these books it's ridiculous!

Thanks, Evan, for your rec of "The Definitive Sankey." I've toyed with getting either Sankey's "Best Of" or "Greatest Hits" DVD sets for $75.00, but the book set seems like a much better value, given the wealth of material. (I downloaded the sampler, which includes the full table of contents.)

My only drawback with the books is that you don't see each trick performed like you do in the DVDs. But the book attraction, besides the shear volumes of tricks, is the essays.

One question, Evan. When you read the book, do you hear Sankey's voice in your head? I read "Killing Lincoln," by Bill O'Reiley. The book was great, but it was a challenge to read O'Reiley's words without hearing his voice shouting at me.

Oh I'd go for the books over the dvds for sure! Most of the tricks are simple enough that you don't really need a video explanation of them, and if you really feel that you do, many performances of his effects can be found online. Also, thanks to the book not having Sankey performing each trick, you will probably be more likely to develop your own performance style rather than just copying Sankey's crazy style haha.

Since the books were written by Andi Gladwin and Joshua Jay, thankfully you are not subjected to hearing Sankey's voice throughout the trilogy. Everything is written in a very readable, relaxed style that you will have no issues with. Also, the essays, from what I've read so far, are very insightful and interesting. These books are like a treasure trove of everything Sankey.

Lump of coal.
And a Gary Darwin video with some cute chicks in it.

I got Darwin's "My first Magic DVD". It was a gift from Penguin Magic!


Thanks,
... I don't pass up a freebie

Moosletoe.


...And a Gary Darwin video. Thank You, Penguin!

I got:
A penguinmagic gift certificate!
"How to Become a Professional Magician" by Sean Mitchell
"Crash Course on Kid Shows" by David Ginn
Fiber Optics Extended
And some refills of spongeballs and balloons

Just a Cup

Two books:
Al Schneider's "The Theory and Practice of Magic" and
"The Magic of Ascanio vol 1"

Ohhh...the magic of Ascanio...I'm jealous!

$200 in Penguin cash! So here was my shopping list:

Books:

Scripting Magic by Pete McCabe - Book
PRISM: The Color Series of Mentalism by MAX MAVEN
5 Miracles with ESP Cards by Pablo Amira and Titanas - Book
The Osterlind Trilogy by Richard Osterlind - Book
Designing Miracles by Darwin Ortiz - Book

Tricks and Utility Items:

Max Maven's Jumbo B'Wave - Trick
Mirage Deck Bicycle (Red) RED (2 Mirage Decks for the ultimate in card forcing)
ESP Deck (25 Cards) - Royal Magic
Dr. Bill's Bend by Dr. Bill PDF Instant Download
Out of This World (World's Greatest Magic) - DVD


I've read the Osterlind Trilogy already and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite magic theory books - highly, highly recommended.

Tim

In addition to my Penguin Christmas goodies, I made a heavy investment in Outlaw Effects props. Here is my dark and beautiful custom made keybox and Lun@ book tests. That box holds many dark and twisted secrets from the past!

Tim

@twendt

I have been drooling at outlaw effects for a LONG time! Unfortunately none of it really fits my current show.