I wish I could write a more generic review for the whole series, but these videos are masterful. If I was just getting into magic then after purchasing a kiddie magic kit to get in on the cheap I'd immediately recommend this series along with the original Tarbell book.

Why the original Tarbell book, too? Well... it's got a lot more than just magic in it. It has history... it has motivation... it explains that there's more to being a magician that just performing a few tricks. That's more important than many realize.

Why this series alongside it? The Tarbell book is outdated. We're past the age of cigars and handkerchiefs. Furthermore, Dan does a GREAT job updating the tricks... demonstrating the tricks... explaining the tricks... AND explaining where to get the extras from (such as in the video on rope tricks). I look forward to Fridays for more than just the weekend now :-)

One thing I do wish is that these videos were prepped with timing marks to delineate the different tricks so I could more easily jump back and forth, but that's a relatively minor consideration. This series has basically made me, a rank amateur with some aspirations, decide to get back to the basics and work my way through the Tarbell course to create a better foundation on which to perform magic.

The video was well made and explained each trick well. The only reason for the 4 stars is due to the fact that there was 2-3 instances throughout the video where Dan explains the trick and says he will show a method or something later. To my surprise, the video ended before he did show. Otherwise, nice flow and good tricks

I am really enjoying this series! I have dabbled in magic since I was a child mostly simple coin effects and easy slight of hand. Last summer, my two kids were bitten by the magic but after a visit to a local magic and costume shop. This series is now our weekly Friday night movie. We watch, on Friday, and then practice over the weekend! It has been a blast! Thanks you Penguin and Dan Harlan for your continued inspiration!

Only four tricks, but ones you can use in any venue. Very well taught. This series isn't only about the tricks from the volumes but it also updates the presentation and slights used which also will help in improving entertainment skills.

Dan is a great teacher. He's a great performer and he has a nice charm and a good sense of humor. His instructions are direct, to the point and I really like how he modified the methods to make them easier and less complex.

However it is slightly short, but there is a lot of content within the lesson. The material is very interesting but be informed this is for beginners. The methods and concepts will be familiar to the you if you have some knowledge of card magic. I downloaded the lesson expecting to find original, unheard of new tricks and presentations, however You will probably recognize all of these tricks and principles in play. I knew all of the sleights and I have seen all of the tricks before. Therefore I kind feel a tad bit disappointed having spent 10 bucks on it.

For beginners this would be great. But for those familiar with the glide, the hindu color change, you probably have seen these tricks in some form.

Great for beginners, entertaining, but for intermediate magicians it's nothing that you don't already know. I would recommend buying Tarbell's book instead of all of these individual lessons. of course it is much easier to learn by video prior to reading from a book.

GREAT, BUT ONLY FOR BEGINNERS. Otherwise it's nothing new and not worth the ten dollar pricetag.

This series is really great! I like the way Dan Harlen explains things and also the updates that he uses to keep the tricks relevant.

This is the first of Dan's reanimations of The Tarbell Course in Magic that I've seen, and I was impressed by it. One of the tricks he works with here, "A Psychological Impossibility," is one of the very first tricks that I remember learning and showing my dad when I was just a little boy, and it really bowled him over, since the original handling in the original book is actually pretty darn great itself. But what Dan does with that trick and all of them in this offering is to give them a more modern feel and eliminate the need for things that you can no longer count on people routinely carrying with them, like a pocket handkerchief, etc. I was especially impressed by what he does with the Hindu color changing deck routine, since he gets a big reaction out of that trick from an audience of adults, in part by completely re-imagining what the effect itself is trying to be, and in the process he makes that particular trick play much stronger than it is likely to play today, if you simply used the original handling. So all told, I was very impressed by what Dan brought to this material, and I look forward to seeing what he has come up with, where all the other Tarbell tricks are concerned.

Wonderful introduction into the world of card magic with very minimal sleight of hand and a nice color changing deck that's deceptive and easy to do.

If early chapters were not meaty enough, they should have been combined. Later chapters are much higher value.

The tricks were fine.

Trick 1 is a rising card. I saw the pictures in the Tarbell book and I thought it was stupid. Seeing Dan Harlan perform it, I've changed my mind. It could be a fun flourish to a card reveal.

Tricks 2 and 3 are find-a-cards that are long and require a lot from the spectator. They are based on solid principles which could inspire more direct tricks.

Trick 4, well, look at the name. It involves an unnatural move that I would never use in today's world.

As always Dan Harlan is an excellent teacher. He modernizes and improves upon the original tricks. The production values are also top notch.