Hey everybody welcome back to Magic Roythodoxy my name is David and this is a magic book review Hey today we're gonna look at preserving mystery from jammy Ian Swiss all right So why are we spending the time to review magic books? Well because a lot of people ask for it You know every time I bust out a new book review people always say please more books because I think more and more people are Realizing that a lot of the magical secrets and a lot of the answers that you need are gonna be found in books Most of the time when you buy a DVD all they're gonna do is tell you how to do the trick Sometimes they won't even tell you how to get into the trick or get out of the trick or how to store it or how to carry it with you Sometimes they won't even go into the process about how they came up with the trick or who inspired it or who has done this trick before If you want that kind of information, you're gonna want to get into books because books are a wealth. They are treasure trove All the things that you're missing out especially theory magic theory is very important because it's the who the what the where the when the why it's all those Questions that you ask magic performers when you see them live or when you get into like Q&A's on Instagram or on YouTube It's the behind the scenes. It's all those answers that you're dying to ask and books are great because you don't need to fast forward them or rewind them or You know need electricity to plug them in that you're never gonna die on you you can take this on a plane You can read quietly at a violin recital. You could take it camping take it to your brother's baseball game Magic books are a great way to continue to learn the art that you love all right So who is mr. Swiss? Mr. Swiss has been a magazine writer He's written for genie actually a very popular genie writer. I worked there for the last 18 years now He's a blogger over at the lion's den. That's at magicana.com He is a great writer a lot of people think he's very opinionated which is fine As long as you you know back up what you say and he does he backs it up with facts and reason He's a very acclaimed performer as well as steamed lecturer and a very outspoken critic all right So preserving mystery what's it about what is this book about well? It's about theory and it's a commentary on the world of magic obviously and the focus is on the performance of magic and how to improve your art how to elevate your art and it's done through 18 different thought provoking essays and all these essays are about the art craft and history of Magic and they're supposed to stimulate you inform you excite you and of course entertain you and there's even a trailer for this You want to see the trailer? This is it My new book is preserving mystery more than 200 pages 18 essays about the art craft and history of magic with an introduction by New Yorker writer Adam Gottnik about the craft Lately instruction and the French drop how to really learn it literally from the feet up and when they use gaps when to use skill and slight study system a guide through the literature how to study the slight of hand magic with cards and coins Historical pieces including unpublished magic by Earl Presto Johnson and Michael Skinner and pieces Thoughtful pieces and provocative pieces about art and the nature of art and magic including the difference between Mentalism and mental magic and the depiction of magic in film and fiction all of that and more in preserving mystery which is actually part of a trilogy including reprints of my first two books Shattering illusions and devious standards as I like to call it the works And when you buy the complete set of three books the signed and numbered slip case set of the works You also receive a free copy of light and heat a limited edition hardcover collection of 18 select book reviews for my 18 years of Reviewing books for Jeannie magazine This book is not available for sale but you get it for free with a complete trilogy of shattering illusions Devious standards and preserving mystery Tell them you want the works and get light and heat for free You All right, so what's inside what's inside the table of contents? Well, like I said is 18 essays and you got to think of these as more of essays and not as You know learning magic tricks. There's not I'm not really gonna say that you're gonna learn Magic effects he does touch on effects that you probably know classics of magic But I don't know that you're gonna learn anything new inside this especially if you're already A seasoned performer Tills to look through some of the essays here. He has three different sections cannon fodder yesterday's and a magician prepares in cannon fodder You're gonna see hack to death what works? How do I insult the let me count the ways critical thinking email from a friend and Academies mentalism versus mental magic has an essay called the Skinner Touch a giant among us and presto a grandmaster Then in the last section a magician prepares you're gonna find making introductions Shooting repertoire on the front strap gaffes versus skill, which is probably my very favorite essay in this whole book this essay was worth the read worth the entire book alone just for this one essay There's the Swiss light study system and he closes with preserving mystery. All right, so what's the cost? This book is $35 this book alone is $35 but you know, it's a hardbound book 250 pages with illustrations and photographs this hardbound book is also part of a trilogy that mr. Swiss wrote there are two other Titles they're shattering illusions and devious standards plus you can also get the deluxe set So you're like I said, it's a trilogy, right? So you can get the deluxe set for $175. This is a signed and numbered set every single Set is signed and numbered They're also on leatherette covers leatherette covers and you're gonna get an extra book included That's right. So if you buy the deluxe set you'll get four books instead of three light and heat is only available in the deluxe set All right, so what do I think? What do I think he's a very good writer? I mean you kind of kind of have to be if you've written for Genie and You know you write for blogs. I mean, this is what he's known for He's a very good writer. It's great prose to sit and read. It's great to sit and ponder I like reading this before I go to bed. It's just you know good thoughts to go to sleep to probably a good like meditation book or a good Like devotional book on magic. I think this is only gonna make you a better performer Okay, this is only gonna make you a better performer. It's probably reserved only for people who want to go pro Though I think this is for professionals who are working in the industry already or people who want to go pro So I don't know that the amateur or the hobbyist magician This is this is gonna be for them, but definitely a beautifully written book all right So that is by review of preserving a mystery from vanishing incorporated and jammy Ian Swiss I want to thank Murphy's magic for allowing me to have this so that I could do the review for you And if you would like to purchase this book for yourself, you can find it from your very favorite Murphy's magic retailer. Thanks. Bye