CAM Creators Contest is back in 2024!

We're running woefully behind so you may have already heard the big news that the CAM Creators Contest will be back in 2024!  First launched in the spring of 2021, this is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your original magic trick to the world. The winning tricks will be released globally, complete with industry-standard royalties.  

Stay tuned at the CAM website as we look forward to their official announcement in the future!

Also mentioned in last month's round-up:

• Canadian Conjurors Interview (Ryan Joyce interviews Nicole Lee)
• A tribute to Micky Hades
• David Copperfield's Announcement, and the
  
• Question of the month!
   

CAM Members log into CAMmagic.org for more information.

TEN [Oct 29 & 30]

Buy tickets at Studio 52.

 

From the October 27th Instagram post by Studio 52:

Ten of the world’s most talented, influential and skilled magicians… each take the stage for 60 minutes and do anything they want. No rules, no requirements and no recordings.

 

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[Guest post] A review of "David Copperfield’s History of Magic"

The following is a guest post by James Alan. 

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Review: David Copperfield’s History of Magic

David Copperfield needs no introduction. He’s absolutely in the running for greatest living magician and still top of the list for greatest magician of all time. He was undeniably the most famous magician in the world in the 80s and 90s when he was regularly producing major network tv specials. He doesn’t really appear on tv anymore but is still performing constantly in his own theatre at the MGM Grand. But unbeknownst to most people, he is also the owner of a giant secret museum of magic hidden away at an undisclosed location somewhere near Las Vegas.

In 1991, David acquired a massive collection of magic literature known as the Mulholland Library. Since then he has developed a bit of an obsession with acquiring and preserving important artifacts from magic’s history.  It far from being a hoarder, or a government agency with an Indiana Jones-like warehouse of crates, these rarities are curated and displayed in a private invitation-only museum. Being allowed to visit the museum, which usually comes in the form of a guided tour from Copperfield himself, is a magician’s dream come true. Kid in a candy store doesn’t even come close.

Of course over the last two years, visiting the museum in person hasn’t been an option, even if you knew who to be extra-nice to in order to wrangle an invitation. So with this book, Copperfield (and his expert co-authors David Britland and Richard Wiseman) has offered all of us a peek inside.

Actually, the book isn’t about things, it’s about people. It’s a collection of twenty-eight miniature biographies of prominent magicians. Magicians we’ve heard of like Max Malini and Harry Kellar, lesser known ones like Wyman the Wizard and Dell O’Dell, and who could forget our beloved Canadian magicians Dai Vernon and Doug Henning. It shows that magicians come in all shapes and sizes. Our history is more than just the legendary escape artist Harry Houdini and a bunch of tuxedo-clad dove wranglers. Perhaps even more important, it shows these magicians as profoundly human. A woman who loses her husband and has to take over and start touring his show. There are great role models overcoming adversity, but also cultural appropriators and criminals. Even in the introduction, Copperfield talks about his initial challenges getting started as a performing professionally. It gives you a taste of what you could be in store for if you want to make it in this eccentric branch of show business. This human side of magic is one of the so-called “real secrets” of the art.

The entire thing is wonderfully written; grown-up but accessible to a middle school student. The photos, taken primarily by Homer Liwag are gorgeous. The physical book itself takes full advantage of modern advances in printing. Ten to fifteen years ago, a book like this with large high quality full colour photos everywhere would have easily been an overpriced inaccessible art book. Here it’s an affordable $45 (Canadian) hardcover with a dust jacket. The design is minimal with the text spaced out and easy to read and plenty of space to appreciate the pictures. Because each mini-biography is only a few pages, you can start and stop easily and take your time to enjoy it.

And since the holidays are coming up…

Magicians in your life can be really difficult to shop for. We’re a secretive bunch and you’re never sure if they own this trick or that gimmick. And downloads sit invisibly on a computer or in the cloud. And most everything can’t be exchanged. So if you’re looking for a gift for a magician in your life or magical-curious person, David Copperfield’s History of Magic would be a perfect bet.

David Copperfield’s History of Magic, by David Copperfield, Richard Wiseman, David Britland. Photos by Homer Liwag. Simon & Schuster, 2021. 257 pages, full colour, hardbound with dust jacket. $45 Canadian, available from major booksellers.

Reserve your copy at the Browser’s Den of Magic.


All photos provided by James Alan. 

Disclosure: James received a review copy the book and has received no compensation for writing this review.

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Thank you James for guest posting at Canada's Magic!

 

Magical Women with Connie Boyd Panel Talk with Carisa Hendrix, Dania Díaz, Josephine Lee, and Billy Kidd

From the October 7th upload at the Magical Women with Connie Boyd YouTube channel:

David Copperfield openly discusses magic struggles, successes and creating original material in this rare Magical Women with Connie Boyd  panel talk with star illusionists Billy Kidd, Dania Díaz, Carisa Hendrix, and Josephine Lee    

PANEL TALK CONTENT
00:00 - 00:33  - Introduction
00:33 - 01:06 - David discusses Women in Magic
01:06 - 03:48  - David discusses creating his original material & signature routines
03:48 - 06:37  - Carisa Hendrix & David discuss her Lucy Darling character & magic
06:37 - 07:30 - the Audience is a Team Member
07:30 - 09:42  - Dania Diaz discusses taking a risk & listening to the audience
09:42 - 10:12  - David discusses Daring to be Bad & Make Mistakes
10:12 - 11:10  - Josephine Lee talks with David about Learning from Failure
11:10 - 11:35 - the Power of Silence & being Still
11:35 - 13:45 - Billy Kidd discusses her magic process with David
13:45 - 14:16 - David about each magicians drive for their magic to be the best it can be
14:16 - 14:46 - Connie talks to the panel about the benefit of social media to magic
14:46 - 15:10 - Call to Action:  please subscribe and post your comments 

 

 

 

 

 

Classifieds: Own a piece of magic history

The following is a classified ad from David Merry.  For more information, or to make an offer, contact Dave directly.

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Own a piece of magic history.

I am just about to buy an amazing piece of comedy memorabilia and am putting up a magic four pack of autographs from my collection. They are Houdini (a letter with his actual signature from 1926) and pictures framed. Blackstone Sr. (from 1949) an actual Merlin playbill signed by Doug Henning and Chita Rivera from early 1980’s) and David Copperfield see attached pictures. I thought I’d put it out to my friends in Canada first before the open market $2500.


Houdini letter with his actual signature:





Houdini letter (above) and pictures framed





Blackstone Sr.:





Signed Merlin playbill:





David Copperfield:

David Copperfield talks about Doug Henning

In his Reddit Q&A, David Copperfield answers the question "What is your favorite memory of Doug?"

Doug Henning opened a lot of doors for us in magic. He was someone I admired since I was a teenager. Amazing.

Read more.

[h/t: iTricks]