Price$25.00
Media TypeBook
CategoryClose Up
Date AddedMar 06, 2006
Long And Short Of It
Mark Lewis
(Based on 2 reviews)
In this book, Mark Lewis teaches you everything you need to know about a Svengali deck. From mechanics and handling, to Mark's elaborate and refined routine, to an assortment of other tricks and effects that can be performed with the deck, the reader is given everything needed to become a master of the Svengali!
From The Book's Foreword:
" ... With just the right mix of simple but effective magic, a disarming manner, and self-targeted humorous patter, Mark can make any audience eat out of his hand. From redneck to royalty, on a street corner, in a restaurant or on stage (yes, he does card tricks on stage), people stop to watch him put reality on hold for fun and fantasy for a little while.
A good portion of Mark's success as a performer can be attributes to his experience as a pitchman. Like the street magician, the pitchman has to be quick-witted and resourceful and, above all, have the ability to make people stick around until the very end and, hopefully, spend some money.
This is where Mark shines. His Svengali pitch, developed over years of working in the trenches, is amazingly effective at maintaining interest and getting oohs and aahs - and even a few dollars. ...
In these pages you will find Mark's complete routine, exactly as he uses it, and as he taught it to magicians around the world. Study it well, inject your own style and personality into it, use it for magic or pitching, but above all use it."
Pages 38
Reviews
(Top ▲)
I’m always leery of products with outrageous titles. In this case it was the subtitle: "The Best Svengali Routine in Existence."
So is it? I have no idea. As a magician, I've used Svengali decks since childhood. I've even developed some of my own routines using them. But I've never been interested in the Svengali Pitch side of things.
Until now…
I’m guessing many of you are just as clueless as I am when it comes to the work of a pitch man. As magicians, most of us want to perform, not to sell (which is probably why so many great magicians spend most of their lives broke).
This book covers a bit of history and mentions many names that I've never heard in magic circles. In reading the book, I began to wonder if there's a different set of ethics for these people. The author has basically produced a book comprised of other peoples' work. Should I assume he has the right to do this?
To me, as a magician, the real gold in this book is the advanced methods for handling a Svengali deck. The "Best Routine in Existence" didn't interest me in the slightest. But the amount of amazing "proves" that have been devised for this deck is simply astounding.
If you use the Svengali in your magic and have the need to prove that the deck is "normal", then I highly recommend this book. Some of the moves are simply beautiful. Most of them will require hundreds of hours of practice, but isn't that a small price to pay for advancing our art?
So is it? I have no idea. As a magician, I've used Svengali decks since childhood. I've even developed some of my own routines using them. But I've never been interested in the Svengali Pitch side of things.
Until now…
I’m guessing many of you are just as clueless as I am when it comes to the work of a pitch man. As magicians, most of us want to perform, not to sell (which is probably why so many great magicians spend most of their lives broke).
This book covers a bit of history and mentions many names that I've never heard in magic circles. In reading the book, I began to wonder if there's a different set of ethics for these people. The author has basically produced a book comprised of other peoples' work. Should I assume he has the right to do this?
To me, as a magician, the real gold in this book is the advanced methods for handling a Svengali deck. The "Best Routine in Existence" didn't interest me in the slightest. But the amount of amazing "proves" that have been devised for this deck is simply astounding.
If you use the Svengali in your magic and have the need to prove that the deck is "normal", then I highly recommend this book. Some of the moves are simply beautiful. Most of them will require hundreds of hours of practice, but isn't that a small price to pay for advancing our art?
(Top ▲)
I know more about this book than anyone else and I can assure you all that it is quite wonderful.
Mark Lewis
Mark Lewis