The Maker Magician's Handbook: A Beginner's Guide to Magic and Making - Book

You don't need to go far to become a real maker magician. To get started, you'll need only what you can usually find in your home: items like paper, ziploc bags, index cards, coloring utensils, pencils, rubberbands, scissors, etc. The Maker Magician's Handbook guides you through the creation, performance, and customization of an entire magic show. From there, the possibilities are endless, and by the end of the book, you'll even be introduced to maker tools like 3D design, 3D printing, and programming, that will take your magic to a whole other level. From the publisher: Q&A with the Author Q. Who is this book written for? A. This book is written for anyone! Anyone who is interested in making magic and illusion, anyone who is interested in understanding how things work, and anyone who likes to put on a show for their friends. The projects can be done by anyone at grade school level, with a little help from parents. Q. How did you find magic and making? A. Magic found me! I was in an antique shop and found an old collapsable top hat. Inside was a label that read “Abbotts.” This was not just any old top hat … this was a magician’s top hat! I bought a few magic tricks and an obsession was born! As for making, I’ll never forget the first time I stumbled upon Make: magazine years ago. It was an issue with a cigar box guitar on the cover. I was absolutely elated to discover that there was a whole magazine for and about people who love to make things and take things apart. Flipping through those pages gave me the same feeling as when I picked up that top hat years before. Q. What do you hope people will get from this book? A. When I first dreamed of becoming a professional magician, a mentor told me that if I could master just seven routines of magic, I could make a lifetime career for myself. Seven. That’s such a small number. You don’t need to know everything to be great. But over time I learned the real lesson: It’s never about the tricks … it’s always about you. Your story will be what makes you stand out. The more you express your excitement for your interests in life, the more everyone will be excited with you! From the Preface In the chapters to come, we’ll create an entire magic show, from scratch! We’ll explore the elements of a good show, we’ll build our props, and we’ll perform! We’ll create our magic from items we can readily find in our homes, or nearby. I want you to find some kind of freedom through magic. I’m excited that it can be some part of your story, and I’m honored to be a part of your journey in some small way.