Giobbi's thoughts on books

Discuss the views of your favorite Genii columnists.
Steve Vaught
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Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Steve Vaught » February 25th, 2006, 10:41 am

I enjoy reading Mr. Giobbi's articles in the Genii magazine. That is usually the first article I turn to. He recently commented on "Stars of Magic" being one of the top ten for books on effect and method. I would be interested to see what the other nine books are.
I have Mr. Giobbi's 4 volumes on card magic. Through his writings I have enjoyed this reoccuring theme, that you CAN DO effective magic WITHOUT being a comedian,ventriliquist,juggler,balloon sculptor,etc. I like MAGIC for what it is! It is mystifing, it is rapturing!
So, Mr. Giobbi, you help solidify some of the things that I feel inside.

Steve Vaught

Jeff Eline
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Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Jeff Eline » February 25th, 2006, 2:24 pm

I agree, Roberto's column is one of the first things I turn to when the issue arrives. He's also an amazing teacher and performer.

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magicam
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Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby magicam » February 25th, 2006, 4:04 pm

A question from a performance ignoramus (now, after all these years gone by without practicing).

Is Giobbi's Card College series a keeper if I want to learn card magic from a book?

Thanks in advance!

Clay

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Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Richard Hatch » February 25th, 2006, 4:49 pm

Originally posted by Steve Vaught:
I have Mr. Giobbi's 4 volumes on card magic.
There are currently five volumes in this excellent series, and I believe a sixth may be in preparation.

CHRIS
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Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby CHRIS » February 25th, 2006, 7:45 pm

Originally posted by Magicam:
Is Giobbi's Card College series a keeper if I want to learn card magic from a book?
Clay, Card College is the single best series to become a card man. There is nothing as thorough, as detailed or as pedagogical as Card College.

I know you are not into ebooks, but the first two volumes are available with hundreds of video clips showing how Roberto performs each technique himself. This is not quite as good as getting personal instructions by Giobbi, but it is the next best thing. From my website you can even download a free chapter of Card College 1 and 2 to check out how good the ebook is.

Also, don't forget Roberto's Light Trilogy of self-working card effects, which is currently only available in German as book and ebook, but should eventually also be available in English.

Best,
Chris....

Jeff Eline
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Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Jeff Eline » February 25th, 2006, 7:47 pm

Originally posted by Magicam:
Is Giobbi's Card College series a keeper if I want to learn card magic from a book?
In a word: Yes.

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magicam
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Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby magicam » February 25th, 2006, 8:06 pm

To all of you, thanks for indulging me with your responses and information. Much appreciated! Clay

P.S. And here I am trying to sell a truly fine set of the first printings of Card College for less than what the reprints sell for ... might have to rethink that!

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 12th, 2006, 9:01 pm

This is only my opinion, but Mr. Giobbi seems to be one of the true gentlemen and scholars in magic. From what I have gathered, without yet having met him, is that he is one of those guys that truly seems to be generous and good-natured. I have not heard one bad thing said about him, or his legendary set of books.

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 12th, 2006, 9:11 pm

(sorry; I digressed there, during that last post)--To answer your question, "Is it (i.e., Card College) a keeper?"...I have to ask, have you even glanced through the books? It seems to me that if a set of books as rich as those hasn't yet "clicked on the lightbulb in your head", perhaps card magic isn't your bag. I mean it's like saying, "I wanted to learn coin tricks so I read Bobo, Mr. Roth's book, Mr. Kaufman's book, Mr. Bertram's book...and I couldn't find a damned thing I liked".
No offense, young compere, but asking if "Card College" is good is like the time a lady asked Louis Armstrong what jazz was. Mr Armstrong responded, "If you gotta ask, you will never know". Amen.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Richard Kaufman » April 12th, 2006, 9:15 pm

I think it's a legitimate question: if you don't know a lot about card magic, flipping through the pages of five volumes is a daunting thing.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 12th, 2006, 9:50 pm

There is no better bottom up way to learn card magic than Card College.

I believe that personal instruction or video is necessary too, but to really LEARN about card magic you need to study it, and to learn as much from other sources would take much longer and cost a great deal more.

I had been doing card magic for more than twenty years before I bought my first copy (on volume with the pass) and I was so taken with it that I ended up "back filling" my library with all the other volumes.

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 12th, 2006, 10:24 pm

--Sorry--don't want to irritate the Boss...

I was trying to be more-or-less light-hearted rather than completely-dismissive.
I can certainly understand how someone could have those books in hand and feel overwhelmed (I certainly cannot pretend to have mastered even a small portion of their material); and I understand that honest beginners don't have extensive frames of reference; I just felt like popping-off because I found it hard to believe someone could honestly question the value of those books if they ever read even a couple pages...
It wasn't whether or not to buy them, but whether or not to get rid of them after they already had them...

As freakish as it may sound, there are many people who would LOVE to be stranded on a deserted island with only those books and a deck of cards :eek: :whack: :sleep: . (

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 13th, 2006, 2:51 am

Is there a way to get the videoclips if you already have the books?

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 13th, 2006, 4:31 am

Richard H referred to the possibility of a volume 6...when I met with Roberto before Christmas he was adamant at the time that there would not be a volume 6.

But of course he could change his mind; or he could write something else....

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 13th, 2006, 4:52 am

I understand that there was a 6th volume planned when the 5th came out. But this plan was changed and currently there are no plans for another volume.

Denis

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 13th, 2006, 4:53 am

Originally posted by Laudinger:
Is there a way to get the videoclips if you already have the books?
No, currently there is no way to only get the video clips. Keep in mind that the electronic editions are updated versions of the last print run. You get about 15 pages of new contents, from small additions and corrections to completely new sections. Also a big part of the ebook is to have video clips available in context. That is, if you read about the pass, you have right there the apropriate links to the pass video clips. If you only have a heap of about 200 video clips, its value is significantly reduced in my opinion. Until you find the video clip you are looking for, your train of thought might have moved on.

Best,
Chris....
www.lybrary.com preserving magic one book at a time.

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 13th, 2006, 9:10 am

Originally posted by Chris Wasshuber:
If you only have a heap of about 200 video clips, its value is significantly reduced in my opinion.
A simple html index referencing each clip to the page number in the dead tree editions would seem a fairly straightforward and useful thing to create. Selling the clips (appropriately referenced) would be a very nice way to add value for those who have the books and don't feel the clips/e-book format alone add enough value for them to want to repurchase them in e-book form.

Already having the books, I'd be very hesitant to lay out the cash to re-buy the books primarily for the clips/e-book format. But if the clips were available, referenced to the hard copy books, that's something I (and perhaps others)might find interest in purchasing.

________________________________________________________
www.conjurenation.com - 'Cards Only' Forums

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 13th, 2006, 11:18 am

Chris, how much would you be willing to pay for the video clips of one volume, say Card College 1?

Best,
Chris....

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 13th, 2006, 1:35 pm

Chris,

Remember, I'm even more of a cheap bastard than the average magician, but I'd gladly pay $13-$16 to have the clips as an adjunct to a printed volume. Seeing as how the printed volumes can be had for $26.95, I'd be reluctant to pay near that price for supplementary clips. Also, since vol 1 is primarily the very basics, I know I'd be less interested in those clips than clips from the other, more advanced volumes.

In the case of CC #1 I believe the printed volume has more overall material than the e-book, so I'm thinking the clips wouldn't be comprehensive to the printed version unless perhaps the clips were taken from other sources (perhaps e-book vol. #2?)

I really think if you hit a price point that could be embraced by those who already have the books, you could extend your overall sales by making the clips available a la carte.

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 13th, 2006, 3:13 pm

Chris,

so if I would put together video clips for vol 1 & 2 on one disc, a price of $30 would be a good price?

I have to think about this more, but maybe it will happen.

Best,
Chris....

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 13th, 2006, 4:11 pm

Chris,

To me, $14-15 each sold separately and maybe a slight discount for both (perhaps $25) would seem like a fair deal. I'm guessing that some folks might not want to buy both.

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 13th, 2006, 5:33 pm

Chris,

if it will happen it will be one disc with both volumes on it, and it will have english and german sorting of the video clips. $30-$35 seems like a reasonable price to me.

But as you can already see from this, some will want only volume 1, some will only want volume 1 from the German edition, a.s.o. So far very few have requested only the video clips. If I don't see more demand, I am not sure if it will happen.

Best,
Chris....

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 13th, 2006, 7:35 pm

I would be intersted in seeing the video as well.

$25.00 for the "first half" with a hope that volumes 3 and 4 would follow...

Guest

Re: Giobbi's thoughts on books

Postby Guest » April 13th, 2006, 8:27 pm

Chris,

I think $30-$35 is $5-$10 too high for just the clips.

For $35-$40 look at all the quality hardover books I can get shipped directly to my home.

The video clips are a nice supplement, but they're just that, a supplement. While they'd be quite nice to have, I figure if I've bought Vol's 1-2 in hardcover, I've already spent $60 and it's not hard to justify $25 for an add-on (the clips). But once it goes much beyond that, you're competing with the purchase of an all new (and nice) hardcover book ($30-$40) vs. a simple cd with some clips (which are useless to anyone who hasn't already forked over the cash for the hardcopy editions).

Right now, it would cost me $90 to buy both e-books from www.lybrary.com just to get the clips. Seeing as I already own those two volumes, I can't justify essentially re-buying the two books just for the supplemental material.

The premium charged for the e-books makes sense in light of the seamless integration of clips and book. While those owning the hardcover can use an nicely indexed cd, it'll never be as convenient as owning the two e-books (for $90).

In short, for $25, this clip package would likely be something I'd want to purchase, but for $30-$35, I'd pass and simply buy a nice Kaufman & Company book or a nice used book on e-bay for a similar price point.


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