What Attracts You to Magic?

[MagicbyAlfred]

If you are a reader of and/or contributor to the Genii Forum, it is probably fair to say that you are attracted to magic in one or more of its aspects, whether as a performer (professional or amateur), a creator of magical effects, a writer, publisher, and/or lecturer. Or, you might not care about performing, but just enjoy playing with a deck of cards or some coins, practicing or learning new sleights, moves or tricks, or maybe just hanging out with fellow magicians at the club exchanging ideas and performing for one another. As the year draws to a close, I find myself doing a little soul searching. This happens from time to time, and I guess this has been one of those times. I spend a lot of my waking (and some of my supposed sleeping) hours, thinking, dreaming, talking, and writing about, and practicing and performing, magic.

So, I have point-blank asked myself the question,"What attracts you to magic?" In considering why I have invested so much time, money, and blood, sweat and tears in magic, the answer I have been able to come up with is:

It's fun and relaxing! I derive great satisfaction out of learning and trying to master tricks and routines, and the moves, subtleties, patter and presentations that go into them. I love to entertain - yes and to astonish - people, and to see that look, or hear that reaction of delight and surprise. I also enjoy working on flourishes with cards and coins, the wand, or whatever, as it is fun, relaxing and aesthetically pleasing to myself and others who see it. I will also say that since I have been fortunate enough to make a little money performing magic, it gives me great satisfaction anytime I receive any remuneration whatsoever for doing what I love, be it a modest tip at a bar or restaurant, or the more lavish compensation that can come from upscale events. I also greatly enjoy making people laugh (I use a lot of comedy), bringing them in and making them a part of the magic, also, learning about people, about how they think, about human psychology, and applying what I have learned to enhance my performances and to blunt the defensiveness and/or frustration people sometimes exhibit in watching magic. I want to de-emphasize magic as a puzzle or vehicle for "fooling" people, and re-frame it as something delightful, fun and enjoyable for the audience. Also, I am a natural story teller, and people love stories, so I have fun creating and wrapping my magic in stories, and telling them. Maybe this is a bit of the egoistical part, but I want them to walk away thinking and talking about how great it was to experience the magic and entertainment I have offered.

Now, if you don't mind my asking, What attracts you to magic?

[performer]

I wish I knew....................................

[Leo Garet]

I wish I knew....................................

Excellent response Mister Lewis.
If I'd read this before I conjured up the following waffle, I wouldn't have bothered. But I did so here it is.

Close allies of this question are:
“What makes you interested in Magic?”
“How did you become interested in Magic?”
“How long have you been interested in Magic?”

In this day and and age people don’t much say “become interested” anymore, and the questions are.
“How did you get into magic?”
And/or:
“Why do people get into Magic?”

People get into things because of something inside. Something in the genes, the DNA, or as we used to say in simpler, less [censored] ridden times, something in the blood. Affinity.

And that’s me. The Magic is in me. So the short answer to the question is: “I have no idea”. Even shorter: “Everything”.

Much like music. The Music’s in me. I don’t like every piece of Music I’ve heard, but that doesn’t change the situation.

Whatever the attraction is it’s an enduring magnet.

Great question, though, and I look forward to reading the responses. Though I think they'll be hard put to top Mister Lewis.

[performer]

Alfred's obvious enthusiasm for magic prompts me to ask him a question. I know he does restaurant magic. However, I am curious to know if he does magic full time or has another unrelated occupation?

[Anthony Vinson]

I wish I knew....................................

Me too. And trust me, I have spent a great deal of time pondering the question. Like Leo wrote, it comes from within; some space or place of which I am unable to access, at least cognitively. I saw a commercial for TV Magic Cards when I was 12 and got ahold of a deck. Don't remember if I bought it myself or it was a gift. At any rate, that began what has been, so far, a lifelong fascination with magic. While my ability and energy to dedicate time to the art has waxed and waned over the years - kids, job, life, etc - I have never been without it in my life since. So it shall ever be, I'm guessing. But as to the "what"? I cannot say.

Av

[Diego]

I seem to recall reading about Penn and Teller were talking with Copperfield, and the question of what attracts, (especially guys) into magic. Teller said when the conversation began discussing nerds seeking attention, they left it alone and talked about something else.

[MagicbyAlfred]

Alfred's obvious enthusiasm for magic prompts me to ask him a question. I know he does restaurant magic. However, I am curious to know if he does magic full time or has another unrelated occupation?

I am a part-time professional magician. Since getting a law degree in 1983, I have been a consultant to law firms, doing legal research and analysis, ghost writing (sounds scary, huh?) legal briefs and memoranda for lawyers, and giving seminars for people taking the Bar exam. I never actually wanted to be the kind of attorney that has a law practice business and represents clients, so I found my little niche. It allows me to work at home or anywhere i can get on the internet. And since it's part-time, it allows for a nice balance and enables me time and energy to work restaurants and special events.

But yes, Performer is right, I am very enthusiastic about magic - took to it like a moth to flame at age 6 when I went to my first magic store and acquired my first tricks, a couple decks of cards, and Houdini on Magic. Almost immediately I started giving shows for my parents' and relatives' parties, then for the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts etc. During high school and college, I constantly hung around brick and mortar magic shops and soaked up whatever I could. When I met Bill back in the early 90's and he trained me (one of the most fortunate things that ever happened to me) and allowed me to work at his magic bar in Boca Raton, Florida, I started making a lot of contacts, improving vastly (though I still have a long way to go), and that's when things really started taking off in my magic career.

[performer]

My psychic vibes were correct! Up to now I thought that Alfred was a full time professional. After I read his post above I had a hunch that he wasn't. I wish I had time to explain. I most certainly will later when I get a chance.

Incidentally (and I don't want to go off topic) as a general rule I have found lawyers for some odd reason make good magicians, doctors generally speaking not so much, albeit with a few exceptions.

[MagicbyAlfred]

Performer Wrote: "Incidentally (and I don't want to go off topic) as a general rule I have found lawyers for some odd reason make good magicians..."

Same job description - getting paid to lie and cheat?

[JHostler]

I'm addicted to being fooled... LOVE being fooled. But (as for most of us) this has become a much rarer occurrence over the years... so it's a strange sort of determination that feeds on itself. (Of course I also enjoy being "entertained," but can just as easily pluck the mandolin, listen to music, read a book, or watch a movie for that sort of thing.)

The stretches between being gobsmacked are filled with cobbling together little magical pieces - primarily for personal amusement. This secondary compulsion fills the void nicely.

[performer]

Performer Wrote: "Incidentally (and I don't want to go off topic) as a general rule I have found lawyers for some odd reason make good magicians..."

Same job description - getting paid to lie and cheat?

I have always said that 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name. But I digress. The reason I suspected you were a part-time magician rather than a full time one is because it was obvious you loved magic so much. I suspect you would almost do it for nothing. At any rate I suspect the money is secondary to you.

I have always thought that the second money enters the picture the fun and joy of magic starts to dilute a trifle. In some cases more than a trifle. The love of the subject may still be there but heavily diluted because instead of thinking and enthusing about the subject almost to the point of obsession you are being distracted by business matters, travelling and all the hassles involved, contracts, hustling for work etc; you can't relax and find solace in your hobby because it is no longer your hobby. That is why I envy amateur magicians so much. Bad or good they LOVE magic and get great joy out of it and probably more than the professional does. When you have to do magic to eat the situation changes. There have been a lot of seemingly successful (and of course not so successful) magicians who are a psychological mess and many have turned to the demon drink because of the strain. It isn't the reason they took up magic. They took it up for the joy it gave them.

Amateurs can escape to magic if they don't like their job. Professionals can't because it IS their job. This is probably why most magic dealers I have ever met are so miserable. I have alway said that people who sell fun are miserable.

Now a semi-professional like yourself is in a far better position. A perfect balance. They don't have to worry and hustle so much and they can keep the enthusiasm for magic going.

I once met Trevor Lewis at a railway station. I had always assumed that he was a full time professional magician but he told me he was an engineer on the ferries going between Ireland and the UK. He did magic part time just like Alfred does. He said to me something I have always remembered. "Magic is a great icing but a lousy cake!"

Not for everyone of course but I suspect more than most. Amateurs often envy professionals. They shouldn't. They may well have the better deal.

[MagicbyAlfred]

I've got quite a collection of lawyer jokes, and I delight in telling them - but that is for another time and place. Of course, like in any other profession or endeavor, there is good and and, ethical and unethical, highly skilled and incompetent. Many lawyers do good things, like the lawyers such as Barry Scheck at the Innocence project who have secured the release of countless innocent people from prison by proving, through DNA or other forensic science, that the convicted person could not have committed the crime. Also, prosecutors who help bring criminals to justice, defense attorneys who force the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, attorneys who defend the constitutional rights to free speech, association, religion and the press, which are essential to a democracy and a free society, lawyers who fight against race, gender and the discrimination, those who safeguard the rights of employees, and those who help survivors with an estate after the death of a loved one -- the list goes on and on...

Performer hit the nail right on the head in his last post as far the strains involved with being a full time professional and the toll it can take. In my 7 decades in magic, I have known quite a few full-timers who have faced real challenges and struggles, and it wasn't fun. It can put one's love and zeal for magic to the test when it becomes a job or survival. I have only experienced that to a minimal extent, so my enthusiasm and love for magic is still there and, if anything, growing. Not everyone is as fortunate as I have been, or as my friend Bill Malone (there I go name-dropping again), who has been able to carve out a wildly successful career as a full-time pro with the very capable help and management skills of his wife, Barb. He deserves every bit of success he has because he has worked very very hard, is super-talented, and a prince of a guy.

Anyway, I sure would like to hear the thought of more members on what attracts them to our unique pursuit...

[Dave Le Fevre]

I cannot imagine not having taken up conjuring. Sometimes people tell me how much they enjoy it, and then they ask me why I do it. And I tell them that they’ve answered their own question, by telling me how much they enjoy it. I mean, if one could do magic, why on earth wouldn’t one?

I want to de-emphasize magic as a puzzle or vehicle for "fooling" people, and re-frame it as something delightful, fun and enjoyable for the audience

I couldn't agree more. I'd hope that that word that comes to a spectator's mind would be amazed rather than fooled.

[performer]

I have never liked the word "fooled". I prefer to downplay that aspect and even seem to be a bit of a fool myself. When performing close up magic, especially impromptu work, you can actually appear to be too professional and too slick. A little imperfection can actually be a good thing. I found that out a long, long time ago.

Amuse and create wonder at the same time is a far better goal than "fooling" people. Too many magicians look too pleased with themselves when performing.

[MagicbyAlfred]

Code: Select all

Performer Wrote

"Amuse and create wonder at the same time is a far better goal than "fooling" people. Too many magicians look too pleased with themselves when performing."

So true. And it is that attribute that is largely instrumental in spectators wanting to take revenge on said magicians - and worse yet, upon magicians they encounter in the future, who may not even be culpable of such smugness.

[performer]

Talking about lawyers one of the best books I have ever read on magic was written by a lawyer yet hardly anyone ever mentions it. I have often wondered if anyone has even heard of it. It was "Magic for the Millions" by Greer Marechal.

[MagicbyAlfred]

Surprisingly, there was a book (or possibly a periodical) by the exact same name, written by Jack Campbell, and published apparently in the 1920's, which cost 50 cents new. Now it ("Issue #3") is being offered used on eBay for $18.95 + shipping.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MAGIC-FOR-THE- ... 100623.m-1

[MagicbyAlfred]

In the aftermath of yesterday's posts on here, and particularly Performer's having asked me about restaurant magic and whether I was full-time etc., I thought of something that really hit me in the funny bone. Thinking back to working at Bill's bar ("Malone's Magic Bar"), it was absolutely the best restaurant gig in the world. Not only were the tips phenomenal, but unlike other restaurant/bar scenarios, where in many cases the last thing people expected to show up at their table was a magician, the customers came into Malone's specifically to see magic. Every magician working a shift, and usually there were three, was expected to work every table. So imagine this: Walking up to a table as the third performer for them, saying, "Hi, I'm Alfred" - and Bill Malone and Chad Long had been the first two! LOL!

[performer]

Surprisingly, there was a book (or possibly a periodical) by the exact same name, written by Jack Campbell, and published apparently in the 1920's, which cost 50 cents new. Now it ("Issue #3") is being offered used on eBay for $18.95 + shipping.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MAGIC-FOR-THE- ... 100623.m-1

I don't understand e-bay but I did get quite a surprise to see this being advertised:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Rare-Vintage-Ma ... Sw6PpdusM0

Part of a shopping channel promotion I did years ago. I had forgotten all about it.

[Bob Farmer]

The "Magic For the Millions" book has been one of my favorite magic books since I was in grade school. I now have my own copy, but I also have pages of handwritten notes from the book, word-for-word. I'd borrow it from the library over and over. It's a fabulous book.

And performer has it backwards: lawyers don't make good magicians, good magicians make good lawyers (magic always appears in life long before lawyering). I'm an entertainment lawyer, specializing in music, an area where scoundrels abide, or as the esteemed Dr. Hunter Thompson put it:

“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.”

Constructing a magic trick involves thinking ahead, many steps ahead, of the audience and working out an entertainment contract is the same. In magic, the audience is trying to penetrate the secret; in music law, the other side is trying to screw you into the ground. In both cases, you need a strong defensive position, the ability to analyze all possible scenarios, and the wit to come to a solution that works for everyone.

As to what attracts me to magic? I've never thought of it as an "attraction." It's as if I never had a choice. I learned my first two tricks, a card location (key card) and a rope trick (slip knot), from my parents when I was about 5 and after that tricks just kept popping into my head, the way a musical theme might with a musician. And they are still popping into my head. Some people have a musical ear and some people have a magical eye.

[performer]

If that is the case then I am wondering why doctors tend to be crap magicians, Dr Daley notwithstanding. After all magic came first with them too.

As for music I am now wondering whether this person was related to Greer Marechal.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/julia-g ... 0002061949

And again talking about music people are a mite surprised when I tell them I had one of the early members of the Iron Maiden band selling svengali decks for me both in Toronto and in the UK.

[Paco Nagata]

“I learned my first trick from my father when I was seven years old, so I wasted the first six years of my life.”
Dai Vernon.
Like Vernon I took up magic when I was 7 years old. It seems that MagicbyAlfred beats both of us, since he took it up at 6. So then he only wasted 5 years of his life.
Thinking about the question:
What Attracts You to Magic?
I aswer:
A card trick I watched on TV performed by Juan Tamariz.
Since then, every time I saw my father playing with my uncles with a deck of cards, I thought they were wasting their time because there weren't doing any magic with the deck of cards.
So, I ask my father for a deck of cards. He gave me an old and well used one. Then I began to thing about how to do magic with it, like the "TV Magicians".
And that was how I started.
As time goes by I was taught some coin, rope... magic... but I usually didn't pay much attention to it. However it was quite OK if I use coin with cards, rope with cards... To me, magic was a deck of cards; and a deck of cards was magic.
I never thought about become a professional. To me that was un unattainable utopia, specially because of a totally lack of motivation; my family members never took me seriosly as a magician no matter how good were my tricks. In addition, in my large entire family there had never been any professional magician and there were very few amateurs, such a uncle and a cousin of mine. So I was very alone during my first years in this hobby. On top of that I was only interested in card magic.
I have never got a cent performing card magic. My card magic life has being always as a family and friendly amateur. Anyway, I'm very proud to say that I have been a GOOD amateur card magician that took seriously that hobby and made enjoy his people.
Doing magic is just another way to have fun in life, and that's why quite a few people take up that hobby.

[MagicbyAlfred]

Paco, today, by clicking the link at the bottom your post, I discovered your book, The Passion of an Amateur Card Magician. Talk about hidden treasure! I have only read the first 30 of the over 400 pages you have written. I am almost at a loss for words, except to say that once I started reading, I quickly realized I had stumbled across something very important and profound. I am humbled, and cannot wait to read more. Gracias, Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano Felicidad!

[Paco Nagata]

Paco, today, by clicking the link at the bottom your post, I discovered your book, The Passion of an Amateur Card Magician. Talk about hidden treasure! I have only read the first 30 of the over 400 pages you have written. I am almost at a loss for words, except to say that once I started reading, I quickly realized I had stumbled across something very important and profound. I am humbled, and cannot wait to read more. Gracias, Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano Felicidad!

Your words are like a Christmas gift!
That's a very nice feedback. It means a lot to me, since that book is the work of my life as an amateur card magician.
I only hope it is useful and/or enjoyable for any one that run into it (^_^)

[performer]

I am going to save your book on my computer once I figure out how to do it. I am interested in your philosophy. You are being very generous letting people have it for nothing. Sadly, because it is free people might not appreciate it. Methinks it might not be a bad idea to consider publishing it properly and get at least some financial recompense for your effort. Of course I am sure you have already thought of that.

[MagicbyAlfred]

Wholeheartedly agree with Performer. It is ironic and disheartening to think that people might not appreciate Paco's book because it doesn't cost anything. I have seen people on here that are willing to spend $100 or $200, and up, on books, without batting an eyelash. Paco's offering goes far beyond "tricks" or "moves," but it is a way of looking at the performance of magic (which just happens to be directed to his passion, card magic). I think he should take the link away and let people compensate him for all the work and experience that went into making that extraordinary book, and for the priceless value they would get out of it if they truly took what he has to say to heart. It is a work that makes one think, re-evaluate and realize the value of being a creator, as opposed to merely an imitator. This is just my opinion, and I suspect he is far more giving than I. He emphasizes and re-emphasizes that he is writing for amateurs from the point of view of an amateur. However, I believe professionals would benefit from the book at least much as amateurs.

I must confess that I am a bit disappointed that many people did not share what draws them to magic. I feel like I shared a lot of myself on this thread, and hoped others would do the same. I naively believed this would be a fascinating topic for people, and that they would be eager to chime in. Alas, only a few have... But c'est la vie - I'll get over it. The good news is that I might never have come across Paco's fantastic work had I not started this thread. And so I have been paid a thousand times over for starting the thread, and for what I've posted. And, due to the inspiration I have gotten from Paco and from Performer (who is also a visionary), I have decided to write my own book. It will be called, How to Make Your Card Magic Entertaining, and today, I had a blast writing the first chapter!

[performer]

Oddly enough the title of your book reminds me of this one:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Card-Tricks- ... B00LMDK4TG

I knew the author Harry Baron. I still do one of the tricks from this book to this day.

As for Paco I will most certainly read his book. The reason I have not done so up until now is that I am not a fan of e-books. I find them so inconvenient to read. And it does your eyes in too. I do a lot of reading in cafes and restaurants and I can't cart a bloody great computer in there with me. I know you can get new fangled gadgets which you can allegedly read anywhere but since I would lose the bloody thing on the subway I am not going to bother.

I hope some magic publisher or other takes a look at his book and makes him an offer. I think his work is wasted as a mere footnote to his posts. It must have taken him ages to write it. It deserves a decent audience.

[Paco Nagata]

I am going to save your book on my computer once I figure out how to do it. I am interested in your philosophy. You are being very generous letting people have it for nothing. Sadly, because it is free people might not appreciate it. Methinks it might not be a bad idea to consider publishing it properly and get at least some financial recompense for your effort. Of course I am sure you have already thought of that.

Certainly, I have thought about that. But I have enjoyed so much writing this book, talking about my personal and (I reckon) interesting amateur card magic life, that I really wanted to share it. And the best way to do it, I thought, was offering it for free (as an amateur). Actually, all of you that read something from this book are already paying me something extremely valuable:
Your time, your trust, and the most important thing; your friendship.

[Paco Nagata]

I have decided to write my own book. It will be called, How to Make Your Card Magic Entertaining, and today, I had a blast writing the first chapter!

I encourage you to do it!
I wish you all luck I can wish!
It may be hard moments in which you will struggle regarding how to organise the chapters or the general content of the book to make it as easier as possible to be read, as well as enjoyable.

[Paco Nagata]

I hope some magic publisher or other takes a look at his book and makes him an offer. I think his work is wasted as a mere footnote to his posts. It must have taken him ages to write it. It deserves a decent audience.

Thank you very much!
In fact, here in Genii Forum there is a well known user called Zig Zagger that did a very nice thing for me; he wrote an article talking about me in his blog. He talked very nice about me and my book.
I'm freely suscribed to his interesting blog, although his posts are not always written in English but in German.

https://zzzauber.wordpress.com/2019/08/ ... r-of-love/

[performer]

To be honest I don't enjoy writing books about magic where I have to describe the technical intricacies of tricks. I didn't particularly enjoy writing the annotated Royal Road for example. Writing technical information and trying to describe which finger goes where so people can understand is not an easy thing to do. I can do it reasonably well but it is indeed a struggle at times.

I am sure we have all read things at times and not understood what the author has to say. It will say something like "hold the coin head side up in your hand" but neglects to say which hand--right or left!
Or "hold the card at the corner with your finger" but doesn't say which corner or which finger!
It is not an easy thing to do and although I can just about do it I don't enjoy it.

[MagicbyAlfred]

Performer Wrote: "Oddly enough the title of your book reminds me of this one:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Card-Tricks- ... B00LMDK4TG
I knew the author Harry Baron. I still do one of the tricks from this book to this day."

Well, my friend, in view of this, I may go back to the drawing board for another title. One that I am considering is: How to be a Successful Magical Entertainer. This may be better for me anyway -- broader in scope. Like many, I love card magic, but I do (or at least try to do) a lot more than card magic. In any event, I am always open to suggestions...

[Dave Le Fevre]

to describe which finger goes where so people can understand is not an easy thing to do

I find that one problem that some people have - and they're presumably completely unaware of it - is that while they "know" that what they've written is clear and accurate, it isn't.

I'm not thinking of any specific author when I write that, I hasten to add. It's a general human failing. I have occasionally described sleights in writing, and it's a struggle.

A similar thing that I often notice is road signage. A local authority puts up signs. Now everybody can navigate to where they wish to go. Except that those signs only work for people who reside in that area.

[Paco Nagata]

To be honest I don't enjoy writing books about magic where I have to describe the technical intricacies of tricks. I didn't particularly enjoy writing the annotated Royal Road for example. Writing technical information and trying to describe which finger goes where so people can understand is not an easy thing to do. I can do it reasonably well but it is indeed a struggle at times.

Definitely it is hard to describe with all detail a card technique. A card magic writer must have a special talent (and patient) for that. I guess that's the reason that some professionals have "his writer": Dai Vernon - Lewis Ganson, Derek Dingle - Richard Kaufman, Alex Elmsley - Stephen Minch...
In my personal case I had no problems, not because I have a talent (BTW I have not), but because I didn't explain in my book almost any card technique; just a couple of personal ideas. What I describe mostly in my book are theoretical concepts and (good) routine ideas. For example, when I describe a personal card trick idea I say "... now you apply the 'rub-a-dub vanish' technique, which we can find on page 301 of 'Expert Card Technique' by Hugard and Braue..." but I don't describe how to do the technique since it's not mine. So, I only say which technique to apply and when in my routine ideas. And that made easier to write the book. In other words, it's not a technical book. I have not talent for that, not the right to describe them.

[MagicbyAlfred]

Paco Wrote: "Certainly, I have thought about that. But I have enjoyed so much writing this book, talking about my personal and (I reckon) interesting amateur card magic life, that I really wanted to share it. And the best way to do it, I thought, was offering it for free (as an amateur). Actually, all of you that read something from this book are already paying me something extremely valuable:
Your time, your trust, and the most important thing; your friendship."

Rarely have I encountered a magician (or persons in any other walk of life) who possess this kind of graciousness, heart, and generosity of spirit. I would bet that in experiencing Paco's magic (which goes well beyond "tricks"), many people, lay or magician, become more attracted to magic. My wish for the New Year is that there will be more magicians (and people in general) like this...

[performer]

I have always thought that the best writer for clarity where describing technical matters is concerned is Harry Lorayne. It is rare that I have to figure out what he is trying to say in print. I also thought Ganson was pretty good. As were Hugard and Braue of course. I have never understood why so many young people today say they can't figure out what the Royal Road is trying to say. They say the writing is old fashioned and "dated" whatever that silly word means. I think they need to apply themselves more if they can't understand it. Or pay more attention to their English lessons in school. Or get a British education.

One silly young magician I know said that the reason I have no problem understanding The Royal Road is because I am 75 years old and familiar with the jargon of the time. I have never heard such a load of twaddle in my life!

Anyway, if they can read they will be able to understand my annotations. If they can't read then there are plenty of pictures!

[Jack Shalom]

...the reason I have no problem understanding The Royal Road is because I am 75 years old and familiar with the jargon of the time.I have never heard such a load of twaddle in my life!

The word the kids use nowadays is "malarky." So I've been told.

[MagicbyAlfred]

Performer Wrote: "I have never understood why so many young people today say they can't figure out what the Royal Road is trying to say. They say the writing is old fashioned and 'dated' whatever that silly word means."

One could have some good clean fun with those who complain of being befuddled by "dated" language in the Royal Road. Just direct them to the chapter on Magic Tricks in Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft, where they can learn:

How to deliver out foure aces, and to con-
vert them into foure knaves, pag. 333. How
to tell one what card he seeth in the bot-
tome, when the same card is shuffled into
the stocke. pag. 334. An other waie to doo
the same, having your selfe indeed never
seene the card. pag. 334. To tell one with-
out confederacie what card he thinketh.
pag- 334-

How to tell what card anie man thinketh,
how to conveie the same into a kernell of
a nut or cheristone, &c : and the same
againe into ones pocket : how to make one
drawe the same or anie card you list, and
all under one devise. pag. 335. "

[performer]

I know I preach that I only like books written before 1954 but I think the above may be a bit extreme even for me.

[Leo Garet]

...the reason I have no problem understanding The Royal Road is because I am 75 years old and familiar with the jargon of the time.I have never heard such a load of twaddle in my life!

The word the kids use nowadays is "malarky." So I've been told.

Jack: Excuse me being thick here, but are you saying that the word the kids use instead of twaddle is malarky?

Just asking. ".....and all that malarky/malarkey is a phrase I inherited from my parents. Both of whom predate RRTCM and Mark Lewis. It was in common usage when they were kids.

And where I live twaddle and malarkey aren't the same. related, but not blood brothers/sisters/cousins/whatever.

And "dated" is not a silly word. It's traditional and totally now. After all Magna Carta* is dated 1215 and RRTCCM is dated 1949.

*Magna Carta....Did She Die In Vain? Hancock, dated 1959.