The Genii Forum

like making somebody appear and stuff like that and are there some really easy ones to make like out of cardboard or something

I think the book you want is called U.F. Grant's Victory Carton Illusions or something like that. Google it.

That is exactly what it's called and it is still in print. Just Google it as Richard printed it.
You can also find an "E" version at Lybrary.com.

You can check it out here http://www.lybrary.com/victory-carton-i ... p-312.html But I would also encourage you to check out some of the other illusion builder products you can find here http://www.lybrary.com/magic-illusions- ... 21_30.html

In particular I would recommend the Jack Hughes trilogy which will have you building for a lifetime. http://www.lybrary.com/jack-hughes-worl ... 94071.html

And the "So You Want to Be An Illusionist" by David Seebach is a must read. http://www.lybrary.com/so-you-want-to-b ... 04156.html

All we have at The Magic Nook are instructions for making magic yourself; all kinds from close-up to stage illusions.

You might want to check the illusions section of the Mark Wilson Course. If memory serves, all are easy to build.

In particular I would recommend the Jack Hughes trilogy

I'm certainly not a magic expert but I've never heard of Jack Hughes before today. The brief mentions of him on Lybray and Magicpedia both suggest he merits a lot more attention and recognition. Lubor Fiedler was another name that came to my attention in the past year as a magic innovator and I was thrilled to see the Genii cover story on him before I regrettably had to let my subscription lapse.

Does anyone else come to mind as someone who deserves greater attention for their contributions behind-the-scenes? I love reading biographies of magicians and have thought about getting Stars of Magic but I think it focuses on performers.

Jack Hughes was a brilliant guy. He invented what later became known as "Copentro" when Bob Kline put it on the market.

There is a book entitled Midnight Fantasy by Wally Reid which explains some illusions. I may have an extra copy of that book I can sell you if you are interested.