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Review of the Magic Gourmet (Lewis Jones) the Magic REVIEW OF THE MAGIC GOURMET (LEWIS JONES) THE MAGIC GOURMET By Lewis Jones 44 Effects, 154 pages, soft-cover, illustrated with about 101 photographs (2007). Published by the author Price: 25 British Sterling Pounds (£5 Postage) Available directly from Lewis Jones at [email protected] He accepts VISA and MASTERCARD and PAYPAL. Before you read any further, allow me to state for the record that I have no financial interest in this book. I know Lewis Jones as a personal friend. I am a fan of his magical ideas. I use many of Lewis’s effects in my repertoire. You may have heard of the huge collection of effects called THE MAGIC MENU? Now, straight from the mind of Lewis Jones is THE MAGIC GOURMET. Lewis Jones latest book on magic (his twelfth), THE MAGIC GOURMET features easy-to-do, magic with and without cards. I must qualify that easy-to-do does not mean it does not fool audiences. Instead, Lewis’s effects slay lay audiences and magicians (!) – What a delightful combination! His conditions for card magic are: from a borrowed, shuffled deck in use; motivated use of sleights (he keeps it easy and natural-looking). His requirements for constructing magical effects have not changed since his previous three hardcover books: AHEAD OF THE PACK (with Jack Avis), ENCYCLOPEDIA OF IMPROMPTU CARD FORCES, and SEVENTH HEAVEN. He has another eight books published before this! Lewis Jones is responsible for contributing his Lewis Jones Pattern Principle, a powerful secret in impromptu card mentalism. He has discovered many devious principles and enhanced many standard magical effects. Whether you are a close-up magician or mentalist, I am sure readers will find gems which they will use immediately. THE MAGIC GOURMET covers seven main sections, namely: The gambler, The spectator as magician, Cards as people, Mind over matter, Using more spectators, Hand work, and Without cards. There is a lot on your plate to sample; and in any order of your gastronomic choice. The book cover looks like a table set for one diner: a fork with twisted tines, a spoon with a twisted stem, and a knife with three spots of paper (akin to an impromptu Paddle). On the plate comfortably sits the main menu – the title. There may be magical innuendoes and subtleties just on the cover alone! Lewis writes in a clear, purposeful style that is very readable. His subtle sense of humour will be experienced in his descriptions and explanations. His decades of work as a professional writer, editor and journalist shows through the lucid description! I have yet to spot a typological error! Lewis has been compare with Steward James, Jerry Andrus, Lennart Green and Simon Aronson. He is a one-of-a-kind thinker! On the rear cover page, you will read glowing reviews of his works by Paul Daniels, Penn & Teller, Ian Rowland, Steve Bryant (Little Egypt Magic), Michael Close, Al Smith (Abra) and Steve Beam. The latter has consistently included material by the prolific Lewis in almost all volumes of his seminal Semi-Automatic Card Tricks series. One section on rubber-band magic credits an effect to Singaporean amateur magician, Tang Sai Thong. 11 pages are devoted to Robber Bairns (Lewis is a wordsmith, and a very cheeky one when it comes to titling his effects); Sai Thong is recognised in his SLO-MO-ESCAPE. I especially enjoyed Lewis's laymen version of Any Card, Any Number – there is no sleight of hand involved. If you enjoy impromptu, book-tests, head straight towards the Books section for Word Perfect, Magnum Opus, and Book of Words. More than just mentalism effects, Lewis has provided presentational slants that shift the standard call out a page number, doing simple mathematics, and arriving at a line and word. He removes the concern that it is a mathematical parlor trick and stands alone as a mind-reading feat. Even the Elephant in Denmark mental effect is given a hard shake as he removes the confusing mathematical procedure. As a coin-worker, I enjoyed the thinking behind Three Through to be a refreshing take on the Coins Through Table. Lewis breaks away from tradition and all the rules by having three different coins penetrate a table, one at a time, and into an awaiting shot glass. His use of standard coin sleights is diabolical. This should easily go into your performing menu. The ever-considerate Lewis has printed his fourth book in soft cover, so as to defray the punitive cost of postage and handling from the UK. I barely noticed its weight when I collected my package with this book. We have been privileged to have two items see earlier print (and now improved), namely Hup! (featured in the IBM 115 Ring Parade, The Linking Ring, 2005) and Calendar Capers (The Quantum Ring). Do purchase this book (directly from Lewis, at lewis.jones @ukonline.co.uk) if you have not owned the others. I am sure that you will find useful applications and a new trick that you will seriously consider. I relished this book as I have the previous three. This book is more than a collection of tricks. It is a menu that has been reviewed by the magic gourmet so that it appears classier, yet tastier to the audience. There is something for the magician to use, or consider seriously. Lewis makes each effect practical, as well as well as treats both performer and audience as intelligent people. It may be our chance to redeem magicians as performers of a higher order. Finally, the kicker! For Singaporean magicians, there is a discount price: £20 with NO POSTAGE. - Reviewed by Enrico Varella .
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