What sets a professional magician apart from an amateur? You might think it’s all about skill, but that’s not quite the full picture. The term amateur originates from the French word for "lover of." It suggests a passion for the craft, regardless of whether it pays the bills. However, for the pros, the stakes are higher—performing a trick needs to be spectacular enough to cover rent. For amateurs, there’s comfort in knowing that the tricks they’re attempting have been road-tested and are bound to leave their mates agog. That’s why we wholeheartedly endorse The Commercial Magic of J.C. Wagner by Mike Maxwell.
After a decade-long hiatus from print, Murphy's Magic is thrilled to reintroduce this classic collection to a fresh wave of magicians.
Spanning a hefty 122 pages, you’ll dive into 37 of J.C. Wagner’s tried-and-true, crowd-pleasing effects. They’re organised into six snazzy categories: Commercial Stunners, Four Ace Routines, Coin Magic, J.C on Estimation, Packet Magic, and Card Magic. If there’s a magic style you fancy, you can bet J.C. has mastered it along the way.
Here’s a cheeky taster of some of the tricks you’ll pick up:
Entertainment Tacks: A spectator signs a card, which promptly takes a holiday in the deck. You wrap it all up in rubber bands and a borrowed note, then hurl the lot at the ceiling. Fifty-one cards plummet down, but their signed card and the banknote? They’re stuck up there like they’re auditioning for a ceiling show!
Super Closer: With a flick of your wrist, you find the four aces in a shuffled deck, followed by the four kings. To cap it all off, you reveal that the deck has conveniently sorted itself into four piles, each one a single suit. (Decks can be surprisingly tidy when they want to be.)
Card Under The Drink: A card is chosen and lost within the deck. You spread the cards across the table, and lo and behold, one card is face up. But—plot twist—it’s not the spectator’s card! Instead, you casually inform them that it’s hiding beneath their drink! Do yourself a favour and check out J.C.'s performance of this on YouTube for a proper laugh.
You don’t need to pay the bills with magic to call yourself a magician, but with this book in hand, making it a reality might just be within reach.
