Michael Ammar – Magic of Michael Ammar

"This book still remains one of my most valued treasures. From casual close up to restaurant to Cups and Balls… it's all here. There's one effect in this book that I built my reputation as a close-up magician off of! Every magician should own this book!" - Andrew Gerard

"A classic, back with us again!" - Derren Brown

"The Magic of Michael Ammar is a timeless classic that deserves a place in every magician's library. It offers powerful, reputation-building magic and insights from a master. Read and study this book—it will make you a better magician." - Cyril Takayama

"A book filled with practical time-tested routines;many of them have become modern classics. Highly recommended!" - Jeff McBride

"The repertoire laid out in this volume could meet the lifetime needs of a professional close-up magician." - David Regal

"The Magic of Michael Ammar was such a ground breaking book during my formative years learning magic! It helped shape the way I viewed my performance and audiences alike, with top notch routine after top notch routine laid out in exceptional detail. Cannot recommend this book highly enough, it being in every magician’s library!" - Oz Pearlman

"This book is how I learned classics including Crazy Man's Handcuffs (238), Pencil Thru Quarter (161), Ring Band-It (135), and more. Michael Ammar's handling and notes honors these tricks and shows how you can elevate them to real magic." - Max T.

"The Magic of Michael Ammar is filled with hard-hitting, classic effects you will use. When this book came out, I devoured it. I worked on and used routines like the Pencil Through Quarter, The Two Card Trick, Crazy Man's Handcuffs, The Thumbtip Bill Switch, and New wave Coins Across for years in my professional work. Everything Michael included is top notch. It raises the bar on magic." - Tim Trono

"The book is a classic in magic! There are so many great routines, thoughts and essays from Ammar! His work on Rubber bands is so clear and easy to follow. If you like coins, cards, rubber bands and although I am not a big fan of cups and balls, his pointers and work on the timeless routine are great! Plus any book with an introduction by David Copperfield is worth its place in anyone's library!" - Brent Geris

The Magic of Michael Ammar is a foundational text in modern magic, from a pivotal figure in the art – named by Magic Magazine as "one of the most influential magicians in the 20th Century" Michael Ammar has won magic plaudits and awards galore, performing for presidents, royalty and celebrities worldwide, with a powerful commercial style that is detailed within this very book.

This large, extensively illustrated book covers the very best of Ammar's work, with dozens of finely crafted magic performance pieces for close up, stand-up, casual and restaurant settings, with full scripting and presentational notes, including his legendary Cups and Balls routine. The book also includes essays that dig deep into Michael's unique philosophy in the art, as well as detailed instructions on Ammar's proven methods for making your magic memorable, and even how to negotiate higher performance fees with proven real-world advice, and even practical worksheets.

The Magic of Michael Ammar is a deep cut through the work and mindset of one of magic's very best performers and thinkers, including material that is now ubiquitous because of it's inarguable excellence, Ammar even shares secrets passed to him from his mentor, Dai Vernon, on how to develop your skills in magic to their highest standards.

If your magic is ready to go to the next level, The Magic of Michael Ammar contains all the material necessary to get you there.

Introduction (by David Copperfield)
Foreword (by Michael Ammar)
Preface (by Mike Maxwell)

CHAPTER 1: Cups & Balls

• Stand-up Cups & Balls

• The Dai Vernon Wand Spin

CHAPTER 2: Utilities

• Retention Vanish

• Amazing Coin Vanish (by Rick Anderson)

• Fingertip Coin Vanish (by John Carney)

• Ultimate One-Finger Spellbound

• Corner Switch

• Bottom Deal Force

• Wiped Clean #1

• Wiped Clean #2

• Clip Card Vanish

• Cut And Restored Rope Replacement

• Side Steal

• Thumb tip Finesse

CHAPTER 3: Eight Philosophical Essays On Magic

• In The Men's Hut

• Super Group

• I've Got Rhythm

• The Unspoken Performance

• Lying: The Unconscious Dilution Of Impact

• Get More Rubals From Your Magic

• I'm In Training

• Have No Mercy

CHAPTER 4: Social Workers

• This'll Flip You Out

• Coin On Ceiling

• Card Matrix

• Snort But Sweet (by Bob Chesebro)

• Silver Certificate (by Lou Gallo)

• Coin In Pen Cap (by David Williamson)

CHAPTER 5: Restaurants

• New Wave Coins Across (by Mike Gallo)

• Reverse Matrix (by Davld Williamson)

• The Vanishing Glass

• Coins Through Table Kicker (by Mike Gallo)

• Now Cut That Out (by David Williamson)

• Switching Sandwiches

• Torn And Restored Cigarette #1

• Torn And Restored Cigarette #2

• Ring Band-It

• Did You Order Salt Or Pepper

• Bluefield Debut

• Broken And Restored Rubber Band Finesse

• The Linking Headbands Pinch

CHAPTER 6: Reputation Makers

• Pencil Thru Quarter

• The Iceman Cometh

• Card Cubes

• Let's Hit The Bottle

CHAPTER 7: Stand-Up

• Silk To Egg

• Indoor Baseball

• Signed Bill In Light Bulb

• Billy. The Hypnotized Balloon

• The Two Card Trick

• Haley's Comet

CHAPTER 8 Magic Management

• Custom Cue Sheets

• Show Sheets

• Personal Project Planner

• Booking Sheets

CHAPTER 9: Classic Renditions

• The Thumb tip Bill Switch

• The Crazy Man's Handcuffs

CHAPTER 10: Bonus Chapter

• False Count With Coins

• Multiple Coin Production

• Double Colour Change

• Kointakey

• Inversion (by James Lewis)

• Incredible Coins Across

• The Vernon Theory Of Artistic Advancement: An Essay

• Challenging Your Experiences: An Essay

• Where Do You Stand?: An Essay

• On Magic Competition – Part One: Technical Preparation

• On Magic Competition – Part Two: Mental Preparation

• Pencil Thru Quarter Finesse (by David Williamson)

CHAPTER 11: Making Magic Memorable

• The Development Of Style

• Eight Principles For Making Magic Memorable

CHAPTER 12: Negotiating Higher Performance Fees

• Negotiating

• The Three Stages Of Negotiation

• Nine Gambits