Sorcerer by Martin Breese

Back in the 1980's when Martin Breese was a fledgling Magic Dealer advertising regularly in Abracadabra he decided to create a little free house magazine to keep his clients in touch with magic that he was releasing and information about the magic scene for those who were not living in London or within easy reach of London. The Newsletter grew until one day it was so successful that he decided to turn it into a proper magic magazine and so Sorcerer Magazine was born.

Now in this digital edition we have combined all the issues of The Newsletter and Sorcerer Magazine. It is a window on the history of the magic scene in the London of the 1980's as well as a chronology of Martin's magic business.

Most issues had excellent original tricks from many big names and numerous contributions from Stephen Tucker and David Britland. Other contributors included: Peter McDonald, Hiruhito Hirata, Max Maven, Harry Seed, Ken de Courcy, Basil Horwitz, Bill Zavis, John Mendoza, Paul Hallas, Michael Austin, Reinhard Müller, Bob Quilietti, Paul Brignal, Al Smith, Amos Hudini, Simon Dixon, Solyl Kundu, Alex East, Jim Adams, Henrique, John Jarvis, Nigel Backhurst and even Martin Breese.

There were reprints of good material too from Eddie Joseph and Edward Victor. The magazine had a great following and as original copies are hard to find we are sure that many will welcome this version of The Newsletter and Sorcerer. This digital edition is a faithful reproduction of the original issues complete with all the original typographic errors just as it was published.

697 pages

News Sheet

1. News-Sheet No. 1 – Martin Breese in Exile – November 1980 – 12 pages

2. open letter from Martin Breese about situation with ABRA

3. Goodlifffe is Seriously Ill in Hospital

4. So What is Happening Back Here at the Ranch – items at the shop

5. Migration – by Steve Dusheck & Ed Mishell – after sales sheet and additional notes

6. more items at the shop

7. Unsolicited Testimonials

8. more comments from Martin Breese

9. Coming Along Fast – items in the works

10. Christmas Card

1. News-Sheet No. 2 – March 1981 – 16 pages

2. Lewis Ganson and Goodliffe

3. Jat – illustrator

4. Master Handling of ‘Zig Zag Deck’ – Alex M. East

5. Big Oaks from little Acorns – editorial comments

6. Zig Zag Extras – Alex M. East

7. The Magic Lounge – construction report

8. ’Room Service’

9. new effects for sale

10. In Writing from our Customers – letters

11. From the News Desk – Finn Jon & Richard Ross at the Crazy Horse

12. Collector’s Corner

13. Paul Daniels Show – brief comments

14. Magical Coincidences (?) – while traveling

15. Sterling Products and Johnson Products – both to be available

16. Ren Kin Jutsu – effect from Haruhito Hirata

17. Pound Note Routine – Harry Seed

18. Mendoza Book arrives

19. Magic Medallion – effect by Martyn Long

20. Back to the Hard Commercial World – items for sale

21. Crazy Caption Contest

1. News-Sheet No. 3 – July 1981 – 20 pages

2. Magic Lounge – open

3. It Is Curtains – new video topes

4. Jack Yates – Martin Breese’s new agent for Africa

5. Crazy Caption Contest – winner

6. Top 100 Club – report

7. Newsletter No. 3 Available with a Supplement [not included]

8. more items at the shop

9. Good News – order at the current prices before the new catalog prices come out

10. More Solid Deception – new style fake – Paul Hallas

11. O-Key-To – effect by Paul Hallas

12. more item at the shop

13. Crazy Caption Contest

1. News-Sheet No. 4 – Convention Special – Summer 1981 – 16 pages

2. The Professional Scene – reported by Terry Seabrooke

3. Billy McComb Teach-In Session – announcement

4. items at the shop

5. John Mendoza Lecture – announcement

6. books at the shop

7. The Magic Lounge – description

8. more items & books at the shop

9. Routine for the 5 Knife Set – Michael J. Austin

10. more items & books at the shop

11. My Spoon Trick – effect by Martin Breese

12. closing comments

1. News-Sheet No. 5 – November 1981 – 24 pages

2. miscellaneous comments from Martin Breese

3. map to the Magic Lounge

4. Babel Magazine – review

5. John Mendoza London Lecture – confirmation

6. items in the shop

7. The Misdirected Flying Ring of Basil Horwitz – described by Owen Griffiths

8. more items at the shop

9. poem by Vic Conners

10. more items at the shop

11. death notices for Jim McCall, Raymond Hafler & Maurice Fogel

12. more items at the shop

1. News-Sheet No. 6 – The Day of Close-Up Magic Convention Issue – 1982 – 24 pages

2. The Day of Close-Up Magic – announcement

3. Meet John Mendoza

4. The World’s Fastest Mind Reader – Graham P. Jolley – announcement

5. more news about the Convention

6. Magic at the New Cresta, Solihuull

7. Magic at Christmas

8. Roger Crosthwaite booked

9. Bill Nagler, M.D. – lecture tour

10. Here is the Programme

11. item at the shop

1. News-Sheet No. 7 – 1982 – 24 pages

2. Hello – comments from Martin Breese

3. The Day of Close Up Magic – report

4. Bob Read Lecture – announcement

5. Ken Brooke – The Ace Place – and the Magic Lounge – announcement

6. items at the shop

7. Zig-Zag Cig-nature – effect

8. correspondence and additional comments from Martin Breese

9. Alec Pendle’s Cosmic Connection – additions by Frank Prescott

10. additional items at the shop

1. News-Sheet No. 8 – June 1982 – 21 pages

2. comments from Martin Breese

3. items at the shop

4. Sugar Stack – effect by John Mendoza

5. more items at the shop

1. News-Sheet No. 9 – Convention Special – September 1982 – 24 pages

2. comments from Martin Breese

3. items at the shop

4. Dichotomy – effect by Phil Goldstein

5. The Twenty Card Coincidence – effect by John Mendoza

6. more items at the shop

7. Magic Lantern at the Narrowboat Theatre – promotion

8. map to the Magic Lounge

9. Alternative Mandarin – effect by Paul Hallas

10. more items at the shop

1. News-Sheet No. 10 – October 1982 – 32 pages

2. comments from Martin Breese

3. items at the shop

4. Alternative Handling for Clones – Aubrey Sinden

5. One Armed Jack and the Talking Pack – effect by Colin H. Linn

6. more items at the shop

1. News-Sheet No. 11 – January 1983 – 20 pages

2. items at the shop

3. The Great Soprendo – lecture announcement

4. more items at the shop

5. Evolution of an Effect – card effect from John Mendoza

6. Additional Routine for the Al Koran Medallion – Henrique

7. more items at the shop

1. News-Sheet No. 12 – 1983 – 16 pages

2. Ken Brooke – obituary

3. items at the shop

4. Peek Handling for Jerry Sadowitz’s “The Whisperers” – Bill Zavis

5. more items at the shop

6. Spell-Binder Special Issue

7. more items at the shop

8. What’s in a Name? – marked deck routine by John Jarvis

1. News-Sheet No. 13 – July 1983 – 20 pages

2. comments from Martin Breese

3. items at the shop

4. Number Sense – Eddie Joseph

5. Editor’s Page – Stephen Tucker

6. more items at the shop

7. Unmarketed – routine for the Ted Lesley Working Performer’s Marked Deck – Stephen Tucker

8. Classico – coin effect – Stephen Tucker

9. Cutting Corners – card effect – Stephen Tucker

10. more items at the shop

1. News-Sheet No. 14 – December 1983 – 36 pages

2. items at the shop

3. Editorial – Martin Breese

4. more items at the shop

5. Arrival – variation of John Mendoza’s “Dollar Sandwich” – David Britland

6. more items at the shop

7. Comment

8. more items at the shop

9. Mind-Nova – ESP card effect – Basil Horwitz

10. more items at the shop

11. All Square – reprinted effect – Peter A. McDonald

12. more items at the shop

13. Collectors Corner

14. Book Shelf – books at the shop

15. more items at the shop

The Sorcerer

1. Sorcerer – Premier Issue – December 1983 – 26 pages incl. covers

2. Editorial – Martin Breese

3. Book Shelf – books at the shop

4. comments and more items at the shop

5. Out of Becker – Peter A. McDonald

6. Collector’s Corner

7. more items at the shop

8. A Passe-Passe Coin Effect – Edward Victor – reprint

9. more items at the shop

1. Sorcerer – Second Issue – n.d. – 26 pages incl. covers

2. Editorial – Martin Breese

3. The Magic Club Junior Close-Up Competition and Day of Magic – announcement

4. The Cat is Out of the Bag – Rumors

5. Horwitz Wallet – advertisement

6. The Pink Peeker – book test – Stephen Tucker from Spell-Binder 3

7. items at the shop

8. Collectors Corner

9. more items at the shop

10. Book Shelf – books at the shop

11. Crayon – effect – Stephen Tucker from Spell-Binder 3

12. Video Magic – VHS tapes at the shop

1. Sorcerer – Third Issue – n.d. – 26 pages incl. covers

2. Editorial – Martin Breese

3. Catalogue News

4. Three to the Top – card effect – Nigel Backhurst

5. Congratulations to Abracadabra on reaching issue 2000

6. Collectors Corner

7. more comments from Martin Breese

8. items at the shop

9. A Note from Bob Quilietti – testimonial for Crikey

10. Fraud Swap – card effect – David Britland

11. Book Shelf – books at the shop

12. New from the U.S.A. – new items at the shop

13. more items at the shop

14. Exposure – article by Martin Breese

15. Help Wanted – reader needs assistance

16. more items at the shop

17. Closure – card effect – Phil Goldstein

18. more items at the shop

19. Hopscotch – effect – Phil Goldstein from Spell-Binder 23

1. Sorcerer – Fourth Issue – n.d. – 34 pages incl. covers

2. Editorial – Martin Breese

3. Street Entertainers – festival at Covent Garden

4. items at the shop

5. Chinka Dice – Chink-a-Chink routine – David Britland

6. more items at the shop

7. Scotch on the Hop – effect – Patrick Page

8. more items at the shop

9. Gremlins – effect – Stephen Tucker

10. more items at the shop

1. Sorcerer – Fifth Issue – October 1984 – 38 pages incl. covers

2. Editorial – Martin Breese

3. The Vampire Ring – finger ring effect – Paul Brignall

4. items at the shop

5. More Velleda Variations – David Britland

6. more items at the shop

7. Ken De Courcy Writes – new routine for Drikey

8. more items at the shop

9. A Bob Quilietti Review – of David Roth’s Video

10. more items at the shop

11. Talking Tables in the Wee Small Hours – article by Bob Quilietti

12. The Moving Finger Writes – effect by Bob Quilietti

13. more items at the shop

1. Sorcerer – Sixth Issue – n.d. – 42 pages incl. covers

2. Editorial – Martin Breese

3. items at the shop

4. Bob Quilietti on ‘Video’ – reviews of new VHS tapes

5. more items at the shop

6. Credit Fraud – mental effect – Paul Brignall

7. more items at the shop

8. A Little Light Entertainment – effect – Cliff Moss

9. more items at the shop

10. The Spellbound Deck – card & coin effect – David Britland

11. more items at the shop

12. Cigarette Through Coin – coin effect – Al Schneider

13. more items at the shop

14. Coin Thru – effect – Amos Hudini

15. Great Balls of Fire – effect – Amos Hudini

16. more items at the shop

17. I’d Rather be in Philadelphia – card effect – David Britland

18. more items at the shop

19. John Lenahan lecture announcement

1. Sorcerer – Seventh Issue – n.d. – 50 pages incl. covers

2. Editorial – Martin Breese

3. Exposure – article by Al Smith

4. Colour Sandwich – card routine – Simon Dixon

5. Bob Quilietti on the Horwitz Wallet

6. Pink Elephants – effect – Solyl Kundu

7. items at the shop

8. Aces High – card effect – David Britland

9. Clickety Click – card effect – David Britland

10. Decoy – card effect – David Britland

11. Universal Coin – coin effect – David Britland

12. more items at the shop

13. Coin Thru Ring – coin effect – Al Schneider

14. more items at the shop

15. Card to Wallet – card effect – Paul Brignall

16. more items at the shop

17. books in stock (and VHS)

18. Editorial – continued

1. Sorcerer – Eighth Issue – N.d. – 50 pages incl. covers

2. Editorial – Martin Breese

3. items at the shop

4. Maxi-Maxi Twist – card effect – John Mendoza

5. more items at the shop

6. Printer’s Dilemma – effect – David Britland

7. more items at the shop

8. Another Fine Mesh – card effect – David Britland

9. more items at the shop

10. Flip-Top – card effect – David Britland

11. more items at the shop

12. Bob Quilietti on the Brilliant Coin Vanish

13. more items at the shop

14. A Word to the Wise – book test – David Britland

15. more items at the shop

16. 
    

17. more items at the shop

18. Editorial – continued

1. Sorcerer – Ninth Issue – November 1985 – 50 pages incl. covers

2. Editorial – Martin Breese

3. items at the shop

4. Ringing the Changes – routine for Wild Rings of Bob Little – John Jarvis

5. more items at the shop

6. Die Cutter – card effect – David Britland

7. more items at the shop

8. Ghost Spellers – Phil Goldstein

9. more items at the shop

10. Gecmetrick – effect – David Britland

11. more items at the shop

12. John Jarvis on Star Gate

13. Double Fantasy Changes the More Things – card effect – Reinhard Müller

14. No-Second-Deal Master of the Game – card effect – Reinhard Müller

15. more items at the shop

16. A Short Spell – card effect – Martin Breese

17. more items at the shop

18. Editorial – continued

1. Sorcerer – Tenth Issue – February 1986 – 50 pages incl. covers

2. Editorial – Martin Breese

• The Cosmosis (Levitation) Correspondence

3. items at the shop

4. Elusive Blades – knife effect reprint – Eddie Joseph

5. more items at the shop

6. Spellstack – card effect – David Britland

7. more items at the shop

8. This, That and the Other – card effect – Jim Adams

9. more items at the shop

10. Mindspell – card effect – David Britland

11. more items at the shop

12. Editorial – continued

13.