Ebook - Preserving Mystery by Jamy Ian Swiss (Digital Download)
Description & Effect
Unlocking the Art of Magic with Jamy Ian Swiss
After nearly a decade, Jamy Ian Swiss, one of magic's most influential and persuasive voices, makes a highly-anticipated return to the printed page with 'Preserving Mystery.' This comprehensive 250-page digital volume is an indispensable collection of 18 thought-provoking essays designed to stimulate, inform, excite, entertain, and perhaps even challenge serious magicians. Delve into the intricate world of magic's art, craft, and history through Swiss's unparalleled perspective.
Essays That Transform Your Practice
Within these pages, Swiss meticulously examines core principles that define masterful performance. In 'Gaffs versus Skill,' he dissects the advantages and disadvantages of each approach, guiding you on method selection. 'What Works' explores the critical interplay of venue, audience expectations, and the profound impact of respecting your audience to produce superior work. A special chapter, 'Yesterdays,' memorializes legends like Michael Skinner, Imam, and Al Flosso, featuring original sleights and tricks from mentors Michael Skinner and Earl 'Presto' Johnson. Swiss offers a clear, practical analysis of mentalism versus mental magic in 'Dichotomies,' while 'Hacked to Death,' one of several entirely new essays, courageously explores the true nature of originality in magic.
The Voice of Experience
Jamy Ian Swiss is renowned as an acclaimed performer, esteemed lecturer, outspoken critic, and erudite historian. For 18 years, he shaped discourse as a book reviewer and feature writer for 'Genii' magazine, and continues to do so at magicana.com. His critiques, while occasionally scathing, are always earnest and packed with insight, provocation, and humor. In 'Preserving Mystery,' Swiss sharpens his focus on the actual performance of magic, providing a guided path to truly enlightened performance, pushing past conventional assumptions to elevate the art and its artists.
Deep Dives into Key Concepts
This ebook, featuring an introduction by 'New Yorker' contributor Adam Gopnik, covers essential topics for any aspiring or seasoned magician. Explore 'Making Introductions,' a rumination on learning, the value of various resources, and industry pitfalls. Discover the hidden value of a broad foundation in close-up magic and how to suit your repertoire in 'Suiting Repertoire.' Swiss takes an unexpected turn in 'The French Drop,' thoroughly dissecting this hackneyed sleight with illustrations, offering invaluable lessons applicable to all facets of your magic. The 'SSSS: The Swiss Sleight Study System' provides a utilitarian roadmap for mastering card and coin sleight-of-hand. Finally, in 'Preserving Mystery,' Swiss reflects on his own journey and how all magicians can deepen the magical experience for their audiences.
Original Specs
Preserving Mystery by Jamy Ian Swiss ( Instant Download )
After nearly a decade, magic's most influential and persuasive voice returns to the printed page, in the highly-anticipated Preserving Mystery. This 250-page volume is a collection of 18 thought-provoking essays about the art, craft, and history of magic that is likely to stimulate, inform, excite, entertain, and perhaps occasionally enrage any serious magician. In essays including "Gaffs versus Skill," Jamy examines the costs and benefits of each, and how to choose which method to rely on. In "What Works," Jamy considers the role of venue, audience expectations, and how respect for the audience produces better work. He memorializes legends Michael Skinner, Imam, Al Flosso and more in a special chapter of essays called "Yesterdays," including original sleights and tricks by mentors Michael Skinner and Earl "Presto" Johnson. In "Dichotomies," he offers a clear and useful analysis of the oft-argued distinctions between mentalism and mental magic. And in "Hacked to Death,"-one of several entirely new essays written just for Preserving Mystery-Swiss explores the nature of originality in magic.
Jamy Ian Swiss is many things to many people: acclaimed performer, esteemed lecturer, outspoken critic, erudite historian, pioneering skeptic. But he is, above all, one of magic's most important voices-a lifelong advocate for the art. As a book reviewer and feature writer for Genii magazine for 18 years, and now a reviewer and blogger in the Lyons Den at magicana.com, Mr. Swiss has long provided readers with a steady fire hose of insight, provocation, and humor, and while his critiques are occasionally scathing, they are invariably earnest. In Preserving Mystery, Swiss turns his focus to the performance of magic, and how to improve and elevate the art and its artists.
Reading Swiss's work, we find ourselves pushing past the tradition-bound assumptions of our field to new and ever-higher terrain. He carries the finely-honed sensibilities of past masters into present day relevance, and with wit and personality, presents us with a guided path to enlightened performance.
Preserving Mystery includes an introduction by New Yorker contributor and best-selling author Adam Gopnik, and explores topics including:
"Making Introductions": A rumination on how we learn, the value of books and videos, and where the magic industry leads magicians astray.
"Suiting Repertoire": Swiss explores the hidden value in laying a broad, sturdy foundation in your study of close-up magic, and how, precisely, to find the right move or trick for the right occasion.
"The French Drop": In an unexpected turn, Mr. Swiss thoroughly dissects and describes (including illustrations) the hackneyed French Drop, providing valuable lessons not only for this sleight, but in how to approach every facet of your magic.
"SSSS: The Swiss Sleight Study System": This, perhaps the most utilitarian essay in Preserving Mystery, is a roadmap on how to learn sleight-of-hand magic with cards and coins.
"Preserving Mystery": In the most personal essay in this collection, Swiss reflects on his own path to magic, and then zooms out to ponder how all of us might deepen the magical experience.
