Product (Books, Tricks & DVDs) Reviews & Comments

Here’s what they say about Paul Gordon;

His magic books, tricks, dvds; and his shows & lectures.

 

ALDO COLOMBINI "Paul Gordon is the creator of practical, entertaining magic for close-up. Viewing his creative and unique approaches will open new doors for thought and will help you be a better magician."

 

J. C WAGNER “Your Corner of Piccadilly is wonderful. You are a great performer, my friend! Paul Gordon is one fine performer! His style is a lot like mine when I'm performing behind the bar. His effects are straight to the point. Short and sweet with his personality overshinning and guiding you through his magic. I'm sure you will delight in what he has given away in this new book. Listen to what he says about what effects to select in your performance's and the smart advice he gives you from a working pro! Enjoy my friends!”

 

CAMERON FRANCIS “Just finished watching Card Startlers (3 DVD set) and all I can say is Wow! I love this set. Great practical card stuff! The perfect set for lovers of card magic. My previous exposure to Paul's stuff was through some of Peter Duffie's compilation ebooks and Aldo Colombini's books and dvds. Nice to finally see the man himself at work. I especially enjoyed the live segments where you see him perform for lay folk. Favorites from the set would be hard to pick as there are many but some of them include: Diminishing Not Likely, Twister, Emulsion Cards, Knock Em Dead, Jinx Force Concept, Eureka!, Fry Them With Oil And Water, Session Stunner, Twin Peeks, What A Triple Kick. The best part is that most of it is very easy to do. Not knuckle busting material at all. But the cleverness of some of the concepts will make you smile. Loads of fun stuff to play with. Some minor set ups for some tricks but nothing you couldn't do quickly. Lots of impromptu stuff, too. On a side note, for any of you who own my Killer Close Up dvd, the first routine on the disc, Ace-Equence, contains an opening effect which is very similar to Paul's effect "Eureka!". This was a case of independent creation as I was not aware of Paul's routine at the time. However, all credit for the effect goes to Paul."

 

MAX MAVEN “As a contributor to the original 1982 version, it should be obvious that I'm a fan of the types of offbeat binary material to be found in the expanded "16th Card Book" and its sequel. Indeed, I'm looking forward to the next one.”

 

JOHN GUASTAFERRO “Thank you for your wonderful book, Cardistry. I'm enjoying it a great deal. I love your take on Jack Parker’s Ouroboros.”

 

MIKE POWERS “Yes, the ‘Blow The Roof Of Magician Fooler’ (from Carbon Footprints) is very good indeed!”

 

WALT LEES “Paul Gordon held some fifty people enthralled as he demonstrated some items from his books. In situations like this, his command is phenomenal. With his showmanship and personality power he makes card tricks entertaining and meaningful…he has them hanging onto his every word – not just for a few minutes but for an hour or so! Paul has all the attack of a Ken Brooke or a Rovi! Watch Paul Gordon [perform] on his “Card Startlers” DVD to see what proper card magic looks like and the response it gets.”

 

STEVE BEAM “The Gordon Principle is pretty darned clever!”

 

RAFAEL BENATAR “Paul Gordon is one of the most prolific authors of magic books in recent years. The books, as well as his marketed tricks, are of a very high quality, only matched by the fine choice of material.”

 

J. K. HARTMAN “Thanks for your wonderful book. (Second 16th Card Book.) You approach your effects with great magical enthusiasm.”

 

MARTY KANE “With the 1997 publication of Nocturnal Creations, Paul Gordon struck a fresh chord in the world of card magic.  Here was a diverse collection of audience-tested, practical, entertaining effects requiring no advanced skills. The publication of a few more tomes of similar calibre cemented Paul's reputation in the card magic field. “

 

MARC DeSOUZA “Paul Gordon is a force to reckon with in the field of magic. From commercial effects, to substantial tomes on card magic to valuable additions to the history of our art, Paul is constantly producing material that is well worth reading...thoughtful and thought provoking.”

 

IAN ROWLAND “I would just say that I've seen Paul lecture and teach card magic, and he really is first rate. It's all good, practical, commercial 'worker' card magic, plenty of range (from beginner to 'some practice necessary') and lots of original thinking applied to plots both old and new. Paul's delightfully ingenious 'Carbon Footprint' principle is one every magician should have in his armoury. Plus, he's a nice guy and never takes things too seriously. If you're lucky, very lucky, you might even persuade him to perform (sing) the 'One For The Road' routine. One of the best things ever seen at FFFF!”

 

STEPHEN MINCH “I am appreciative of Paul Gordon's efforts in bringing back into focus various works of quality from decades past; works that deserve to be remembered and studied, and can be, in part due to Mr. Gordon's making them once more available.”

 

TOM CRAVEN "I cannot say enough about the many magicians helped by Paul Gordon of the UK. His ideas, his thinking, his writing, have encouraged many. Even someone like myself that has been in magic (forever) has benefited from his ideas.”

 

PETER DUFFIE “Paul Gordon is a prolific writer, publisher, entertainer, lecturer and inventor. His direct approach to methodology has gained him a large fan-base worldwide. Within The Keeper Card Book you will find some great magician foolers as well as some fine lay-audience tricks. This book is definitely a “keeper. I am amazed how quickly you are able to produce quality products - both in design and content. I spent this morning perusing the pages of The Unplanned Card Book, and I think this is one of your best books to date. It has a wide range of plots and principles that I found appealing. If this is your "unplanned" card book, I look forward to your "planned" one!"

 

JIM SISTI “Paul has done a service to the literature of card magic [The Second 16th Card Book] by not only resurrecting this gem but also giving it a new coat of paint. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent between its covers and if you're a card magic aficionado, I suspect you will, also.”

 

HARRY LORAYNE “I could not find one bad trick in Nocturnal Creations! Explorations, too, contains some awfully good ideas! Well done! By the way, Paul – I love your card work!”

 

MIKE MAXWELL "I can see the impact from Paul's fine books & tricks!"

ROBERTO GIOBBI "You worked hard on these books. The tricks are all practical and effective."

 

MIKE CLOSE "I enjoyed Protean Card Magic...all the routines are explained clearly. If you like Apocalypse...you'll like this book."

ROGER CROSTHWAITE "Cause And Effect is simply fantastic...I love the magic! Cardistry is really your best book ever!"

 

PHIL WILLMARTH "The very best (Gordon Diary Trick) diary trick ever!"

 

JAMY IAN SWISS "The Gordon Diary Trick is a superb addition to the diary genre!"

 

PETER SCARLETT “I have been very enthusiastic about his work. Rarely can I sit through a video, but with Paul's - I did!"

RICHARD VOLLMER "Nocturnal Creations is excellent. Psychotronic Rides Again has gone into my act! Re: Second 16th Card Book; nice job, good tricks!”

 

ALAN SHAXON “I’ve already added The Gordon Diary Trick & Easy Ace Estimation (from Nocturnal Creations) to my act!”

 

NICK TROST “Card Conjuring (reprinted in Card Collective) is your best book. The material is outstanding!”

 

ROY WALTON "Explorations is a beautifully produced booklet with material within that I find of great interest!"

 

MATT FIELD "Explorations is a good effort from Paul." Re: R. W. Hull’s The Complete Eye-Openers. "I enjoyed this book, and am pleased to have it on my bookshelf. Well done, Paul Gordon!" (See, also, Matt’s reviews of The Keeper Card Book and Paul’s reprint of The Cardiste in The Magic Circular.)

 

JON RACHERBAUMER “Excellent job, my friend. (Second 16th Card Book.) Compact, succinct, and stimulating!"

 

SHAWN FARQUHAR “I enjoyed your lecture and performance at 4F’s. You have a wickedly good [singing] voice and were the highlight of that show!”

 

PAUL HALLAS “Cardistry is an enjoyable read with some neat routines and is worth a look. My favourites are Shocked Aces, We're In The Money, Discombobulated and Most Amazing. To be actually using four items from one book is pretty good for me. Cardistry should certainly be included in the nominations (of best book).”

 

ALEXANDER DeCOVA “I wish I had those ideas; your stuff is simply great!”

 

DAVID GOODSELL “Card Magic Companion contains direct magic…magic you can master…tricks you can do!”

 

JACK AVIS “Paul Gordon constantly has good commercial and well thought out ideas. Clever thinker!”

 

WOODY LANDERS “Very good material; as recommended to me by Howard Schwarzman!”

 

HOWARD FLINT “Explorations is a marvellous publication. Card workers will be well advised to get this!”

 

AL SMITH “Explorations is an enjoyable collection of maths-based card items…I like it!”

 

IAN BAXTER “Nocturnal Creations is a treasure trove of first rate material.”

 

MAGIC CHRISTIAN “You show a very good knowledge of card magic.”

 

MARK RAFFLES “Paul is a great performer and a great lecturer.”

 

JACK PARKER “Dear Paul…your lecture was excellent and your performance thrilling! Also, the stuff you showed me ‘over’ the curry was quite staggering!”

 

JOE RIDING “Good material, good thinking and not bad, for a Southerner!”

 

JOE RINDFLEISCH “Hi Paul…your [great] handling and performance of maths-type card magic has made me think harder about my work!”

 

MARTIN SANDERSON "I found Nocturnal Creations to be simply fantastic; the material is commercial...all the effects have clarity!"

 

DAVID REGAL “Corner of Piccadilly is a very strong monte routine that uses un-gaffed cards. Its kicker is truly astounding, and all can be examined. If ever there was a “worker,” this is it.”

 

JOHN LOVICK  "The Corner Of Piccadilly is a very solid routine; ideal for strolling and formal shows. The cards are beautiful and at the end, all is examinable."

 

GRAHAM HEY (MagicSeen) “Prolific card specialist Paul Gordon has released many books over the years, but this one is a bit different. As he says right at the start, The Real Secrets of Card Magic are not just the tricks, but what goes on behind the scenes; the skills which enable the effects to amaze people. The book covers: How to get work, patter & presentation, marketing & advertising contracts, recommended reading, self-employment and lots, lots more. There are no effects in the book, which is quite refreshing! Not only is Paul a superb magician, but he undeniably has tons of experience and is fanatical about the business. You¹ll find excellent essays, many performance tips and plenty of good Q&As. Where most books role out endless effects, which all seem to blend together after a while. This book is really interesting: almost part autobiography - part indispensable advice, with contributions from the best in the business. This is very well written and easy to read. There is something in here for everyone from someone just starting out, to  experienced magicians. I particular enjoyed the sections on patter and presentation. Not a lot more to add really ­ except put the kettle on, get out the biscuits and enjoy the read!”

 

JIM SISTI “The book is called The Real Secrets of Card Magic but it should more accurately be titled The Real Secrets of Being a Professional Magical Entertainer. In this new volume, Paul Gordon offers wisdom that could only be gained through years of actually performing magic for real people for his living. If you feel that you have a commercial repertoire of material and can present it in an entertaining fashion, The Real Secrets of Card Magic will surely help you to the next plateau of becoming a professional magician.”

 

DAVID ALEXANDER “I watched one of your videos and saw what you do. You’re an entertainer using the medium of magic. You come across as a sharp guy doing interesting and surprising things with a deck of cards. People laugh, have a good time, no one dies, and you get paid. You haven’t cured cancer, but that’s not your job. You’re an entertainer…and from what I can see, a good one. This requires an interesting personality and the ability to interact with people. You have the former and can do the latter. Years ago I observed that amateur magicians perform to entertain themselves and satisfy their own needs while professional magicians perform to satisfy their audience’s needs. They are the former…you are the latter. “