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."

 

GRAHAM P. JOLLEY “What a great routine COPWAKED is. Has a clear plot, visual, entertaining and very baffling. It's the kind of effect people will remember and talk about. And it's practical. Instant re-set.”

 

ETIENNE PRADIER “COPWAKED is a great routine; very visual and has a great story. Well done. I have added it to my close up act!”

 

NICK EINHORN "COPWAKED is a nice jumbo packet trick with a twist and a turn they won't see coming!"

 

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.”

 

BOB SHEETS “Loved your work and your DVD (Card Startlers)”

 

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. “

 

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.”

 

IAIN MORAN “I'm really enjoying Paul Gordon’s 3-DVD set Card Startlers. What I've found is lots of good, practical card magic that can be done with a borrowed shuffled deck in use - stuff that I'll actually be able to use for the paying public. You won't see any fancy editing or special effects here, Paul cuts straight to the chase and teaches good practical stuff that you'll probably want to learn and at the price he's charging, I think Card Startlers is an absolute bargain! Highly recommended!”

 

QUENTIN REYNOLDS on Card Rarities DVD: “At the Blackpool convention Paul Gordon showed me a card trick and I was impressed and that doesn’t happen too often with me and card tricks. What I liked about it was that a lot happens in a short space of time with a hit them in the face surprise climax that will leave them stunned. In addition to that it is perfect for strolling and table hopping. It’s visual and instantly reset. The effect starts off by showing your collection of nine Aces of Spades, all with cherry coloured backs which are mixed face up and face down, sorting themselves out a la Oil and Water. With some witty patter this can be a fun sequence. Just when they think you are finished comes the completely unexpected climax. It turns out you have a full house of Spades and the other four cards have different coloured backs. This routine called Royal Flush Scam is based upon John Bannon’s “The Royal Scam”, which in turn was inspired by Roy Walton’s “Cascade”. It is released with the permission of John Bannon.  So what else is on the DVD? There is an excerpt from Paul’s lecture showing a medley of six card routines, then he shows and explains thirteen tricks. Of these I liked best the Bed-Sit Mystery, a fun story about the late-night adventures of two guys and four girls, which lends itself to a raucous presentation if you wish. If you like impromptu poker routines, then check out Head To Head Poker which also appeared in Harry Lorayne’s "Best Of Friends Vol 3". Paul’s promo video is included and you see short snippets of the enviable reactions he gets from laymen.  I predict The Royal Flush Scam will find its way into the working repertoires of professional close-up workers.”

 

PAUL GREEN  “I recently purchased some of Paul's material and I would like you to consider doing the same. I find his approach, and follow through to be very consistent with my own attitudes about Strolling Magic. His material is interactive and full of impact. Watching Paul work a crowd is a real lesson. I am using some of his repertoire in my own work. I have really enjoyed Paul’s stuff; especially the video clips of him (from Card Startlers) working for regular people.  What an education they provide. He is a charming and wonderful entertainer.”

 

CHRISTIAN (My Lovely Assistant - website) “If you want to see what it is like to work live in front of an audience..this is the DVD to get; Live In Action. You will watch Paul work in front of a “Real” audience. You get to see the nitty gritty of what really works. I liked watching this DVD because you aren’t seeing something that someone thought up one day and decided to put on a DVD, you are seeing a real worker performing his professional material. Unlike the typical one trick DVD’s that are very popular today, this 2 DVD set is packed full of useful and stunning material. It is much too difficult to give you what is the best or favorites off this DVD because there is so much useful material on them that I am sure everyone’s favorites will be different. One important thing that can be learned by watching this DVD set compared to others is that you are watching Paul perform in a rough and tumble environment. You get to watch his timing, how he deals with people, how he scripts, and a not-so-perfect performing venue. I see this as a true gem for anybody wanting to learn not only the secret of the card tricks but how to perform them as well.”

 

BORIS WILD “It is rare to see a magician who can entertain an audience that much with just a deck of cards. But Paul Gordon is one of them! His shows are as funny as the magic he performs is strong. Paul perfectly knows what the spectators enjoy and deliver it to them with great humour and killer effects.”

 

ELIZABETH WARLOCK “Paul will never bore you. Good looking, well groomed and attired, with personality plus entertainment. His lecture was a lesson in how to entertain every kind of audience with cards.”

 

LEE SMITH “I Just love Paul Gordon’s style of magic and have many of his routines in my repertoire. Some of my favourite routines to perform have been created by Paul and much is in my working set. He is one of few magicians I can say this about!"

 

AL SMITH  (Magic Week review) “This busy set of card work from Paul Gordon (Blockbusters With Cards 2-DVD) follows a now familiar PG pattern. A mixture of live footage and studio performances/explanations and, let’s be corny for a moment, loads of PG tips. Anybody remotely interested in card trickery at any level will find something of interest here. The live footage gives some indication of the power of expertly performed card trickery. Direct, no frills, simply under-the-nose and in-the-face magic. No cutaways showing the best or best-contrived reaction of someone apparently responding to something. Anyone clutching the shabby belief that people don’t like card tricks should have a look more stuff like this. Summing up, even folk who dislike DVDs as much as I, will find this product entirely palatable; already committed fans will be delighted by an abundance of riches.”

 

ROGER WOODS (Magic Week review) “Paul Gordon works on entertaining card magic with spirit and high energy. It is amazing how he keeps this up all day! At the “Card Capers” Day we were treated to a feast of card magic from around 10 in the morning until 5:30 in the evening with scarcely a break for lunch. Like a marathon lecture and workshop combined card, magic fans learnt many tricks and sleights during the course of the day. Paul really taught his items in detail so everyone could learn them. However, the best part of the day comes from the many funny stories, nuances, tips, patter, advice and yes, opinion with which the magic is presented. These bits of business based on experience are priceless to those wanting to improve their magic from ideas for notebook keeping, memory improvement, dealing with the awkward customers, how to approach people and so on. Paul is passionate about his magic and it shows. Paul’s excellent latest books, tricks and DVD’s were of course on offer but it is his approach to performance and presentation which has the most value. I can thoroughly recommend his “Card Capers” days and lectures. What’s more is that they are a lot of fun!”

 

MAGICSEEN (Graham Hey) 4-Star review of Blockbusters With Cards 2-DVD set : “Paul Gordon! You've got to hand it to him – he only does card stuff, and he's not going to change now, it's far too late for that. This double disc set contains over 30 card tricks which have never appeared on film before. Paul's an expert with cards, and an expert at handling close-up audiences – and you can see this as most of the effects are filmed at a private party. The standard of effects is very high, and you can see that they go down extremely well live. One disconcerting thing about this disc set is that some of the explanations appear before the actual trick – I think they call that the one ahead principle! We'll let him off that, as this is a very good release, and definitely worth the money. The disc starts off with a couple of poker-related tricks, which I'm not a fan of (poker, that is, not the effects). Head to Head Poker is a brilliant effect where a spectator has free choices of cards pushed forward (face down) – and even selects the magicians cards, too. The spectator gets an average 'hand' but the magician gets a royal flush. A self working effect which gets a brilliant reaction. Hellman's Aces is an effective aces/sandwich effect, and Dazzling Flush sees five cards appear between five others. Lighter than a Feather sees a card appear inside a zippo lighter, while Pseudo Smyth's Myth is a cracking self-working effect with one of the best forces I've seen for ages. There are lots of excellent effects here, including one of Paul's most popular marketed effects: Red Herring. The sleights required for several of the effects here are skated over, but most are not difficult. If you are into cards, then you'll enjoy this offering – and even if you don't, then you'll still find something to spice up your act, or stimulate conversation down the pub. Most of the effects are short, sharp and have good endings. Paul knows his cards. That's entertainment!”

 

PETER DUFFIE  “I really like Paul Gordon’s The Killer Observation Test (packet trick). The sudden surprise ending got me. There are discrepancies which I missed -- but I love discrepancies. I think you have a winner here!”

 

IAN ROWLAND “Your depth of experience and passion for the art came shining through, and I like where you pitch your work for lecture audiences - not ultra-advanced and finger-flingy, but not so simple as to be trite. It's all smart and practical, and you present it all brilliantly.”

 

PETER DUFFIE “I really like Red Herring. An excellent audience pleaser with an instant reset.” And, “I like The Psychedelic Foursome. A very strong effect that leaves four examinable cards on the table.” (MAGIC review)

 

PAUL LELEKIS (The Linking Ring) “This 2-DVD set [Blockbusters With Cards] is a fantastic collection of 31 effects, 27 of which are explained in great detail!  The other four are performance only.  As the title indicates, these are all card effects - but with an emphasis on entertainment. Paul Gordon is obviously a working pro and has honed his skills through many years of performance. Workers will realize the great value inherent in these DVDs.  Many of the effects in these DVDs are performed at an actual party and the spectator reactions display Paul's excellent performing abilities! Magicians will also be pleased to know that many (if not most!) of these effects can be performed in party or walk-around situations without the need for a table!  This is, indeed, a welcome rarity!  Paul's spectator involvement will educate many magicians in the value of how to make your "magic" about the spectators - not just show-casing oneself! This is one of those DVD sets that you will watch over and over again. For performing magicians, everywhere - I cannot recommend this DVD set enough!  Excellent magic and entertainment!”

 

PHIL JAY “When I first saw  COPWAKED I realised the massive potential it has for the trade show market"

 

JIM SISTI “ With COPWAKED, Paul Gordon has contributed an elegant and entertaining solution to the problem that strolling performers face quite often – that is, entertaining a large table. It's visual and it's fun. What more can you ask?”

 

GARY JONES "When Paul showed me COPWAKED, I knew I had to get it. It plays perfectly for any type of audience, especially at a large table, or a parlour type show."

 

CHRIS CONGREAVE “Paul Gordon’s Corner of Piccadilly is everything you would want in a card trick, a great "hook" that people will totally get into, several phases of great visual magic, a brilliant kicker finish that they will never see coming, instant reset, lovely props. I very rarely add a new routine to my set, but COP went straight in, and will stay there. Highly recommended!”