I’ll start with a DVD – even though you know I prefer books! Terry LaGerould, as well as having an almost un-spellable surname, creates some brilliant magic. He is best known for his fabulous presentations – and when I discovered there is a new DVD out with some of his routines on I had to share it with you. This Session with Terry LaGerould DVD is clearly his second release. I haven’t seen it yet, but I suspect it would be a really beneficial watch if you want to learn from a master. £21.50

I much prefer taking a book away on holiday with me, and if I hadn’t just read this, it would certainly be in my bags. In fact, it is so good, I might take it and read it again anyway! If you’ve not heard of Maximum Entertainment, where have you been? This very readable book is jam-packed full of amazing practical advice to take your magic to the next level. The focus is not on the mechanics of tricks, but how to do them and routine them better. You are guaranteed to learn something. A great investment. Only £29.99

I know some people are a bit sniffy about close up mats. But we notice that Paul Romhany has just released a couple of new ones. The designs look quite elegant (pictured is the Regal Mat in Black), the size is sensible (10″x15″) and they are designed to be rolled up which makes them good for travelling with. Could be worth a look. £25.99

Here are a couple of new decks which have caught our eye. Although the NOC decks have been very popular and are now onto their third edition, if I’m honest I haven’t much liked the idea of some of the bright colours. But the new and understated Noc V3 Limited Edition White release looks good to me – and I rather like the sideways loading tuck case too. £11.99

You may recall we were rather covetous of the gorgeous prohibition playing card set – and it is good to see that many of the decks are now being released individually for those that couldn’t afford the whole presentation set. We rather like the Absinthe v2 deck recently released by Ellusionist – beautiful attention to detail makes this a very tasteful deck. £7.99

And finally, here’s a bit of fun. Remember the old ‘hot rod’ trick? Someone has thought of a brilliant way to make the prop seem much less like a prop – for a really impromptu seeming little effect. The search engine pen uses the logo of a well known search engine – you know who we mean – which changes colour to match a letter chosen by the spectator. Why didn’t we think of that? A great little pocket trick you can always have with you. Only £8.50

Have a great summer. We hope to be publishing a load of new reviews to keep you going over August – as ever – if there are things you would like us to review, comment below or contact us on Facebook.

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