Woody (or his translators) write well in a very conversational style which makes the book a joy to read. He is a real enthusiast and that enthusiasm is infectious as a reader. However, don’t expect to sit down and read this book in a sitting. This is a book which will repay careful study over time.

I am increasingly convinced that mem deck magic is amongst the most fooling that you can perform – and there is also some satisfaction in the brute achievement of having memorized a whole deck! But beware. Although a few routines in this book will work without having put in the hard work of memorization, this is a serious work for serious magicians who are prepared to invest time and effort for their art.

Before I forget

Woody is very well read and I really appreciate the way he carefully attributes inspirations and techniques in the different routines. In any field of magic we are all standing on the shoulders of giants, but nowhere is this more true than for the mem deck. Juan Tamariz is clearly a huge influence on Woody Aragon and Woody himself encourages you to buy and familiarise yourself with Juan’s magnum opus – Mnemonica – if you really want to appreciate some of the subtleties and techniques which really make mem deck work fly. He also refers to Simon Aronson’s collection Bound to Please as another invaluable resource.

The first thing the book covers is the development of Woody’s stack. A LOT of thought has gone into this. The book is the result of years of study, experimentation and performance. And this is very reassuring – if you’re going to make the investment of time to learn the stack you want the reassurance that the material actually works!

As well as being a joy to read, throughout the book amusing illustrations help you to learn the stack pictorially – although they do not (if I have counted correctly) cover all of them. Perhaps they will be finished in the project volume 2! Plenty of other line and photographic illustrations make sure everything you need to understand is very clear.

Another early chapter describes the method (he calls it a game!) he uses to teach the stack to classes. If you’re familiar with memory techniques, there’s probably nothing new here – but it is a helpful summary nonetheless. He also gives some tips to help revise stack etc.

A plethora of effects

He starts by teaching tricks which don’t require the stack to be memorized – simply to be in order – as a way to help you learn the stack. He then moves on to the idea of the half stack – an incredibly powerful idea. It is easier to learn than the full stack – and the first half of Aragon’s stack has all sorts of clever attributes which open up many strong effects. These include spelling effects, gambling effects, weighing the cards, matching the cards etc.

There are then plenty more effects using the full stack – including more poker effects, some very clever prediction and ‘fishing techniques’ and other more original ideas.

He has a section on effects which aren’t dependent on the stack you use – so even if you already use a different stack there are ideas here for you. And in another chapter he specifically explores how to move between the Memorandum stack and the Tamariz or Aronson stacks. Unless you are a very competent handler of cards (and audiences) I would suggest this might be overkill – though if you have a particular favourite tricks you perform with different stacks I can see why you might want to do this.

For me, one of the most brilliant and exciting concepts in the book is the Siamese deck. I don’t want to give away the details here – but to my mind it opens up some amazing possibilities. I would like to devote some time thinking this principle through in relation to non-memorized deck work too since I think there is a lot of scope with this idea.

In addition to teaching the effects he also teaches how to reset the deck (and some intriguing rules about ‘undoing’ the effect of dealing various hands of poker etc.) – there is something verging on the fanatical in the depth of understanding he has of the mechanics of both his deck and the effect of various shuffles and combinations on a deck order.

There is also a chapter covering some false shuffles and cuts and the explanation of a clever little device you can make yourself with fairly simple craft skills which will help you to switch half a deck for another.

So who is this book for?

Potentially several different people. If you are already a user of mem deck material, then this book is well worth a look. Even if you don’t want to learn a new stack, there are ideas for routines and techniques which you may be able to develop or add to your existing stack and effects.

If you’ve not yet memorised a deck then Woody’s stack would be well worth the investment of time. You may wish to consult some of the other standard works referenced above in order to gain more ideas and techniques, but the Memorandum stack itself is a very powerful tool all on its own. And the book covers all you need to know to get started.

You may never want to memorise a deck but simply (like me) enjoy reading widely in magic to broaden your repertoire of techniques and influences. If that’s you, there is much to commend about this book. As I have mentioned, it has opened up a load of ideas and possibilities in my mind – if I ever get round to spending some more time on them. (To that end, it would also be worth looking at this book in relation to the Marksman Deck we reviewed recently.)

In fact, Memorandum would be well worth a read for anyone who shares my passion for good quality card magic. Don’t bother if you’re a hobbyist who just wants to perform tricks which require no effort, but if you’re prepared to make an investment in your art, then this comes highly recommended.

You can pick up a copy of Memorandum from magicshop.co.uk for £46.50 (at the time of writing)

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

Woody Aragon – Memorandum – review

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The post Woody Aragon – Memorandum – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

It’s a nice little effect and is to all intents and purposes self-working. The quartered jumbo cards make unusual props for a spectator and there is so much freedom and fairness to the process that it seems like very strong magic for a spectator.

It sounds like a ‘but’ might be coming, and there is a small one. It requires the spectator to riffle shuffle the quartered jumbo cards. Now I think that is a bit of a challenge – given that quartered jumbos don’t flex as easily as normal playing cards – and I handle playing cards a lot. For a spectator who doesn’t that might be a step too far. I think there are ways around this but I’m not certain they would look so fair.

This is the first DVD I have seen from Luis de Matos’ Essential Magic Collection and I am impressed by the production quality and the clarity of the explanation. You are also supplied with everything you need to perform this straight away. Well worth a look…
Woody Aragon Card Puzzle – £28.99

The post Woody Aragon Card Puzzle – mini-Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

October is with us and so are some new recommendations from Bicycle-Cards.co.uk. With Halloween just around the corner, check out MagicNevin‘s great range of Halloween accessories.

The Grimoire Deck will fit in perfectly to your spooky effects. Skeletons and gothic imagery abound and the deck includes a few useful extra gaff cards. £6.64 at FreepostMagic.

If you want to get your teeth into a whole heap of great card magic then look no further than Woodyland. Woody Aragon is an award winning Spanish magician and this 4 DVD set includes all kinds of magic from the self-working to the more technically demanding. Over 10 hours of great stuff. £122.99

This is possibly the craziest card reveal we’ve seen for a long time. You try to find the spectator’s card whilst a stick of dynamite is burning down! The spectator gets a shock and the card ends up inside the dynamite. Bonkers. But great fun. £32.99 [£28.99 at Freepostmagic]

The post Trick of the Month – October 2012 appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Cards are always our homeground here at Bicycle-Cards.co.uk – and here is a stylish new deck produced by the USPCC. The Criss Angel connection will put some off, but the Baroque Deck looks good and promises to handle well. £6.99

This DVD seems to be causing a lot of interest in the magic world. The Blinking Effect is a DVD from Jean-Luc Bertrand with a whole close up routine on it. The reviews are praising its high production values and the thinking which goes into it. We’ve not seen it ourselves yet, but it certainly sounds interesting. £33.99

And a BONUS recommendation since it is summer! I love to take a good book away with me when I go on holiday, and this year I will be taking Performing Magic by Tony Middleton. This is not a book of tricks, but a study of how to perform it in the real world. I’ve already started having a sneak peak and it looks very good. You will need to invest some effort into working through this, but if you are serious about improving your performance it will be worth the time and the money. £67.50

The post Trick of the Month – August 2012 appeared first on Bicycle Cards.