Thank you for taking the time to review my book. Appreciate the thorough analysis and happy you liked “Before the Thought”. It is my personal favorite in the book and I have since added a new upgrade to it since publishing that you would probably like. I will most likely mention it in the FA4. Take care!
L K..... Thank you. Happy you are enjoying the book. I am currently writing the sequel. I look at the books as a living documents so if I improve or change a trick from prior editions I try to mention it the next book. The new one will feature not 1 but 2 maybe even 3 non card effects. 😲 who am I?
Jeff, I purchased the book before I read your review. Your analysis is very comprehensive and much appreciated. Based on your opinions, I went back to re-read some of the effects. I agree with you that there are many definitions for VALUE. One buyer may be willing to pay a higher price tag for a professional photo quality hard bound book while another buyer values a softbound book with thin black and white images for a lower price point. As you stated in your review, the machined gimmick is part of the price tag. If "High five" was sold separately as a product, we could assume the price point of the book would be potentially 25-ish dollars less expensive. Regardless, I enjoyed your review, Ryan's book, and the "High Five" routine and gimmick.
Would love to know more thoughts on the concept of a false anchor. Is the concept effective? Did you find you could apply these techniques to other effects you preform? Did you have a favorite effect in the book? Any mind blowing visual card effect? Is this just a book of mathematical puzzles? Make 4 stacks, now put three cards from the top of each stack on the bottom. Now put the outer stacks together ...etc? Are most of the effects done seated or standing?
Sure, I think the concept of a false anchor is effective, however, I think most effective performers work to include those moments in their routines. What Ryan has done is bake it into the routine as part of the script. All of the effects are mind-blowing, especially if you don't know how they're done! 😜 It is not a book of mathematical tricks. These are all real-world workers. Most would benefit from the presence of a table, but you don't need to be seated, although you could be. Hope this helps!
Jeff, great review! Cost versus value...there's a lot of room for personal nuance. There's value in finding great tricks, new sleights or handlings, interesting essays, as an addition to a library collection, but for me, having a book as a reference, is the real value. I think False Anchors has all of this. I don't know Ryan personally, but he doesn't strike me as someone who is producing magic, strictly for the money. His magic requires a mental investment; it's thought provoking and feels exclusive, in a very inclusive way. I guess I find value in esotericism, even when it's created by a little more cost.
For sure!! I want to be clear that I think there is value in this book, as I said in my review. I just think that the value will be different for different people and even for the majority of people. That's not confusing, is it? 🤔
A great review. I greatly appreciate your insights on these books! This looks like a great book, just a little on the high side. I might still buy it. Thanks!
A very interesting review and an insightful discussion Jeff about the cost of books versus their value. The other problem for us magicians in the UK is the huge increase in shipping costs from the States. I entirely agree with your comments about value. I have the Semi-Automatic Series by Steve Beam and the Regal books so have plenty to be getting on with! Magic books are, of course, a specialised market so we do expect them to cost more. With some of my own publications on magic history and biography I have moved on to a print on demand service which I think is a good way forward ensuring that there is always a supply available without heavy expense at the start. We are lucky that some magic dealers have been prepared to cover the publication costs of some well produced books. The only problem there is keeping up with it all :-) Many thanks
What a great discussion about value vs price. I always check out the used market in my area. Plus the online dealers will have some very good deals from time to time. Value is such a subjective issue. For example the Jason Ladayne books that came out recently when I discovered that it was very heavy on sleights I knew it was not for me personally. That being said the material that John Carey has put out is right up my alley. Not exactly self working but easier sleights that achieve in my mind the same goal. I just picked up a used copy of Bro John Hammonds book for $40 used and was very pleasantly surprised to find a 6 step shuffle that puts the deck in a Stebbins stack. For me that was a huge value.
Nice - I'm glad you weighed in, David. The whole value equation is soooo subjective, but I'm happy you've found some authors you like. It's always important to figure out where you get the good stuff!
Hey Jeff another great review. $75.00 is a lot for a book like that, but it sounds like there is more than a little bit of useful material. Yes you can find books with more in them but the actual amount of useable material could be less. Just saying. Ryan may have done a high quality small run book which was expensive to produce or he may be asking what he feels it is worth or a combination there of. Good for him if he can get it. Magic is not Ryan’s only gig so if he sells them and the value is there great. If not the book will be on sale for $50...market will dictate...
Totally agree! I don't want it to come across like I don't support buying the book at full price. I agree that if Ryan can get it, he should get it. However, it's difficult to say that either of the alternatives I recommended don't have a significant amount of usable material... And for sure, every artist should charge what they feel it's worth. This conversation is really just to understand how others gauge value in the books they buy. Thanks for chiming in!
I run for the hills when I read or hear "Limited time, act now" I hold to the 48 hour rule of waiting to purchase something especially in magic. I don't want to be the tenth magician doing the latest and greatest. To that end I have often waited too long and found that the thing that used to cost $50 is now $150, or is completely unavailable.
I really dilike limited runs, I feel if a product is good enough to sell itself it doesn't need gimmicks. I do own a few, but no matter how good I find the book, I still can't help by feeling a little cheated.
Is this a book review of False Anchors? or a review of books the might be a better buy than False Anchors? The review turned south quickly. In my opinion this is a promotion for the alternatives you mentioned.
Hey Jeff, nice video as allways. I do have a tip/ request/ remark, when you do the revieuw, could you show the book in comparison with an other well known magic book, like a tarbell course book, or a card college book, so we can see the size of the book you are reviewing? Not that it really matters ofcourse, it is what is inside that counts, but than you know what to expact when it is deliverd to you. Maybe it can give the review just that litlle extra. For the record, I always buy my books but some books are really hard to get by. Most of the time if you try to buy books second hand, they are much more expansive then they used to be (or maybe I am looking in the wrong places)! I have been looking for so long for example for the book Life, Death and Other Card Tricks by Robert E. Neale, but it is soooo expansive (200-300 pounds or dollars). That is just to much, but still hoping to get my hands on it some day...
About the value: as an alternative, rather than the Beam book, how about spending $75 on Ryan Schlutz videos? You'd certainly get a lot that way. What are your thoughts on that?
I'm not a video guy. 🤷 But everyone has to define value in their own way. For some people, that will be the way to go, but not for me. Is that your path?
Just wanted to add a couple of thoughts about how production values can increase the unit costs of a book. It appears that Ryan’s book is printed with full color images and photos, and full-color printing is more expensive than books printed in black and white (e.g., the Semi-Automatic books). And the False Anchors book looks to have been professionally designed and includes some stock photography, in addition to the photos that illustrate the tricks themselves. All of this will add to the production costs of a book. Additionally, as a general rule of thumb, the smaller the print run for a book, the greater the unit cost. If this was a small run of 200 books or less, $75 is a fair value for a full-color case-bound book. It might be wrong to think that the cost is strategically inflated and Ryan will realize a greater profit per book than, say, the David Regal book, which I would imagine was printed in much greater numbers due to the greater demand and name recognition for the Regal book. The larger print run for the Regal book would naturally bring the unit cost down and enable that book to be sold at lower cost for the same profit margin. All this is to say that the small print run, design fees, and full-color production values of False Anchors may have more to do with the cost of the book than a strategic attempt to create the sense of a limited edition with an inflated price tag.
You're right to bring up costs and the production values. I mentioned the higher production values in the review, so I absolutely agree. I have no idea the costs or the profit margin, and that's not my call to police that. 🤷♂️ As a free market proponent myself, I'm in favor of producers being able to charge what they want. What are your thoughts on the limited run advertisements (in general, not necessarily this book) and their purpose in the magic publishing world?
I think it's fair to say that very few magic books are ever reprinted, unless an author decides to do an updated edition years down the road. Compared to tricks and DVDs, the market for magic books is really quite small. So, in a sense, every magic book that comes on the market could be considered a "limited run." Some books do become surprise hits and sell their run out quickly, but I think this is rare. I do see the value of marketing a book as "get one now before they're gone," but experience has shown me that almost all magic books are generally available from somewhere, either used or new. So, I agree with you that "limited run" language is definitely part of an effort to drive immediate sales, which, while technically true probably creates a false sense of the relative availability of the book.
I am sure you have received this request before but in regards to value, I would greatly value your opinion (see what I did there :D ) and lengthy review of "Gambling Sleight of Hand - Forte Years of Research " by Steve Forte. The second edition print is scheduled for September and it is a large price but two large volumes.
The books i bought at the 2020 session in london where all high in value, the price went up on magic books and the yrend seems to be fewer tricks to or so for $50/60, not always a bad thing it feels like you are just getting comfortable with the material then the book is over, the gimmick with the false anchors books drove the price up, false amchors was released as 3/4 seperate manuscrips and was later compiled in a hardbound book, so if you collected the manuscrips that was released withb limited quantity, it might justify the scarcity of the product. Also i think RyAn performs these effects on a regular basis and seems to me he eas very sceptical to release the material, i have the book and agree the price is to high. But non the less a great read. Thx for reviewing
What do you think of "The Great Wizard of the North" and how would you compare it to "John Henry Anderson. Wizard of the North?" by Dawes, et. al. Also have you read "Trouping with Dante?"
Thank you so much for these videos Jeff. They are much appreciated. Great effort. I binge watched everything.
🙌🏼 AWESOME!! Thank you for commenting to let me know!
Great recommendations thanks.
Did you end up picking it up?
@@EruditeMagic Not yet I did download going pro today.
Thank you for taking the time to review my book. Appreciate the thorough analysis and happy you liked “Before the Thought”. It is my personal favorite in the book and I have since added a new upgrade to it since publishing that you would probably like. I will most likely mention it in the FA4. Take care!
Thank you for watching and commenting, Ryan - I greatly admire your work and creativity!
Ryan Schlutz Hi Ryan, I bought your Great Book. Is it possible to get the upgrade of „before the thought“ ? What meins „FA4“?
Unless I'm mistaken, Ryan is talking about the sequel: False Anchors 4. The book I reviewed was a compilation of False Anchors 1-3. Confused? 🤪
L K..... Thank you. Happy you are enjoying the book. I am currently writing the sequel. I look at the books as a living documents so if I improve or change a trick from prior editions I try to mention it the next book. The new one will feature not 1 but 2 maybe even 3 non card effects. 😲 who am I?
Erudite Magic Thank you very much for the clarification 👍🏻
Jeff, I purchased the book before I read your review. Your analysis is very comprehensive and much appreciated. Based on your opinions, I went back to re-read some of the effects. I agree with you that there are many definitions for VALUE. One buyer may be willing to pay a higher price tag for a professional photo quality hard bound book while another buyer values a softbound book with thin black and white images for a lower price point. As you stated in your review, the machined gimmick is part of the price tag. If "High five" was sold separately as a product, we could assume the price point of the book would be potentially 25-ish dollars less expensive. Regardless, I enjoyed your review, Ryan's book, and the "High Five" routine and gimmick.
Glad to hear it - thanks for watching and commenting!
I love your videos! Thanks a lot. I hope you keep doing it and wish you all the success.
Thank you, Gerardo! 👍
As usual, a very satisfyingly objective review and interesting topic discussed.
Thank you, kaneshrink!
Would love to know more thoughts on the concept of a false anchor. Is the concept effective? Did you find you could apply these techniques to other effects you preform? Did you have a favorite effect in the book? Any mind blowing visual card effect? Is this just a book of mathematical puzzles? Make 4 stacks, now put three cards from the top of each stack on the bottom. Now put the outer stacks together ...etc? Are most of the effects done seated or standing?
Sure, I think the concept of a false anchor is effective, however, I think most effective performers work to include those moments in their routines. What Ryan has done is bake it into the routine as part of the script. All of the effects are mind-blowing, especially if you don't know how they're done! 😜 It is not a book of mathematical tricks. These are all real-world workers. Most would benefit from the presence of a table, but you don't need to be seated, although you could be. Hope this helps!
@@EruditeMagic thank you very much
Jeff, great review! Cost versus value...there's a lot of room for personal nuance. There's value in finding great tricks, new sleights or handlings, interesting essays, as an addition to a library collection, but for me, having a book as a reference, is the real value. I think False Anchors has all of this.
I don't know Ryan personally, but he doesn't strike me as someone who is producing magic, strictly for the money. His magic requires a mental investment; it's thought provoking and feels exclusive, in a very inclusive way.
I guess I find value in esotericism, even when it's created by a little more cost.
For sure!! I want to be clear that I think there is value in this book, as I said in my review. I just think that the value will be different for different people and even for the majority of people. That's not confusing, is it? 🤔
@@EruditeMagic Not confusing at all. I am agreeing with you, in maybe what sounds like an abstract way. Again, great review!
A great review. I greatly appreciate your insights on these books! This looks like a great book, just a little on the high side. I might still buy it. Thanks!
That's great! I always want to educate the potential buyer and let them make an an informed decision for their own magic library. Good luck 😁👍
A very interesting review and an insightful discussion Jeff about the cost of books versus their value. The other problem for us magicians in the UK is the huge increase in shipping costs from the States. I entirely agree with your comments about value. I have the Semi-Automatic Series by Steve Beam and the Regal books so have plenty to be getting on with! Magic books are, of course, a specialised market so we do expect them to cost more. With some of my own publications on magic history and biography I have moved on to a print on demand service which I think is a good way forward ensuring that there is always a supply available without heavy expense at the start. We are lucky that some magic dealers have been prepared to cover the publication costs of some well produced books. The only problem there is keeping up with it all :-) Many thanks
Absolutely! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
What a great discussion about value vs price. I always check out the used market in my area. Plus the online dealers will have some very good deals from time to time. Value is such a subjective issue. For example the Jason Ladayne books that came out recently when I discovered that it was very heavy on sleights I knew it was not for me personally. That being said the material that John Carey has put out is right up my alley. Not exactly self working but easier sleights that achieve in my mind the same goal. I just picked up a used copy of Bro John Hammonds book for $40 used and was very pleasantly surprised to find a 6 step shuffle that puts the deck in a Stebbins stack. For me that was a huge value.
Nice - I'm glad you weighed in, David. The whole value equation is soooo subjective, but I'm happy you've found some authors you like. It's always important to figure out where you get the good stuff!
Hey Jeff another great review. $75.00 is a lot for a book like that, but it sounds like there is more than a little bit of useful material. Yes you can find books with more in them but the actual amount of useable material could be less. Just saying. Ryan may have done a high quality small run book which was expensive to produce or he may be asking what he feels it is worth or a combination there of. Good for him if he can get it. Magic is not Ryan’s only gig so if he sells them and the value is there great. If not the book will be on sale for $50...market will dictate...
Totally agree! I don't want it to come across like I don't support buying the book at full price. I agree that if Ryan can get it, he should get it. However, it's difficult to say that either of the alternatives I recommended don't have a significant amount of usable material...
And for sure, every artist should charge what they feel it's worth. This conversation is really just to understand how others gauge value in the books they buy.
Thanks for chiming in!
I run for the hills when I read or hear "Limited time, act now" I hold to the 48 hour rule of waiting to purchase something especially in magic. I don't want to be the tenth magician doing the latest and greatest. To that end I have often waited too long and found that the thing that used to cost $50 is now $150, or is completely unavailable.
I like your rule of waiting 48 hours! Plus, let's face it, when you're buying something, 9 times out of 10, you won't even perform it! 😕
Great honest review
Thanks, Dusty! I try 🙏
I really dilike limited runs, I feel if a product is good enough to sell itself it doesn't need gimmicks. I do own a few, but no matter how good I find the book, I still can't help by feeling a little cheated.
Ironically, this book literally comes with a gimmick - LOL
@@EruditeMagic Not quite what I was meaning LOL
Thank you for the channel. Would be interested in a list of what you think are the must haves in a magic library.
I'll work on that - thanks for the feedback!
just stumbled upon ur channel, love the content, subscribe!
So glad you did - welcome!
Is this a book review of False Anchors? or a review of books the might be a better buy than False Anchors? The review turned south quickly. In my opinion this is a promotion for the alternatives you mentioned.
Hey Jeff, nice video as allways. I do have a tip/ request/ remark, when you do the revieuw, could you show the book in comparison with an other well known magic book, like a tarbell course book, or a card college book, so we can see the size of the book you are reviewing? Not that it really matters ofcourse, it is what is inside that counts, but than you know what to expact when it is deliverd to you. Maybe it can give the review just that litlle extra. For the record, I always buy my books but some books are really hard to get by. Most of the time if you try to buy books second hand, they are much more expansive then they used to be (or maybe I am looking in the wrong places)! I have been looking for so long for example for the book Life, Death and Other Card Tricks by Robert E. Neale, but it is soooo expansive (200-300 pounds or dollars). That is just to much, but still hoping to get my hands on it some day...
I can look at doing the comparison - thanks for the suggestion! Good luck finding the book at a reasonable price!
About the value: as an alternative, rather than the Beam book, how about spending $75 on Ryan Schlutz videos? You'd certainly get a lot that way. What are your thoughts on that?
I'm not a video guy. 🤷 But everyone has to define value in their own way. For some people, that will be the way to go, but not for me. Is that your path?
@@EruditeMagic I like both paths. Sometimes videos, sometimes books
Just wanted to add a couple of thoughts about how production values can increase the unit costs of a book. It appears that Ryan’s book is printed with full color images and photos, and full-color printing is more expensive than books printed in black and white (e.g., the Semi-Automatic books). And the False Anchors book looks to have been professionally designed and includes some stock photography, in addition to the photos that illustrate the tricks themselves. All of this will add to the production costs of a book. Additionally, as a general rule of thumb, the smaller the print run for a book, the greater the unit cost. If this was a small run of 200 books or less, $75 is a fair value for a full-color case-bound book. It might be wrong to think that the cost is strategically inflated and Ryan will realize a greater profit per book than, say, the David Regal book, which I would imagine was printed in much greater numbers due to the greater demand and name recognition for the Regal book. The larger print run for the Regal book would naturally bring the unit cost down and enable that book to be sold at lower cost for the same profit margin. All this is to say that the small print run, design fees, and full-color production values of False Anchors may have more to do with the cost of the book than a strategic attempt to create the sense of a limited edition with an inflated price tag.
You're right to bring up costs and the production values. I mentioned the higher production values in the review, so I absolutely agree. I have no idea the costs or the profit margin, and that's not my call to police that. 🤷♂️ As a free market proponent myself, I'm in favor of producers being able to charge what they want.
What are your thoughts on the limited run advertisements (in general, not necessarily this book) and their purpose in the magic publishing world?
I think it's fair to say that very few magic books are ever reprinted, unless an author decides to do an updated edition years down the road. Compared to tricks and DVDs, the market for magic books is really quite small. So, in a sense, every magic book that comes on the market could be considered a "limited run." Some books do become surprise hits and sell their run out quickly, but I think this is rare. I do see the value of marketing a book as "get one now before they're gone," but experience has shown me that almost all magic books are generally available from somewhere, either used or new. So, I agree with you that "limited run" language is definitely part of an effort to drive immediate sales, which, while technically true probably creates a false sense of the relative availability of the book.
Another great and fair review. Any history of magic books you recommend reading?
Why yes, yes I do...
ua-cam.com/video/JI9LQDykUg8/v-deo.html
I am sure you have received this request before but in regards to value, I would greatly value your opinion (see what I did there :D ) and lengthy review of "Gambling Sleight of Hand
- Forte Years of Research " by Steve Forte. The second edition print is scheduled for September and it is a large price but two large volumes.
Ha! If someone wants to send me a review copy, I'd be happy to provide my insights. Otherwise...😂
When are you going to do an indepth review of card college and tarbell course in magic. I'm waiting. 😀
Ha! Both would have to be multi video endeavors, but I will consider it!
The books i bought at the 2020 session in london where all high in value, the price went up on magic books and the yrend seems to be fewer tricks to or so for $50/60, not always a bad thing it feels like you are just getting comfortable with the material then the book is over, the gimmick with the false anchors books drove the price up, false amchors was released as 3/4 seperate manuscrips and was later compiled in a hardbound book, so if you collected the manuscrips that was released withb limited quantity, it might justify the scarcity of the product. Also i think RyAn performs these effects on a regular basis and seems to me he eas very sceptical to release the material, i have the book and agree the price is to high. But non the less a great read. Thx for reviewing
Thanks for watching!!
What do you think of "The Great Wizard of the North" and how would you compare it to "John Henry Anderson. Wizard of the North?" by Dawes, et. al. Also have you read "Trouping with Dante?"
@Mike A. - I haven't had the pleasure to read those. Perhaps soon!! Which do you prefer?
Great video, I totally agree with you - this is a very cool book but it's overpriced in my opinion.
Glad you enjoyed the video - thanks for taking time to comment!