Its tough to beat a letter that passed between two of the biggest names in the history of our art. The names Kellar and Thurston became forever linked in magic history when young Howard Thurston was named successor to the great Harry Kellar. Several years later, Thurston alerted his mentor of an unpleasant development involving the Mysto Manufacturing Company ?their new catalog included a full-page ad for "Kellars Levitation." With a sheet of his simple stationery, imprinted with just his address at the top, Kellar sat in his library and spilled his feelings onto the page.

This month features several handlings of John Scarnes classic Two Card Transposition, which typically uses a glass and a duplicate card. All things considered, Scarnes original method is near perfect. You just cant simplify this effect any further, and theres a visual clarity you cant beat (one card on top of a glass and one card beneath it). But what if no duplicate is available? Magicians have wrestled with this problem before, and Peter Duffies solution is perhaps the most elegant to date. Joshua added a small but interesting subtlety to this trick, and Andi Gladwin has contributed a version that makes the trick more visual ?the price you pay is that its also far more difficult. Lance Pierce offers a fabulous, complete routine, which builds to a four-Ace climax.

This month David Kaye reminds you to take another look at your props, specifically the props that you are getting one or two laughs from. Look at these props and see if there isnt a way to increase the time you spend with them, milk them for more laughs, and turn them from one-joke props into full-blown routines. If you do turn these one-laugh gags into multi-laugh routines, you will not only get more laughs in your show, but with the added time you get from these gags, you will also be carrying fewer props! Here is how English magician David Charles turned a simple prop, the Bongo Growing Hat, into a featured routine in his show.

What is the personality trait that first comes to your mind if someone says "escape artist"? Youre thinking "arrogant," arent you? No? Perhaps, "overbearing" then? Okay, then one last guess: "Houdini wannabe?" If you are thinking any of the above character personas, or anything similar, then Im afraid that we have come to one of the main reasons that the art of escape disappeared into a black hole for so many decades following 1926.

The engagement is almost never really over when youve performed your last piece and taken your last bow. Right after youve completed a great show is the best time for making new contacts, cementing relationships, and leaving your audience members ?a.k.a. future clients ?with the best impression possible. Youll be repaid many times over for the time and effort youve put in. Not only will a system for such contacts save you time in the long run, it will earn you repeat bookings and help you improve the quality of everything you do.

This month we present an audience participation piece modeled on the ever-popular reality television shows. As far as Anthony Owen is aware, he was the first to point out the similarity between Roy Bakers PATEO force and the voting process in the reality TV shows Big Brother and Survivor. He created this version of Big Survivor 2 in 2001, without the performer having to be part of the selection process, and with the entire audience being involved in the final selection.

Heads Down Syndrome is a condition stemming from the practice and performance of magic in a horizontal plane. Most table card magic, table coin magic, and magic classics, such as the Cups & Balls, often take place with the performer looking down at the magical props, instead of out at the audience. This leads to a number of symptoms. In this premiere column in a new series, Jeff McBride takes a straight look at looking downward, examining causes, symptoms, and suggested remedies.

I could feel it creeping up, moments before my show: palms sweating, heart racing, hands shaking... Stage fright. Every performer who ever faced an audience has experienced it. Nevertheless, the subject has rarely appeared in magic literature. Stage fright is not an impossible problem. Time and experience bring confidence. I cant offer a magical spell that will banish stage fright from our lives, but I can share a few approaches that have helped me.