We have all seen it happen a million times. A magician on television performs a trick that generates a great reaction. The next day every magician in the country heads down to his local magic shop ?or today, goes online ?and buys that trick. Instead of thinking, Well, that trick is now over exposed, we instead are determined to perform the very same effect so we can be like that famous guy on TV. Did this way of thinking begin when the first magician appeared on television? Not by a long shot. This months letter is a prime example of how this phenomenon proliferated 112 years ago.

"Talk About Tricks" goes mental! Doc Dixon reveals how to divine a complex action or image without asking any questions and "Spidey" provides a great utility device for gleaning information from a spectator (the form is ready to cut out of the June issue). Giacomo Bertinis Florentine Stand-up Coins Across is detailed, complete with an excellent ending display. Theres a s?ce card revelation, a Martin Gardner prediction effect, and a charming Rain Man presentation for memorized deck users.

David explores our old friend, Six Card Repeat. A classic trick where the magician has six cards, throws away three, and yet he still has six cards. It was invented by Tommy Tucker in 1936. Over the years there have been many popular variations of the Six Card Repeat. It was a pet effect of Sid Lorraine, Baffles Brush (who simplified it by introducing pockets on the cards), Blackstone Sr., and Clarke Crandall. This month Nick Brown offers a fun variation using cards with large numbers on them.

The performer borrows a deck and, with a marker pen, makes an X on the back of an unknown card. To dispel the concerns of the decks owner, the performer promises to replace the marked card. He removes his wallet and shows inside the zippered compartment a single face-down card with a back which matches the design and color of the borrowed deck. The card is replaced unseen in the zippered compartment and the wallet returned to the performers pocket or handed to a nearby spectator. A spectator freely names any card. This card is removed from the borrowed deck and revealed to be the card with the X marked on its back. The wallet is reopened and the unseen card revealed to be a duplicate of the freely named card. As this card is unmarked it is swapped for the marked selection; the borrowed deck can be returned complete and undamaged.

Finger fellow Helge shows that hes still "on a roll" with a routine in which a piece of color negative film in the darkness of a film container develops into a real dollar bill. But it doesnt stop there! It seems as if theres even more money in the "film business": suddenly the container is filled to the brim with quarters! Also, in Flicking Failures, Helge shares two embarrassing stories in which, despite the years he has spent developing his timing, audience members show that they sometimes have the gift of perfect timing without any experience at all.

In the world of magic there is no law against talking, but there is deeply ingrained in many people this bit of wisdom: "Dont speak unless you can improve on silence."

Our designer finds inspiration in a classic comedy sight gag youve seen many times. The magician lays face down on a table and is covered with two boxes. His head is clearly visible out the end of one box, and his feet are seen out the end of the other. His hands or arms can also be visible out the sides of one box. The two boxes are then pivoted upward, so his heels are just inches away from the back of his head. The magician is folded completely in half!

One of the most common questions that Jeff is asked is how to overcome stage fright and butterflies in the stomach. He suggest that we must ask ourselves this question, "Who wants to have a hobby or profession that makes us tremble and sweat?" The obvious answer is, "All of us!"

So, why did David stop performing the Linking Rings? Why did he stop performing the Cups & Balls, Card through Handkerchief, the Salt Vanish? The answer is that he was doing those effects between the ages of seven and thirteen. He identified them with his childhood. After some reflection, hes pretty sure that doesnt seem like a good reason to have discarded them.