I’ve long been a fan of magician John Carney. His latest book, though slim, is a true gem. It’s a love letter to magicians for generations to come. Weighing in at only 91 pages, Magic By Design offers the growing magic student a practical overview of how to grow and improve as a performer.

How does it accomplish this? Through thoughtful essays, and homework assignments. Yes, homework assignments. Carney also used this device in his The Book of Secrets. But while that earlier book emphasized his message by teaching tricks, this new book teaches no tricks. Instead, it serves as a workbook, offering a refined way to think about your own magic from a larger, or macro, perspective.

Carney teaches how to create an “ideal” of what you want to accomplish with your magic, and how to stay true to that ideal as you engage in self-critique. He offers personal experience in creating a performance character (as he did with Mr. Mysto), and suggestions of how to stay true to the real you, not your fantasy view of yourself. And he offers highly practical methods of practice and rehearsal that will ultimately bring success to your performances.

I’ve been performing professionally for many years, and have presented my full-evening Chamber Magic show over 3,000 times. As I read Magic By Design, I found myself nodding, “Yes, that’s true, and so’s that.” However, I wouldn’t have been able to agree so readily if I hadn’t so much stage time under my belt.

One of the ironies of this type of book is that you can only truly understand the value and truths of what’s offered once you’ve already been actively performing for many years. Carney’s been thinking about his magic for decades, performing in the real world. I feel that it would be wise to read this book, and then return to it periodically. Take action, go out and perform in the real world, and then come back to this book. Each time you will appreciate more of what Carney is offering, due to your own development.

And his goal is to motivate the reader to grow as a performer. The first test of your motivation is to actually seek out the book itself. Carney doesn’t sell it through dealers or wholesalers. He only sells it directly. If you’re interested, you’ll have to visit John Carney’s website.

I first found this book at the Conjuring Arts Research Center, and immediately ordered my own copy after reading through it briefly. The book deserves study, and since there’s homework, it also requires action.

As John Carney writes on the back cover, “No tricks, just the real secrets of how to advance in your magic.”