Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends

Please take note that this book originally came with a packet of trick accessories and another, smaller book. If you buy this book used and all you get is the main book, then many of the tricks in the book will be useless to you. Such is the case that happened with me.Penn and Teller are great writers (and showmen, of course) and you will thoroughly enjoy their stories, but there's just something missing when you are not able to perform all the tricks they mention because you don't have all the original materials. The mind-reading trick sounds so wonderful, but without the extra book you can't perform it, for example.Another impossible trick is the very first one where they tell you to call a phone number. I called it and was directed to the voicemail of someone within Random House (not the publishers of this book, btw). Being that the book came out in 1989 it looks like Penn and Teller have long given up that particular number.Maybe in a dusty old bookstore, sometime in the future, I might be lucky enough to stumble across this complete package, but until then, if ever, I can only wonder at what might have been....

all was well

Loved the book. I'am very pleased with my purchased. The seller, Dennis, was very kind and did an excellent job sending this book to me.I did enjoy the book. A fan of Penn & Teller.

The book is excellent and worth 5 stars. The trick packet was not included and therefore worth 0 stars. I'm averaging this to 3.

I got this for my father as birthday gift. If you haven't held or used this book in person I can assure you it is worth the price and a perfect coffe table book.

I was hoping for better stories of Penn & Teller's experiences but most were odd and not that interesting. Only found one that I really enjoyed.

Boys liked the content as they enjoy magic shows. They also like the humor with satire and jokes throughout. Adults enjoyed reading these as well.

glad to find it from the dealer at a great price and received with other Amazon things.

This product wasn't really what I was expecting. I bought it as a gift for my other half, and was actually a little embarrassed after he commented on the small size of the text. I hadn't actually looked at the book before opening the parcel as I had intended it as a christmas gift (but didn't account for Christmas postal delays) and so I just gave it to him as a surprise on the spot when the delivery arrived.When I actually looked at the pages of the book, I saw what he meant. The text is so tiny. Like, what is this? A book for ants? How can we be expected to teach magic tricks to Kids Who Can’t Read Good ? It needs to be at LEAST 3 times bigger.But seriously, the text is tiny. Before I ordered the book I noticed another review mentioning it was a 'complicated book'. I didn't understand what they mean't - it's not that the tricks are complicated, it's that it's complicated to read. For us it's as good as unreadable and consequently I couldn't say if the tricks are any good.Lastly, I returned here to review the product (obv) now having already received the book. This time, I saw a second review that I didn't read at the time because it had given 5 stars. This reviewer stated that there's a trick packet and without having that the book is "useless". The listing title states it's for a book AND trick packet, and seeing that a 'like new' used one was a fraction of the cost I bought it without thinking. It should have occurred to me at the time but it it didn't so just in case it doesn't for others either: If you buy one second hand you're more than likely just getting the book and not the trick packet, which is obviously why it's so much cheaper. Rookie mistake.

A strange book indeed but exactly as expected from this mischievous magical duo.If you want to get more of an insight into the complex mind-set of the evergreen Penn & Teller, whilst at the same time learning a few stunts to perform, then this is the book for you.But patience is needed as you may find yourself puzzled at the somewhat mutli-directional layout of the book.Enough said. Just get the book & read it front, back, sideways - or anyway you wish. It really isn't expensive & may prove a sort of collectors' item one day.

Als erstes das größte Problem: Mit einer Ausnahme benötigen alle Tricks bestimmte Gimmicks, die sich ursprünglich in einem Umschlag mit dem eigentlichen Buch verkauft haben. Der dürfte jedoch nur in Ausnahmeföllen tatsächlich mit dabei sein (das Buch ist ja jetzt fast schon 30 Jahre alt).Aber auch wenn es vollständig ist, sind die meisten Tricks doch eher kleine Streiche als "echte" Zaubertricks. Wenn man tatsächlich zaubern mööchte, sollte man lieber zum ähnlichen (aber imho deutlich besseren) "How to play with your food" greifen.Der Rest des Buches besteht aus kleinen Anekdoten und Geschichtchen (rangiert unter Geschmackssache) und der Erklärung zweier Tricks, die das Duo im Amerikanischen Fernsehen vorführten. Ein Drittel des Buches ist nicht wirklich lesbar, sondern dient nur als Gimmick für einen Zaubertrick.Alles in allem hatte ich mir deutlich mehr erhofft!

Just brilliant from the easy to the elaborate set ;this is a joy to read ( plus the book has one of the funniest gags ever - MAGIC MIRROR )

Couldn't make head nor tail of this. Extremely complicated book. Good luck!