Nelms’ overlooked gem

Magic and Showmanship: A Handbook for Conjurers by Henning Nelms

Recently, a friend challenged me to re-visit a book that I considered formative to my interest in magic. I really enjoyed this book when I was a teenage magician, but honestly, I haven’t looked at in decades. But I did recall it fondly enough that I’ve kept my original copy for 40 some odd years. (The Amateur Magician’s Handbook would have been another choice that met these criteria.)

I was surprised to discover that although it is published by Dover—a publishing house that I associate with reprinting old books—this book is a Dover original and was published in 1969. (Note: Any book published after you were born can’t possibly be considered old!)

Taking advantage of resources that weren’t available to me as a teen, I spent a couple of hours looking into the life of the author, Henning Nelms. This was a delightful exercise. Nelms was a true polymath with experience and accomplishments in law, drama, mystery fiction, illustration, and of course, conjuring. (Note to self: try to find a copy of his 1950s book about instructional illustration.)

I’m confident that I read this book cover-to-cover when I was a kid, and I decided to do so again. I was pleased to discover that the highlights made by Young Gordon were almost all still relevant to Old Gordon. (Should this be disturbing? Haven’t I grown since then? Well, I think so, as this time I found even more things to highlight!)

I laughed that I had highlighted a passage were Nelms notes that the conjurer’s use of “vanishing” and “vanish” is odd and grammatically incorrect. This is still very much a pet peeve of mine. (I wonder if this is where I got it from?)

What follows are just a few tidbits from my re-reading:

• Predating The Jerx by decades, Nelms observes that spectators at an impromptu performance are less likely to credit a performer with “magical powers,” especially so if they know him personally. As many others have also suggested, having a topic in mind that will turn the conversation towards an opening to perform a mystery is a viable stratagem for the magician itching to perform. But, Nelms uniquely adds, you also need an outro to transition away from the piece! He also suggests that the topic you utilize in this regard needs to be interesting and compelling even without your demonstration, otherwise it will be a weak and obvious ploy.
• Although most of the book is about presentation and performance, Nelms also includes plenty of tricks, all of which are delightfully illustrated. Each trick illustrates his “theory” (to put it in modern terms). The book builds on the tricks throughout so don’t skip studying them.
• I was pleasantly surprised at how many of the presentations would now be considered as “bizarre” magic. (Which isn’t that surprising, I suppose, given Nelms’ theatrical pedigree.) There are pendulums, voodoo dolls, and a wonderful divination called “The Book of Thoth” to name just a few. (Don’t confuse the tarot piece with the more contemporary book of the same name by Stephen Minch.) I was especially tickled to find a few examples of using magic words, and one piece that manifests a djinn!

• I was pleased with the consistent, clear, and useful technical words that Nelms uses. I wish more of his vocabulary caught on. (For example, “device” refers to the means of accomplishing a secret action.)
• I’m not a Si Stebbins guy (I prefer the Jenny stack), but I have enough familiarity with Si Stebbins to know that some of the techniques that Nelms describes are uncommon. If this is something you could use, it’s worth investigating.
• A theme of the book is eliminating departures, unnecessary words, and pointless actions. Nelms also advises that ruthlessly eliminating the weakest parts of your act will improve everything because those pieces, no matter how much you love them, are undermining your performance.
• As a dramatist, Nelms includes practical and useful advice about structure, blocking, and managing the attention curve so that it peaks at just the right time. (Something that expert comedians do, but so rarely exhibited by magicians.) While there are plenty of books that tell you performing magic is akin to acting, Nelms’ discussion is more useful than most. For one thing, he acknowledges that conjurors face an additional challenge that actors do not have to deal with; managing a hidden reality.
• You’ve probably heard others suggest that using a metronome during rehearsal can help your performance. But have you ever heard anyone be specific about how it helps, and give you actionable steps in using one? You’ll find both in this book.
• Finally, since you’ve read this far, I’ll tip the one thing in this book that can thoroughly change your performances: the silent script. Seriously, don’t overlook the discussion of this. (And it will help make your magic more deceptive, too!)

There’s more, but this is definitely enough for this summary. Another nice thing about Dover books is that they are freely available at bookstores, including the Amazon. (Sometimes secrets are right out in the open.) Why not pick up a copy and see if you agree with my assessment? It will be one of the least expensive magic books in your library, and it may end up being one of the most valuable.