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Sharing Secrets by Roberto Giobbi (Hardcover Book)


52 powerful concepts taught together with tricks that let you learn, practice and PERFORM them. Learn one a week and change the way you look at magic forever. 1ST PRINTING.
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"Robert Giobbi's Sharing Secrets is the magic theory book we've all needed. As we've come to expect with Roberto’s publications, the information is organized efficiently, presented with clarity, and accompanied with useful applications. If your goal is to be a better magician, it should be in your library. I give it my highest recommendation." - Michael Close

"I have every one of Roberto Giobbi's books because each one is a guaranteed delight to read, is full of great tricks and provides insights into stuff you thought you knew. How does he do that every time? Until now, that's a secret he hasn't revealed. The secret, or rather the secrets of his approach and thinking are laid bare in this book. Its content and format are unique. I now think of Roberto as magic's Notorious R.B.G.--a brilliant thinker, whose opinions will shape magic for years to come." - Bob Farmer

"In this book Roberto made a profound study of 52 theoretical concepts you might or might not have heard of, from the best thinkers in magic, which include him, and presented them in a clear and down-to-earth style that makes them easier to understand than ever before. As soon as you start reading this book you will find yourself consciously and subconsciously revising all the magic you do. I know of no other book in magic that is better food for thought." - Rafael Benatar

"With typical clarity and passion, Roberto Giobbi asserts near the end of this instant classic: "If you don't have a name for it, you don't understand it." He has done such a thorough - and thoroughly engaging - job of using concrete examples to bring alive its fifty-two essential concepts that their names are likely to enter our common usage. I will be recommending this to anyone, beginner or expert, who aspires to artistic magic." - Gordon Bean

"The best way to improve magic is to listen to good advice. That advice is spread across the history of conjuring but in Sharing Secrets Robert Giobbi has drawn much of it together to formulate a theory of magic that can be applied in a practical way. Sharing Secrets is a guide to understanding how and why tricks work and how you can improve the tricks you already perform. Using many examples of classic sleights and routines, Roberto, shows how to make your magic as artful and deceptive as it can be." - David Britland

"A practical treatise on magic theory, embracing the whole calendar of concepts employed by the expert conjurer, some revealed here for the very first time." - Richard Hatch

"Once again Roberto Giobbi proves he is one of magic's finest teachers. His latest book Sharing Secrets is a book of theory discussing core magic concepts balanced with lots of real-world examples. Study this book and become a better magician." - Charlie Randall

"Giobbi has laid the groundwork for Magi to now have a lexicon for those concepts often alluded to, nearly always misunderstood, and many times evasive in description. With reference to past attempts and entries that are coupled here with concrete example we can, at last, move toward a standard jargon for a deeper level of analysis and creation. A much-needed addition to our arts literature." - Paul Vigil

"This is an amazing, useful, brilliant and inspired treatise on how to apply magic theory to the technical, dramatic and psychological aspects of magic performance. The pioneers of magic theory clarified concepts by giving them names; "the Eye," from Robert-Houdin, "in-transit actions" from Ascanio. This volume expands on these kinds of insights, providing clarifying terms to things magicians intuitively sense, making it easier to recognize them and put them to use. The goal is the creation of artistic magic designed to leave the intelligent mind clueless and astonished. There's something to learn on every page." - Allan Zola Kronzek

Bringing Simplicity to a Complex World:
The Key Strategies of Magic Revealed

There is far more to a trick than its mechanics and presentation. In this book, best-selling author Roberto Giobbi discusses the essential ingredients of artistic magic, the hallmark of all successful magicians.

Never before have these closely guarded secrets been identified, named or explained in such a detailed yet succinct manner, all in a single volume. The concepts are illustrated with a first-rate trick, technique or presentation from Roberto's working repertoire, written in a clear, engaging style. 

Studying this book will change the way you view and practice magic.

Roberto Giobbi is a full-time professional performer, lecturer and author. His essays and columns have appeared in over fifty magic magazines. His numerous books include the five-volume Card College, the most widely translated set of magic books in history, internationally considered the foremost instructional text on sleight-of-hand card magic. His awards include the Literary Fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts, the John Nevil Maskelyne Award for Literature from the Magic Circle of London and the FISM Lifetime Achievement Award for Theory and Philosophy. Roberto Giobbi lives in Switzerland and works internationally.

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Insanely great Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on August 21st, 2021
I picked up this book this past week and have been working my way through it.

The book is a combination of different theories of magic, along with some ways to practice what you've just learned. There are also a few lists of sleights and principles at the end.

While some (though not all) of the information is familiar to me (e.g., found in Darwin Ortiz's 'Strong Magic' or 'Designing Miracles'; or also in Juan Tamariz's 'The Magic Rainbow', etc.), Giobbi's theories are "punchier", that is, they are shorter and to the point, and then frequently contain a practical example.

For example, he differentiates between active and passive sleights. An active sleight for cards would be a false shuffle where what you are doing is in plain view, whereas a passive sleight would be something like the pass which is something you must conceal or misdirect. He then gives examples of how to turn a pass into something more active.

So, rather than talk about a specific trick or sleight (which many magic books do), Giobbi first talks about the theory and then how to apply it to the trick. There's a lot of principles in the book so obviously these don't go into that much detail. But, more detail can be found in other books such as the ones I mention above.

All in all, while this is an expensive book, in my view it's well worth it. I've learned a lot just in the short period of time I've been reading it.

I would add that this book is probably for an Intermediate level of skill and above. When you're starting out in magic, you just learn the sleights and the tricks. But once you advance, you learn to optimize and simplify what you already know, and that's what this book is about.
8 of 8 magicians found this helpful.
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The New Bible of Magic *Theory* Report this review
Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on July 28th, 2021
Card College is to Card Magic as this book is to Magic Theory. It's practical, it's comprehensive...what else can I say? One of the few, true "must-buys" of the 21st century.
5 of 5 magicians found this helpful.
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Sharing Secrets is crucial reading… Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on August 11th, 2021
Although I am not a professional, I am an avid hobbyist of card magic and card sleights. This book was interesting to me, not because of what possible tricks it could offer, but because it deals a lot with helping to refine your performance. I have many books in my library that teach effects. This book helps me think about how I can make those effects better and more interesting during performance. That is what drew me to this book. It helps you think and improve on your current skills. It deals with the mental, as well as the physical. Fascinating reading!
4 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
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Never Dissapoints Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on September 3rd, 2021
Have you ever read a Roberto Giobbi that wasn't great? I've never been disappointed by a Giobbi book, and this book is no exception. This book is packed with ideas, some are big and others are very subtle. If all you get is one idea, it will make your show better forever.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
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Great resource Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on August 26th, 2021
This book has a helpful format for learning the concepts that are discussed. It starts off with an idea to be explored, gives references of where to find it in other places, gives a quick one or two sentence that summarizes the idea as well as several paragraphs that flesh it out more. After a concept is explained there are examples given from several tricks or moves that illustrate the the idea, followed by a trick to learn that you can apply the concept to. You could surely use tricks from your existing repertoire if you are not keen on the tricks provided. If you follow the format you will be reinforcing the concepts being discussed, both physically and mentally, into your performances.

If your practice wanders around aimlessly or starts strong but tails off then this book will help you! It is great for providing you a roadmap of things to work on, use it as a syllabus for the year!
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
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Best Practical Reference Work Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on August 11th, 2021
This is a GREAT book. It is extremely well written and packed full of useful information for magicians of all levels and specialties. This is not a book that you will read once and forget. Instead, it is a book that you will come back to time and again as you progressively work to improve your magic.
2 of 2 magicians found this helpful.
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A great source for magicians Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on September 2nd, 2021
Magicians who are not content to learn the "tricks o the trade," who also want to learn "the trade, will find Sharing Secrets indispensable. This is not the most original book on magic theory, but it is a marvelous summary and introduction to the body of theory. Many of the applications that show a theory in action are playing card tricks. I study and perform Mentalism, and perform no effects with playing cards. Nevertheless, most of the book is powerfully useful to me. In the future, I I will re-visit this book at least a hundred times.
2 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
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More about techniques than tricks Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on August 10th, 2021
I think I have nearly all of Giobbi's books, including the Card College series and the Light, Lighter, Lightest series. This one is more about presentation tips and techniques than about the tricks themselves. So this is for the those already doing presentations.
2 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
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Condensed Theories to Make Your Magic Better Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 30th, 2022
For those who like to learn more than just a trick, this book is full of theory, thoughts and reflections about how to make your magic better. Basically, every 2 pages introduces a theory or idea and provides some examples. Also, Giobbi sources the theory in case you want to read more.
Highly recommend it if you want to really think about what makes magic work and work better for you.
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not what I expected Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on August 14th, 2021
I personally would have liked more emphasis on the secrets of magician's effects.
1 of 14 magicians found this helpful.
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