What to buy after your first magic kit: a buyer’s guide

After a first magic kit, don’t buy another kit straight away. Work out which tricks you actually enjoyed, then go deeper in that one direction: a real deck and a card book if you loved the card tricks, a proper set of cups and balls or a rope routine if you loved the props. Add one free classic book, practise one routine until it’s ready to show, and only then buy the next thing.

The holidays are coming round again. If you or someone in your family has worked through a first kit and wants more, this guide helps you decide what to buy next without ending up with a drawer full of half-learned tricks.

What did you learn from your first kit?

A beginner kit is a sampler. It gives you a taste of several kinds of magic so you can find out what you like. Before you spend more, go back through it and ask:

• Which trick did you show people most? That’s your strongest clue.
• Did you enjoy the props or the skill? Some people love a clever gimmick; others love the feeling of a move finally working in their hands.
• Who do you perform for? Family at the table, friends at a party, or a phone camera? Our guide to close-up vs parlour vs stage magic helps you name your setting.
• Which tricks did you give up on, and why? If it was too hard, you may want a book that teaches the basics properly. If it was boring, that style might not be for you.

Which direction should you go next?

If you enjoyed…	Go deeper with
Card tricks	A good deck, then a card book that teaches handling and sleights
Cups, balls and small props	A full-size set of cups and balls with a proper routine
Rope or string magic	A rope routine with quality rope and video instruction
Mind reading	Mentalism, where the magic happens in someone’s head
Everything, a little	A classic all-round textbook, then pick one area

Not sure what separates a self-working trick from one that needs a gimmick or sleight of hand? Read self-working vs gimmick vs sleight of hand first.

What helps you take it further?

These come from our shelves. Every detail is from the product’s own description.

• Aluminum Alloy Cups and Balls Set by TCC: the description says it’s made for beginners and daily practice, weighs roughly half as much as a brass cup and includes a full routine tutorial taught by Michael Ammar, the routine he has performed for decades. It notes that the tutorial shows the brass version, but the routine is the same.
• WGM Professional Rope Routines from World’s Greatest Magic: rope routines performed and taught by Jeff Sheridan, Michael Finney, Aldo Colombini, Ted Lesley, Flip and Dan Harlan. The description says it includes thick, ultra-white, coreless rope and over an hour and a half of online instruction.

Moving on to cards? Our guide to the best playing cards for magic explains how to choose a deck, and our playing cards collection has plenty to choose from. For mind reading, browse our mentalism collection.

Which free books should you read next?

A kit teaches tricks. A book teaches magic. Three free public-domain ebooks on our shelves are a good next step, and they cost nothing to try.

• Modern Magic by Professor Hoffmann (1876) is a free 594-page PDF covering cards, coins, watches, handkerchiefs, balls, cups and stage apparatus, each explained step by step with the original engravings. Perfect for the “everything, a little” reader.
• Tricks with Cards by Professor Hoffmann (1889) is a free 148-page PDF on the principles of sleight of hand with cards, followed by tricks without apparatus and tricks with prepared cards.
• The Expert at the Card Table by S. W. Erdnase (1902) is a free 230-page PDF on shifts, blind shuffles, palms, bottom deals and table work, then the conjuring tricks built on them. It’s demanding, so save it for when the basics feel comfortable.

For a wider list, see our best magic books for beginners.

How do you avoid the drawer of half-learned tricks?

1. Buy one thing at a time. Learn it, perform it for someone, then buy the next.
2. Pick a routine, not a trick. Three or four minutes that flow together are worth more than ten separate effects you can’t link.
3. Practise on a schedule. Short, regular sessions are easier to keep up than one long weekend. Our guide on how to practise magic has more tips.
4. Write down what you’ll say. Words matter as much as the moves. Our guide to writing patter shows how.
5. Show it, then improve it. Perform for one friendly person, notice where they looked, and fix that before the next show.

Should you buy a bigger kit instead?

Sometimes. If your first kit was very small or aimed at young children, a more complete kit can still teach new skills. Check what it contains against what you already own, and look for one that teaches techniques rather than just supplying props. Otherwise, going deeper in one direction usually teaches you more than starting over with another sampler.

Frequently asked questions