Eric Mason was not only a brilliant inventor and magician; he was a creative and talented illustrator. In this beautifully designed book, Mason showcases these qualities and offers a collection of original magic that has received acclaim from such legendary magicians as Roy Walton, Fred Robinson, Gordon Bruce, and Peter Duffie, to name just a few.
I remember when Dan and I first discovered Stuff hidden under a table in Andy Greget's booth at a convention in 2000. Skimming through it we immediately new the contents were special. Stylistically, it's one of the most beautiful books ever produced. Eric Mason was an amazing artist and original drawings are showcased throughout. The magic reaches way out of the box and is a fresh read even today. One item which might be of interest to a lot of you card guys is an idea for a color change in which was an influence for Chad Nelson's Clip Shift.
Note from the publisher:
My friend Eric Mason was born in 1921 and was a highly talented and exceptionally creative magician and illustrator. He was the Art Editor of Pabular magazine and illustrated countless books for me and several other publishers. He released many commercial magic effects including the Beta Wallet, the Breese-Mason Wallet, Cummupence, the Silver Retriever and the Golden Retriever and many of these effects are described in this book.
Eric used to share the spotlight with Fred Robinson at the Marlborough Arms public house near the Magic Circle on Monday evenings. There the alternative Magic Circle met and Eric was always ready to perform a seemingly impromptu miracle; seemingly impromptu because his pockets were always so jammed full of props that David Britland - another magical genius once described Eric as, "Rattling with magic as he walked".
He was a great sleight of hand performer and was so adept with coin sleights that he could back-clip an old English penny and hold a half dollar coin in the palm of the same hand. He used to throw the half dollar up in the air and as it landed back on his palm he would back-clip it and simultaneously release and display the penny concealed between the back of his fingers.
As far a spectator could see, Eric held a half dollar in his open hand tossed it up in the air and by the time it landed back in his hand it had changed into a penny. Early in his career, Eric and his wife Eileen lived in a caravan in Cornwall for several years where Eric spent his time designing, painting and illustrating. Unusually, many of his paintings were published in miniature form on matchbox covers.
The business man for whom Eric produced the matchbox cover designs was another true British eccentric and he used to arrive on horseback wearing a pair of shorts and riding boots when visiting the caravan to collect Eric's matchbox artwork. What a sight it must have been! I miss Eric's company greatly and even though he died in 1986 - more than twenty years ago - it seems as if it was only yesterday that he was in my Magic Lounge in London showing me one of his latest magical creations. Keep smiling Eric. You and your wonderful magic performance will never be forgotten.
