Imagine a shop where you could buy the impossible. Where every shelf held a mystery. Where every visit felt like an adventure. And where a young child could walk through the door, see something incredible and discover a passion that might last a lifetime. Now imagine that shop disappearing forever. Well, unfortunately, that's exactly what's happening to some of our wonderful independent magic shops. And I think it's time we did something about it. Today I want to talk about something very...

There's one sentence every magician loves hearing. “Do that again!” Although it's usually followed by: “But this time, I'm watching properly!” Which always makes me wonder what on earth they were doing the first time! But here's something I've been thinking about. Why do we actually enjoy being fooled? Why can one little mystery hold our attention better than a perfectly sensible explanation? And why do some of the simplest surprises stay with us long after we've forgotten everything else?...

What if I told you that one of the best investments you could make in magic this year isn't another trick, gimmick or download? What if, for the price of a relatively modest annual subscription, you could access decades of magical knowledge, discover forgotten routines, learn from other magicians and become part of a community that's been sharing its passion for almost a century? Well, that's exactly why I want to talk about the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) and, particularly,...