Some of you will be familiar with this quote:

“Note also that you must have none of your trinkets wanting, least you be put to a nonplus: besides it behoveth you to be mindful whereabout you go in every trick lest you mistake and so discredit the Art.”
–The Art of Jvgling or Legerdemaine’ 1614

Like many who’d had a copy and parted with it, there were many times I lamented the fact I no longer had a copy of The Shiels Effect. It was one of the bonuses available to subscribers of New Invocation back in 1976. I’d acquired my copy and subsequently sold it when someone waved a sheaf of cash in my face.

After a long, long stretch of unavailability, last year Quentin Reynolds reformated and republished the book. It came with a DVD, “An Evening With Doc Shiels,” which reproduces a lecture Shiels gave at the request of Irish magician Pat Sullivan. The DVD was included as a free bonus, and “priceless” isn’t off the mark to describe the thing.

Quentin recently noted the availability of a new book by Tony Shiels: The Expert Escamoteur’s Equipment. The ebook is a collection of articles originally appearing in The Linking Ring. If The Shiels Effect was a college course in becoming a psychic superstar (and it is, by the way) The Expert Escamoteur’s Equipment — An Exploration in Three Parts of Various Aspects of Cups and Balls Conjuring — is the Cliff Notes version for magicians doing the cups and balls. It’s not a step-by-step manual; it’s filled with things to think about.

Sheils, while known for his bizarre and psychic feats, was quite a magician. He was as comfortable and talented with a set of Linking Rings or Cups & Balls as he was bending spoons. This collection is fun to read, filled with valuable information and advice, and is free.

While I understand why Reynolds is offering this book in electronic form for at no charge — it will cerainly drive people to the web site, The Sheils Effect — this ebook could very easily have been sold. The information is that valuable.

Get your free copy of The Expert Escamoteur’s Equipment here.