It's Monday and you know what that means... Monday Mail Call!
Each Monday (give or take), I use this feature to highlight a few of the things that have made their way in over the past week or so. Packages, purchases, and emails -- oh my!
To kick things off right away, first up is Lorem Ipsum by Nathan Colwell. I picked up Theseus, also by Colwell, a while back and have been really pleased with it. When I saw he was coming out with another book -- and it was affordable -- I kind of jumped the gun and snatched it before it sold out.
If ever there was a time when I should be more thoughtful when making a purchase, this would be it. Yes, I know that prior works being good don't mean that new ones would be too. Maybe it was the Latin in the name and text block on the cover that suckered me into it. After all, Lorem Ipsum (the "placeholder text" used on almost every website ever when it's being developed) is something that I've had in my day-to-day for years. Ugh.
I've skimmed through the booklet and... Okay let me pause. So, first off, I thought it was going to be a book. When I opened the tiny envelope and out comes this blank-white paper stapled together I almost lost it. I spent $25 plus shipping for 11 sheets of paper that, as far as I can tell, don't offer any new or original routines but just modifications to some pretty commonly known ones? I'm actually mad just writing about it which I think is safe to say biasing my opinion of the work.
That said though, the Oyster Production in it does look pretty cool. My hands must not be flexible enough though because I can't hold them in the way that he describes, but if I pull it off it'll be eye-candy for IG. And, the illustrations are very well designed. I give credit where credit is due. However, this is one of those "should've been a PDF" purchases, if not a "should've read the description better" ones. I'll still go through the whole thing to form a real opinion though, but first impression is rage.
The next package that I popped open was one I was really excited to get. This one was almost an impulse-purchase, but also one that I knew I just wanted. Concerning the Palming of Cards by John Galsworthy made its way onto my library shelf and it took only one look at the cover to know I wanted it. The cover isn't anything special, it's just the name -- but ever since seeing his Experts at the Card Table lecture I've been excited to see more from him.
It came in just a few days ago and I've only flipped through it so I don't have an opinion yet, but given that it comes with video tutorials too I'm sure it'll be worth it. Also, just saying but this book has some of the best palming-related pictures I've seen. It definitely captures all of the angles... though, we'll see how accurate that statement is after I've read it =P
Last but not least, but maybe least who am I to judge: Meta Playing Cards. Give me a second, I just laughed out loud a little and I need to recuperate.
Yes, you read right folks. Meta playing cards. Like, from the company Facebook Meta.
They sent these bad boys out as a swag gift to employees after rebranding the company from Facebook to Meta. I don't know if only certain areas (like North America) received them or if offices across the globe did, but whatever percentage of employees received these had to be a high number so this might be one of the largest print runs of custom playing cards I've had the pleasure (lol) of holding.
Printed by Playing Cards on Demand, they are "casino quality" and feature a custom tuck and back design. That's about where the niceties stop. The finish on the cards makes them smooth like plastic, except clumpy. Fanning powder, highly recommended. The back design, which is carried from the tuck design, also doesn't make any sense. It's a pool noodle? With the Meta logo...
But hey, they came in a pretty nice tote bag.
Not a terrible week overall. Any time I get books, good or bad, it's a good time. And free cards? Heck yeah! As long as I can use them, they're good to me.
Stay tuned for the next iteration of Monday Mail Call, there's a lot more to come!
Oh also, if you'd like to offer suggestions for books, tricks, decks or if you have questions about magic (performing, routines, sleights, etc.), just reach out here.