This is a question I get from the curious a lot, and it’s a complicated answer. There are so many different ways to start performing tricks for your family and friends, including videos, books, and buying individual tricks. In my opinion, books are the best way to learn, but everyone is different and wants different things from this hobby, so I’ll discuss all of them.
Just a note: Some magic is considered “Self working” where there’s some secret device or principle at play (such as a trick deck), and some of it is sleight-of-hand. Both can be excellent - sleight of hand is more effort to learn but will be more versatile if you want to learn a wide variety of tricks, but if you just want one or two fun things to show your friends on a Friday night, it’s best to stick to self working magic.
Learning magic online
Firstly, I’ll address the elephant in the room: Yes, there are TikTok and Instagram videos that will show you how certain tricks are done. These are not attempts to teach people how to do magic, they are merely exposing the secret to the curious. I don’t condone this, it ruins magic for the people who don’t want to know the secret. Please don't support people who do this.
You can absolutely learn magic from YouTube. There are a lot of genuinely great tutorials and lessons on sleight of hand, particularly for card magic, on the platform. The problem is, for every great tutorial, there are a hundred bad ones. Also, while YouTube is a fine place to go for free content, you have to remember that you get what you pay for.
If you do want to learn some magic, here are a couple of beginner tricks that I think are well taught:
You might watch this and think "Does that really work?", and I can tell you, yes it does! It might look simple once you know the secret, but people love to see magic - there are plenty of magic fans out there that really love not knowing how things are done and they won't even try to figure it out, they'll just hold on to that feeling of astonishment.
Here's another one, this time a coin trick:
This is one of those things that gets taught on the playground so lots of people are aware of it, but it's still used by some really excellent magicians and it's a versatile move.
If these interest you, your next step would be to visit a magic shop.
Magic shops
Unfortunately, there aren’t many brick-and-mortar magic shops left in the UK (though if you happen to live nearby to one, go there - they’ll be able to give excellent, personalised recommendations, and they’re very fun places to spend an afternoon). There, however, are a lot of online magic shops which can provide downloads, videos, props, and books (we’ll cover books shortly). My recommendation for an online magic shop is Vanishing Inc Magic, who curate a great selection of material for beginners (scroll to the bottom and you’ll see a “Learn Magic” section). They have a wide selection tricks you can buy, or you can get video downloads which will teach you tricks with everyday objects (often cards). There’s also Alakazam Magic, who offer a subscription service, Alakazam Unlimited, which serves as a sort of Netflix for magicians - there’s some excellent beginner material on there, particularly for people who want to learn beginner sleight-of-hand.
If instead you want to buy a simple trick, you can do this too, and there are plenty of places to go for recommendations, including the r/Magic subreddit (which is a great community and a valuable resource). If you choose to go this route, take it slow: don’t buy more than one trick at a time, check reviews from other people (particularly beginners), and learn to perform one trick before buying another. If you like it, try and perform it for your family and friends! Speaking from experience, it’s great fun to pull out a magic trick at a pub or coffee shop.
My recommendation would be to pick up a normal deck of cards and this tutorial, or to pick up something called a “Svengali deck”. These will give you a really simple introduction to card magic, and will teach you how to handle cards and perform with them before having to dive into any complex sleight-of-hand.
I haven’t really touched on “magic kits” here - these are available from all good toyshops and are generally recommended for children - since I got into magic as an adult and I don’t have kids, I’m not in the position to judge them, but I hear Marvin’s Magic (run by Marvin Berglas - the president of The Magic Circle) is always a dependable choice.
Magic Books
I recommend books as a way to get started in magic, because I LOVE magic books. Many people prefer learning from video, though, so your mileage may vary.
If you’re interested in learning magic from a wide variety of genres, the highest recommendation I can give is for Mark Wilson’s Complete Course in Magic, the most comprehensive and best-taught book on beginner magic. It can be bought from any magic shop, or it can be found very cheaply on the second hand market (try eBay or AbeBooks).
If you’re specifically looking for card magic, there’s two recommended routes. You can either start with the Royal Road to Card Magic by Jean Hugard, or you can start with the Card College series by Roberto Giobbi. The Royal Road is inexpensive (even free, if you know where to look) and will give you an extremely solid foundation with a deck of cards. Card College is more expensive but is extremely comprehensive. There are five volumes and you should work through them one at a time, progressively teaching you more and more. Whichever route you choose, go through them slowly, making sure that you’re competent with the moves in each chapter before moving on, and you’ll be a great magician in no time (this is how I started - with a copy of the Royal Road and a bit too much time on my hands…).
For other types of magic, there’s books dedicated to the subject (e.g. Bobo’s Modern Coin Magic, and Abbott’s Encyclopedia of Rope Magic), but I would suggest starting with cards, or the Mark Wilson course, before moving onto these more niche areas.
If you’re still feeling lost, you can feel free to drop me a message on my instagram @adamt.magician and I’d be happy to give you some recommendations!
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