I havenât written an instalment of Hidden Gems for a long timeâwhoops! My original intention was to write a monthly column that unearthed forgotten tricks from old magic books, manuscripts and periodicals. Given that Iâm not sure whether I should continue writing magic reviewsâthey take ages to research and write, and Iâm uncomfortable with the way they contribute to the overcommercialisation of magic as a hobbyâI thought resurrecting this column would provide me with a good middle ground. With the Hidden Gems format, Iâm under no self-imposed obligation to write a detailed review, and I can shine a light on forgotten tricks that were either overlooked on initial release, or that quickly sank in the relentless sea of new magic trick releases.
Consequently, Iâve decided to reboot the seriesâcan you reboot something that was only two issues in?âand expand the source material to include e-books, VHS tapes đŒ (yes, Iâm old enough to still own a few, although I donât have a VHS player any more), DVDs and video downloads. After all, I started buying digital magic well over twenty years ago, so it seems silly to exclude them.
