Clouds and Kingdoms by Nate Staniforth

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An exclusive, limited-edition release of original magic from the creator of The Lottery Ticket and author of Here is Real Magic

“A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MASTERPIECES FROM THE WORKING REPERTOIRE OF ONE OF THE BEST.” - C0LIN MCLEOD

For the past 15 years, Nate Staniforth has toured the United States with his stripped-down, ‘unplugged’ stage show, performing direct, no-frills magic at colleges, clubs and theaters. His Lottery Ticket prediction has been featured by superstars like David Blaine and Dynamo, and his recent memoir Here is Real Magic has been embraced by magicians around the world for its open and honest exploration of wonder, disillusionment, and magic. “Nate is one of my favorite magicians,” wrote Derren Brown. “This is a beautiful and original book by a beautiful and original mind.”

In Clouds and Kingdoms, Nate shares a collection of his best material, honed over hundreds and even thousands of performances and published here for the first and only time. For the working professional, this book offers over 30 minutes of road-tested material that travels easily and does not require elaborate equipment. For the student, Nate advances several key principles as he teaches his creations. How do you layer multiple methods together within a routine so an audience will swear that you never did anything? How can you make a routine better by making it harder? And—most importantly—how can you take something inherently deceptive like an illusion and use it to give your audience an experience that feels genuine and magical.

FAQ

Q: WILL I NEED ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT TO PERFORM THE MATERIAL IN CLOUDS AND KINGDOMS?

A: No—at least nothing elaborate. An experienced mentalist or magician will be able to perform everything in this book with stuff you already have around the house. One of the pieces will require one additional purchase if you intend to use it every night in your show, but you’ll be able to try it out and use it casually with materials you already own.

Q: CAN YOU PERFORM THIS MATERIAL IN A CLOSE-UP/STROLLING ENVIRONMENT?

A: You can perform ‘Constellation’ anywhere. The other pieces have been developed and optimized for platform/stage/ballroom work and aren’t suitable for close-up or strolling. For instance, you could perform all of this material from the platform for a dinner crowd in a ballroom but couldn’t do it at the cocktail hour beforehand.

Q: IS THIS A FOLLOW-UP TO ‘HERE IS REAL MAGIC’?

A: No, definitely not. Clouds and Kingdoms is an educational manual for professional magicians and mentalists—all technical information, no story. If you’re one of those wonderful non-magician readers who found Here is Real Magic and wants to read more of my work, just wait—now that this book is out the door I can start in on my next book for the public. But honestly, I’d prefer you skip this one. Thanks for understanding.

Q: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ‘ONE-TIME, LIMITED-EDITION’ RELEASE?

A: Clouds and Kingdoms is limited to 1000 copies, ever. Once they sell out they’re gone for good, and I’m agreeing to not teach the material in any other format in the future. Like, you’re not going to see “Dollar” show up on a live lecture series a year from now or in a set of lecture notes. I’m teaching these routines here, and only here, and once 1000 copies have sold I’m pulling this site down forever. If I go on to have a glorious career in magic and one day decide to publish the Nate Staniforth Collected Works, there are going to be four gaping holes in it where this material would go. My last book for the magic world (The Lottery Ticket, 2012) carried the same promise, though with the prices it has fetched on eBay I do wish I’d printed a few more copies…

Also, I’ve worked closely with the printer to secretly mark each copy of Clouds and Kingdoms in a number of different ways, and at least three of these ways will never be found even if you go through it page by page with a magnifying class. Because I’m personally handling each order, I’ll know which customer receives each copy. I suppose this doesn’t rule out piracy, but it does mean that I’ll know exactly who did it.