Out of your Pocket by Merlyn T. Shute

Why this book on restaurant magic? There are several reasons why any book is written - money, ego, sincere desire to pass on knowledge discovered or acquired. All are valid reasons and, being related to the author, are very personal.

But this book falls out of the ordinary since it was not the author's idea in the first place but resulted from the demands of friends. After the initial suggestions, however, the project unfolded easily and pleasantly and I am content with the result.

One thing that pushed it along was a concensus that today's youth must develop their magic in a vastly different world of entertainment than in time past. The supply of entertainment is much greater today and, since there is a limit to the amount of money that is available to spend on entertainment the competition for it is very fierce. As a consequence the number of places that a newcomer can go to get on-the-job training or even the opportunity to watch and talk with good professional performers is, compared to previous eras, much more limited. We believe that there is a strong need for at least a guide to anyone who attempts to work in the dining room instead of the parlour and is the basic reason for this book.

We will proceed in three stages or sections. The first will be general guidelines for dealing with the employer and the audience. The second section will deal with the elements of an act and finally there will be a discussion on equipment and paraphernalia.