GENE ANDERSON

On a family trip the following year dad took me to the Eagle Magic Company in Minneapolis. They sold me a paddle trick with a rabbit in a hat, and took me into the back room to teach me how to do it. Their routine was wonderful, and better than any I have seen since. I practiced and practiced until I could do it very well. Later I discovered that our town library had some magic books, several of them especially good because they taught a wide variety of magical principles. That formidable foundation has been my mainstay ever since: if you know principles, you have the building blocks necessary for creativity.

Primary location: Midland United States