Despite their insistence on secrecy, magic literature dwarfs the body of juggling literature as a library does a single shelf. Dozens of books and periodicals are  published monthly, many for the bookstore and library trade. The IBM's monthly publication, "The Linking Ring," runs to rearly 160 pages, crammed with prop advertisers, announcements of get­togethers and reports on meetings. Magicians have even had a weekly publication, "Abracadabra," published continuously since 1946, before the IJA was born.

 

Although the IBM has shed some of the hocus-pocus that characterized the early SAM, it still insists on absolute adherence to an ethic of secrecy. Without being terribly inaccurate, this can be summed up in the dictum that it's fine to sell a secret but not to give it away - just about the reverse of the jugglers ethic.

 

Admission into the parent body requires the signatures of two members, a requirement the IJA long ago dropped. And admission to local clubs requires an audition and a monthly demonstration of a new trick - requirements that would kill juggling, which places great emphasis on encouraging beginners.

 

The hide-bound nature of the formal magic organizations may be contributing to a general staleness. Two writers in a recent issue of "Second Sight" called for changes in the way magicians approach magic, pointing out that the last major revolution in magic was 120 years ago.

 

In 1868 magicians began discarding their sorcerer's apprentice persona to dress as their audience did, the better to set off their miraculous powers. Unfortunately, they have been dressing and performing like it was 1868 ever since. There has been less emphasis on presentation than on technical skill - a discussion that jugglers have conducted for some time.

 

The appearance of punk magicians Penn and Teller has stirred controversy in the magic world. They sometimes explain, tricks, mingle with their audience during intermission and perform both high and low tech mysteries with an informal atmosphere. The demands of the new vaudeville style are just beginning to make an impression on established magicians, and a long-overdue second revolution may be at hand. Ironically, juggling will be leading the way.