Encyclopedia of One-liners for Magicians by Sam Dalal

From the intro –

“One of the first lessons I learnt in my performing days was that a tongue-in-cheek presentation could be as effective and possibly much more entertaining than one with pompous pretensions. I spent as much on literature devoted to patter and one-liners as I did to books with new tricks and routines, sleights and subterfuges.

Robert Orben was the “guru” – one just had to have everything he put out for magicians. There were many others like Harry Allen, Ken DeCourcy and Val Andrews, who took their presentations with a pinch of salt, and hence were essential reading for me. And the list goes on – because there lie the seeds of what can convert another “pick-a-card” into a memorable encounter for any audience.

This compendium is a compilation from a very different source, and the potential is truly mindboggling as this book will demonstrate. For with my new “co-authors” I bring you this collection of icing to your magic performances, – not a single line “lifted” from any of the above-mentioned or other “authors”, with nearly 2000 chuckles or guffaws in over 100 pages to add to your presentation. And these are just a sampling, once you realise the scope and potential, you can create as many more as you need, for the exact audience or routine you require.

These are one-liners far more specialized than one would find in the published bibliography of one-liners and comedy patter. Not just generalised lines adapted to use in any magic show, but lines tailored to your specific branches of magic (like Mentalism, or Escapes, or Bar magic, or magic with Silks, or Ropes, or Cards or Coins or a general Conjuring show.) You can get an abundance of quips, starting with the MC introducing you, to your act in all its hues, to getting volunteers on stage, or handling hecklers, to humorous openers and closers. These have been further cultured, to specific classic routines like the Miser’s Dream, or Die Box, or Cups and Balls or Linking Rings or … just glance through the partial table of contents below to get the idea. You get lines for every phase of the trick or routine – and even have complete scripts for a particular effect.

Partial List of Contents (with an average of 20 one-liners to a page)
One-Liners for a Magician’s MC
Opening Lines for Magicians
Closers for your Act
Spice up your Card Tricks
Quips for Rope Magic
Coin and Money Magic
Silk & Hanky Tricks
Humorous One-Liners for Bar Magic
Escapes – Tongue in Cheek
One-Liners for the Mental Magician
Cups & Balls
Chinese Linking Rings
The Multiplying Balls
The Multiplying Balls – A Full Comedy Routine Script
The Passe-Passe Bottle and Glass (and the Multiplying Bottles)
A Comedy routine for the Multiplying Bottles
Productions from a Box or Tube
The Vanish
Floating and Levitation effects
The Professor’s Nightmare
Coin in Bottle
Sucker Sliding Die Box
The Miser’s Dream!
The Miser’s Dream for kids
The Cut and Restored Rope
Quips for every Magician
Heckler Come-backs
When Calling Up a Volunteer
More Applause Please