One Ahead is almost five years old — woohoo. What began as a personal blog has steadily grown into a publication with a team of writers. With your support, our magic experts spend a maximum of one day each week researching and sharing insights.

Every Saturday, we share free Magic Highlights, and we publish a new premium edition each week, too. However, every year, it’s our gift guide that out-paces everything to become our most-read, most-clicked, and most-shared edition.

For the first time, it won’t just be me (Rory) sharing recommendations. Our core writers are stepping up to each share a gift, accessory, book, activity, and a trick from their wish lists. A big thanks to the magic brands for gifting our team their items.

Please consider purchasing any non-magic books this year from bookshop.org with a 20% referral code. We may receive a small commission on the Amazon links below.

As a reminder, we’re running a Black Friday weekend deal starting tomorrow. New members can upgrade here starting tomorrow and save 40% on a first year. Existing Digital members can save too. On Friday, we’ll email out a link to buy $500 in digital membership credit for only $300 — a 40% discount. Collector members already have the best price possible, so if that’s you — sit back and relax.

A few readers asked why our sale only runs from Friday to Monday — while many brands offer small discounts over a longer period, we give you the biggest possible discount and we secretly hope the offer window is so short that not everyone claims it…

Rory Adams

TV magic writer & consultant.

• Ace & Tate Oscar Sunglasses: I was gifted these in the “Jurassic” colour over the summer and they’ve been on me at all times since.

• Soundcore Space One Pro: Noise cancelling headphones have changed my life, and these ones flex into a super portable size.

• More Everything Forever: I try to recommend a timely book in our gift guide and this is that — a worthy read in amongst the AI hype.

• Top Ten Game: It’s still not available in English, but it’s so good that it’s worth buying and translating it with your phone’s camera.

• UltraMANTIC’s Sharpie Swami Pro: I want to become great at nail writing in 2026 — by all accounts, this is the best gimmick.

A performer I know strongly recommended UltraMANTIC when I shared my interest in learning to nail write. I’m stoked to start practicing.

Giacomo Bigliardi

World-renowned card magician & professional journalist.

• Apex Backpack 4.0: I spent a lot of time searching for the perfect backpack, and this is the one — I use it every day.

• Otterbox Defender XT: It might not be the prettiest case, but it’s a game-changer for someone who drops his phone constantly.

• Novecento: Novecento is a classic from an Italian author — a fascinating, charming short story you can finish in one afternoon.

• Endless Journey: I picked this up from Art of Play in NY this summer. I keep coming back to it, and it always leaves me inspired.

• Experience: We were booked at the same magic convention this year, and I left very impressed by Jon’s skills and stage confidence.

Jon Allen is a true professional, with countless performances under his belt and a great sense of what works in front of people.

Gaia Elisa Rossi

World Magic Championships finalist & clinical psychologist.

• Handmade Desk Organiser: Perfect for magic props and office supplies, it can be customised how you like. Plus, it’s very classy.

• Victorinox SwissCard Pocket Tool: When I first got this as a gift, I was skeptical - but it’s become my go-to for everything.

• Personal Best: For those who find inspiration in images rather than words. It’s also a great coffee table book.

• 7 Wonders Board Game: This is the number one way I would want to spend my weekend with friends.

• Principles of Destruction: Every detail of Ben’s magic has weight, that’s why I think of him as a true master.

Seidman’s book feels like a perfect balance of strong magic and great thinking: everything comes full circle. I can’t wait to enjoy every bit of it.

Nathan Wilson

Your favourite artist’s ghostwriter.

• Carhartt Heather Gray Beanie: Yes, Carhartt is becoming known as fashion brand but the roots are work wear so it’ll last. 

• Studio Neat Mini Totebook: A thin, flexible pocket notebook with quality paper. An upgrade from standard Field Notes

• Consider the Lobster: A strong collection of essays that shows DFW at his best. Perfect if you aspire to sound smarter than you are.

• The Chameleon: A social-deduction game where one player is the odd one out. Easy to learn and surprisingly fun!

• Venom Pro Reel: Want to look like you have real magic posers? This is the closest thing to achieve that.

The Venom Pro Reel gives you the ability to levitate things, stop time, do PK touches, and more. The possibilities are limitless.

Honorary Mention

William O'Connell has shared insights with our members in the past as a guest writer. A product he spent years developing is finally available: The Materializer Wallet. We found out about it a little late for it to be one of our main recommendations, but we cannot wait to start performing with this.