Derek Dingle (1937-2004) was a renowned English close-up magician.
Life
Like many magicians before him, Dingle became interested in magic after receiving a box of magic tricks when he was about eight years old.[citation needed] Upon joining the Royal Air Force, he met another magician, James Gregory,[citation needed] of Kenilworth, England, and spent 18 months with him. They were in Hong Kong for 12 months, where they made up trick packs of cards for magic dealer W. Y. Chu. During this time Derek borrowed James's collection of magic magazines such as The Magic Circular and The Linking Ring and his interest in magic grew.
Dingle spent a year working in magic shops in Hong Kong, where he practiced magic sleights with coins and billiard balls.
After leaving the army and spending a few years in Canada, Dingle moved to New York City, where he became friends with many more magicians, and where his fame grew.
Magic
Dingle was known in the magic world for his technical ability. Dingle was very proficient with difficult sleight of hand technique with playing cards and coins. Among fellow magicians, he was well known for his skill in executing the pass.
Dingle has magic published in several publications and videos. His most popular publication, The Collected Works of Derek Dingle (Richard Kaufman, 1982), has been out of print for many years now, but has recently been re-published by Richard Kaufman.
His first main release to the magic world was a small book written by Harry Lorayne. Derek also released several videos which have been now transferred to DVD. These DVDs include Dingle's Deceptions and Dingle's Delights. He was also part of the Stars of Magic series.
Death
Derek Dingle died on January 10 2004, of a stroke. The May 2004 edition of Genii Magazine featured several articles on Dingle in memoriam of his passing.
