Michael Close has a worldwide reputation in the magic community as an author, a creator, a performer, and a consultant. He has been a student of the conjuring arts for over fifty years, and has been performing professionally since 1978. His specialty is sleight-of-hand, close-up magic, but he also has extensive experience in stand-up magic. He has lectured and performed for audiences around the world.

Michael has published fifteen books of original material for magicians. The Workers Series books have been hailed as modern classics. In addition, he was at the forefront of magic ebooks – instructional books that combined text, photographs, and videos in a way that has been often imitated, but never surpassed.

In addition to writing, performing, and lecturing, Michael is in high demand as a consultant and coach. He is a magic consultant for the highly acclaimed show, Penn & Teller: Fool Us. He lives in The Great White North.