ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF
CARD TRICKS Revised and Edited by
JEAN HUGARD Associate Editor: JOHN J. CRIMMINS, Jr.
Illustrations by NELSON HAHNE
Published by
MAX H O L D E N 220 West 42nd Street
New
York City
Copyright 1937 by MAX HOLDEN This Edition Created In 2013 with Great Love and Care For The Conjuring Arts Research Center by Mahdi Gilbert Find More Great PDFs at our Conjuring Arts Store If any errors are found please let us know at support@conjuringarts.org
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INTRODUCTION By Theo. Annemann
LOSE to a year ago, there made its appearance upon the horizon of magicdom a book. But what a book! Not for many a moon had the production of a tome related to magic stirred the hearts and emotions of those addicted to the reading, collecting, and performance of things magical, especially tricks with cards.
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The book, aptly named an ‘Encyclopedia’ contained between its covers nearly every practical card trick produced, invented and im proved by magical students for forty years or more. The combined value of its contents, were the tricks to be computed at their original marketed price, was well over one thousand dollars. And were one to sit well back and mull over the countless hours of study, concen tration, and brain-wrecking periods of mind fixation necessary to produce the contents, it would stagger the best of imaginations. The material included in the volume was compiled by Doctor Wilhelm Von Deusen in collaboration with Mr. Glenn G. Gravatt, the latter a devout follower of magic for many years and an erst while contributor to magical journals. The magic fraternity knows little or nothing concerning Doctor Von Deusen who must have spent years in gathering this huge collection of secrets which em braced the original ideas and inventions of the world’s best card men. As originally produced the book was mimeographed on large pages, the over-all size of the volume making it quite bulky for the average bookcase. These are not the qualifications generally ex pected and desired in a work of this character. However, despite its format, the book was an immediate success because of its con tents which made the work one of the most valuable to appear in years. The original price was Ten Dollars at which figure Mr. Gravatt reports that over eight hundred copies were sold, com pletely exhausting his one and only edition. The demand for a second edition became so insistent that Mr. Max Holden undertook the monumental job. In the belief that such valuable material warranted the best possible treatment he has produced herein a beautifully printed and bound book of a size and makeup to be respected on any shelf. Together with its secrets it now stands alone as undoubtedly the greatest and most complete Encyclopedia of Card Tricks ever conceived. Produced at a cost of over two thousand dollars, the original
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Encyclopedia of Card Tricks
work has been entirely rewritten by Mr. Jean Hugard, whose many magical publications are but scant evidence of his mastery in all phases and departments of magical knowledge. Mr. Hugard tested every trick herein before placing it on paper. Where, as was the case quite often, the original work deleted, (through translation, no doubt) or skipped over important details necessary for correct performance, Mr. Hugard discovered these missing points, and corrected the faults. At half the price of the Gravatt publication, this book contains even more tricks! Improvements, variations, and other effects of a nature that need little mechanical ability have been added. In tricate sleight-of-hand tricks and those requiring much practice have been left out of this boon to card trick lovers. There is a mystery for every condition, place or time. The owner and reader of what is within these covers need never be at a moment’s loss for a trick. But Mr. Holden has gone still further in his zeal to promote good will and avoid any possible criticism on the part of those who originated the tricks incorporated in this revised edition. Before starting on the task of putting the book into printed form, Mr. Holden approached all known originators of the effects herein, and secured written permission from each for the inclusion of the tricks. Days were spent in the checking of books, magazines, and writing to authorities on magic in order to trace the ownership of certain effects. For magic is a strange and inconsistent profession when it comes to inventing a new trick. New principles are few and very far between. One man invents a trick. He thinks of and puts into practice an effect which is different than any before, and uses it with great success and acclaim. But that trick, to which he has a just claim, may depend entirely upon principles conceived years ago by as many as four or five different people! A magician who ‘steals’ the effect of another always falls back on the excuse that the principle is an old one and available to everyone, notwithstanding that the individual from whom the effect has been appropriated conceived an entirely new and novel application of that old prin ciple. The argument, to date, has been endless, and so many in ventors add a new twist or kink to a trick and pass it on to another who does the same, that it is understandable why a trick can reach a state of near perfection and have so many who claim it as their own. And each one claims it because of his particular addition in the form of a move, twist or manner of presentation, despite the fact that he had a nucleus upon which to work, and regardless of the fact that several more constructive ideas have been added by others.
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So, within the present volume, Mr. Holden has given credit by name to those who brought the effects described into the limelight through twists and fancies of their own, and marketed them to the profession. Thanks for such permission are due Percy Abbott, Howard Albright, Al Baker, Frank Chapman, Charles Eastman, U. F. Grant, Leslie Guest, Ralph W. Hull, Geo. Johnson, Charles T. Jordan, Frank Lane, William W. Larsen, Loyd of California, Charles W. Nyquist, J. F. Orrin, Ralph W. Read, John Scarne, Floyd G. Thayer, Dai Vernon, Herman Weber and M. F. Zens. Special thanks are due Harry Leat too, for the publication within of a complete work, “The Nikola Card System,” now out of print, and for which many have paid almost half the cost of this entire volume. Program after program may be built from the contents of this encyclopedia, and it is doubtful if the day will come when the tricks herein will not be useful. It is hardly probable that this generation of magicians and card trick fans will again see the like of the re vised “Encyclopedia of Card Tricks.” New York City June, 1937
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STATEMENT BY THE PUBLISHER S the publisher of this revised and the first printed edition of the “Encyclopedia of Card Tricks,” I wish to express my appreciation to all of the known originators of the effects contained herein who have so graciously cooperated in this effort.
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If, perchance, any ideas herein are original with some one, and not duly credited, it is not due to lack of search on my part but because of no identification being discoverable. To all such, if there be any, I extend my thanks. I am happy to acknowledge the friendly help of Glenn G. Gravatt without whose initial edition there might never have been any such book. I am sure the entire fraternity will join me in thanking Charles T. Jordan for his generosity in permitting us to literally help ourselves to his enormous store of ideas. To Jean Hugard and John J. Crimmins, Jr., I am deeply in debted for the infinite care and pains they have taken in re-writing, editing, arranging and proofreading the many pages, and for their assistance I am duly grateful. To Ted Annemann and others who have freely lent their aid in many ways, I give a full measure of thanks. And if you, dear reader, derive pleasure and profit from our efforts, we shall all be happy.
Fraternally yours MAX HOLDEN
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Contents INTRODUCTION By Theo. Annemann .............................................................. 3 STATEMENT By The Publisher ........................................................................... 7
C H A P T E R
I
MISCELLANEOUS IMPROMPTU CARD TRICKS Twin Souls ...................................................................... .. 17 The Magic Breath ............................................................. L7 Reversed Court Card ...................................................... 18 The Sagacious Joker No. I 19 " " 2 ............................... 19 " " " " 3 19 " " 4 ............................... 20 The Trio ............................................................................ 20 Cards of Chance ........................................................ ....... 20 Push ....................................................................................... 21 Card Detectives ................................................................ 22 The "Easy" Card in Wallet ............................................ 22 Prediction 23 A Smart Location .............................................................. 23 The Whispering Queen .................................................. 24 The Card Doctor ................................................................ 24 Stampedo ............................................................................ 25 Color Divination 26 The Vanishing Pair ........................................................... 26 The Unknown Leaper................................................... 27 Self Control...................................................................... 27
In His Pocket ...................................................................... 28 Find the Queen ................................................................. 28 Super Card Prediction .................................................... 29 The Finger Points ............................................................. 29 The Five Card Mental Force ......................................... 30 "Just Think" Mental Mystery ..................................... 31 Matching the Aces .......................................................... 31 Supasso ................................................................................ 32 New Card Discovery ....................................................... 32 Thought Card from Pocket ......................................... 33 Naming Cards in the Dark .......................................... 33 The Magic Thrust ............................................................. 34 U Find Your Card .............................................................. 34 The Card and Crystal Ball ................................... 35 The Secret Mathematician .................................... 35 The Card Miracle-Certain ................................... 37 " " " Tucker's version ................................. 37 " " " Abbott's version ................................ 37 " "T. Nelson Downes' Original 38 Cut in Detection ............................................................... 39 Sleight of Foot .................................................................. 39
CH A P T E R II SPELLING EFFECTS IN CARD MAGIC
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E ncyclopedia of C ard T ricks
CHAPTER
III
"YOU DO AS I DO"
C H A P T E R I V CARD SUBTLETIES UTILIZING KEY CARDS
C H A P T E R V "SLICK" PRINCIPLES IN CARD MAGIC
Encyclopedia of Card Tricks
C H A P T E R
V I
CARD MYSTERIES EMPLOYING DIACHYLON
C H A P T E R V I I DOUBLE BACK PRINCIPLES IN CARD MAGIC
C H A P T E R
V I I I
MAGIC UTILIZING DOUBLE FACED CARDS
C H A P T E R I X CARD MYSTERIES USING A ONE-WAY BACK DESIGN
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C H A P T E R X REVERSED ORDINARY CARDS
C H A P T E R X I CALCULATION TRICKS WITH ORDINARY CARDS
E ncyclopedia of C ard T ricks
C H A P T E R X I I THE MYSTERIES OF A PREARRANGED PACK OF CARDS
C H A P T E R
X I I I
MAGIC WITH A SVENGALI PACK OF CARDS
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C H A P T E R X I V MAGIC WITH A MENE-TEKEL PACK OF CARDS
C H A P T E R X V MAGIC WITH A STRIPPER PACK OF CARDS
Encyclopedia of Card Tricks
C H A P T E R
X V I
MAGICAL MYSTERIES WITH SPECIAL PACKS
C H A P T E R
X V I I
THE USE OF SHORT CARDS IN MAGICAL EFFECTS
C H A P T E R
X V I I I
MORE MISCELLANEOUS TRICKS
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C H A P T E R X I X INDISPENSABLE SLEIGHTS
C H A P T E R X X THE NIKOLA CARD SYSTEM
TWIN SOULS Al Baker
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This effective trick can be done with any pack of cards. Begin by having the deck shuffled by a spectator. In taking it back sight the bottom card, make an overhand shuffle, bringing it to the top and note also the bottom card at the end of the shuffle. Go to a lady and say you will make a prediction foretelling exactly what she is about to do. Write on a slip of paper, “The gentleman will get the . ................... of.............. ” filling in with the name of the top card of the deck. Fold the slip and put it on the table under a glass or some other object. Hand the pack to the lady and ask her to think of a number, then when your back is turned, to deal that number of cards face down on the table, turn the top card of those dealt, note what it is, replace the packet on the pack and make one complete cut burying the chosen card in the middle. Turn away while the lady does this. When she is ready, turn again and take the pack. Go to a gentleman and under pretence of fixing on a suitable card to impress on his mind, run over the faces of the cards, find the former bottom card and cut at that point. Note the card thus brought to the top. On a second slip write, “The lady will get the.................. of................ ” fill in the name of this top card. Fold the slip and put it with the first. Ask the lady to whisper the number she chose to the gentleman. Hand the pack to him and tell him to deal the cards face down and note the card at that number. This done, reassemble the pack and shuffle it as you build up the effect by recapitulat ing what has been done. Hand out the slips in the reverse order to that in which you wrote them. Have the two cards named, then have the slips opened and read, proving that you predicted the choice of those very cards. THE MAGIC BREATH This is a good example of how the presentation can be made to trans form a simple trick into a striking effect. The trick is that in which a card
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