n mflGnzine OF innovfmon LXXXVIII
PRECURSOR
LXXXVIII
This is PRECURSOR LXXXVIII and is published in October 2003. PRECURSOR is edited by William P. Miesel and is published by unikorn magik. The editorial offices are at 2215 Myrtle Street, Erie, Pennsylvania, 16502-2643 (phone 1-814-454-8802). unikorn magik can be reached through Ed Eckl, "Clutter Cottage," 3 Gregg Street, Beverly, Massachusetts, 01915-2913 (phone 1-978-927-9388). PRECURSOR will be published more than three times a year, and it will be sold for $21.00 (U.S.) for three issues. Outside the United States, Canada, and Mexico, three issues are sent Air Mail for $25.00 (U.S.). This entire issue is devoted to the card magic of the close-uppers that get together each fall at the "Buffalo Get-Together." Don't miss it next fall. Bill Goodwin's "Step By Step" is a routine where the two red Queens travel up and down throughout the deck to locate three selections, one at a time. Herb Zarrow gives us "An Out-Jog Packet Switch," which is a versatile switch of four touched cards for four other cards, such as, the Aces or Kings, etc. Wesley James' "Fake Reverse - Reverse Redux" is an application of the handling from his routine, "ELEVaceOR." This can be used as a climax to a "Twisting The Aces" or a similar packet trick where the four Aces are in a packet and they reverse themselves. After the packet is returned to the deck, the Aces turn over in the center of it. Of course, the basic move can be used anytime that a packet of cards is placed in the deck. "Punken Droker," an interesting routine along the lines of the "Drunken Poker Deal," is Paul Cummins' contribution. It contains a number of surprises such as face up/face down cards and even the possibility of a color-changing deck. "The Kings - A Selection - The Cardcase" by Vic Trabucco is an interesting transposition of a tabled-selection with four Kings that are inside a cardcase lying on top of the selection. "You Name It - I'll Flush It" by Gary Plants is his version of the "Ten-Hand Poker Deal." Not only does a spectator choose the hand that is to be dealt a Flush, but he is allowed to deal the cards. The big surprise is that the Flush turns out to be a Royal Flush. "Pop Over Sandwich" by Noel Stanko is a quickie that uses Eddie Fechter's "Spring Card Revelation" to reveal a selected card sandwiched between the two red Jacks. Randy DiMarco's "Flip-Flop Collectors" is one of the slickest versions of "The Collectors," a Roy Walton premise. Not only that, it is one of the easiest versions around. "The Iraqi Most Wanted Card Trick" by Nick Trost is a topical presentation and handling of a very popular "Ambitious Card" routine. Nick gives us two methods, the first uses a doublebacked card while the second is impromptu. My contribution to this issue of Precursor, "Capturing Saddam," is a logical follow-up to Nick Trost's, just described, "The Iraqui Most Wanted Card Trick." At Spencer Gifts (a chain gift store) I obtained a deck of playing cards entitled, "Operation Iraqui Freedom - U. S. Military
Heroes," an American answer to the "Iraqui Most Wanted" deck. I thought it would be great to use four American Heroes to capture Saddam and his two sons. William P. Miesel July 25, 2003
EDcetera As final arbiter of the format of Precursor (William doesn't see it before it goes to the printer), it is my responsibility to assure its integrity. Well, I screwed up in the last issue in that I missed getting in William's credits for one of the tricks. When I found out, I was livid! I don't allow myself to do these things! I became what might be referred to as a "Post-curser"! We missed mentioning in the August Precursor that it was our Twentieth Anniversary Issue. The first Precursor was published in June of 1983. This issue is our eighty-eighth in twenty years. Thanks to our many contributors for making this possible. I was reading a bit in the newspaper which involved a photo of a whale with a "gas bubble" following it. The claim was that the photo had captured a whale's fart! I finally was able to purchase a copy of the 11th Edition of The Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, which is my "bible" with respect to words I use. I had to order the volume, as it turned out. The only edition stocked by the bookstore was the one with the thumb-holes. I'm right-handed, but I open books the "wrong way", and the holes get in my way. Strange thing was, I had to tell the bookstore people (a national bookstore) how to order the edition I wanted. My little bookstore in Beverly, until it was forced to close, never had any problems ordering what I wanted. Just an item from the dictionary (not something new, but one of those odd sets of definitions, "shelled: 1. having a shell; 2. having a shell removed." I love these things! From a newspaper bit called "Reflection for the day" came the following, attributed to Christopher Morley: The real purpose of books is to trap the mind into doing its own thinking. I wonder if that might be one of the results of reading Precursor. But then, that was the purpose of this magazine: to inspire innovation. I often wonder about the sale of drugstore items in super markets. In our store, the condoms were displayed next to the condiments. But then, for some time in our drugstore, the condoms were displayed next to the aspirins. "It's one-fifty." "Yes, and it's ten to two, too!" Think time and the three spellings of
used in a row.
To make a little extra money, I'm toying with the idea of becoming a caddy . . . for miniature golf. I've been told the bags aren't very heavy. Ed Eckl