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Vernon Chronicles - Volume 1 -

In 1963 Dai Vernon was invited by The Academy of Magical Arts to move to Hollywood, CA and become the resident "living legend" at the Magic Castle. Upon hearing this news, two young close-up artists packed up and moved cross country to Hollywood, just to sit at the feet of "The Professor". These two men were Bruce Cervon and Larry Jennings. During a three-year period in the early 1960s, they spent every minute they could with Dai Vernon-and each night Bruce Cervon went home and carefully recorded everything he had learned.

Cervon's notes grew to fill fourteen large binders. Among the inner circle, these became known as The Castle Notebooks, and their content was much coveted and speculated upon. Within these notebooks were known to lie fabulous secrets and tricks, knowledge gathered and guarded by The Professor over a lifetime in magic that spanned seventy years-secrets that were kept from print and were reserved for the use of a very privileged few.

Beginning with this volume, the legendary Castle Notebooks are being opened to the magical community. Bruce Cervon, with the aid and permission of Dai Vernon, and in co-operation with Larry Jennings and Louis Falanga, is releasing this massive body of invaluable knowledge.

Volume One contains more than fifty sleights, tricks and routines with cards and coins. They are fully explained in these pages for the first time. The material is vintage Vernon, the magic that made him a legend among magicians; expert magic that has made one reputation and will make others. Included are rich insights into the thinking and psychology that is known as "The Vernon Touch," and historical anecdotes that are both entertaining and informative. Numerous rare photos and pieces of memorabilia from The Professor's private collection have been added, as well as a biographical essay on him by Elizabeth Wilson.

There are very few books that recognized as a classic before they reach press, this volume is one such book.

51 illustrations, 33 historical photographs. 270 pages.

Vernon Chronicles - Volume 2 -

An 18 page Vernoniana Portfolio by professional photographers Young & Robin opens this volume. You'll discover rare and interesting Vernon memorabilia photographed so you can enjoy it over the years. Over 50 Vernon routines, 27 historical photographs, 177 illustrations, 280 pages.

Contents:

Foreword

Introduction

Author's Introduction

Verrnoniana Portfolio by Young and Robin

Chapter One: Lost and Found Department
The Challenge Locations
The Bridge
The Dual Crimp
The Scrape
The Wallet Punch
Dual to the Death
By Any Other Name
The Slap Trick

Chapter Two: "The Garden of Forking Paths"
Aces to Order
Out of Sight and Mind II
Four Options
Two-Six-Four Royale

Chapter Three: From Silk to Nuts
The Tale of the Treasury-Worm
The Daivergent Silk
The Twirl Link
The Threadborne Link
The Peripatetic Walnuts

Chapter Four: Formal Exchanges
The Trick that Cannot be Reconstructed
The Loving Couple
A1 In' Dai at the Hop
A Reblocking of "The Jumping Jack"
Out of Uniform

Chapter Five: Card Ciphers
The Rendezvous Force
Why am I Here?
Frisbie Saunders' Location by the Numbers
Affinities
Packet Calculator

Chapter Six: Singular Events
The Intelligent Leaper
Driven to the Depths
The Corsican Climbers
Punched in the Face
Out of Touch
Sans Index
Vernon on Edward G . Brown's "Poker Hand Mystery"
Aces by Proxy
The Third Color
Tour Through the Outback
The Top-Stock Riffle Reverse
Larry Jennings' Eidetic
Commanding the Colors
It Stands Alone
The Silhouette Change
A Face in the Night

Chapter Seven: Sorted Affairs
A Sticky Solution
It's a Snap
Vernon on Gilbreath
Nerves on Edge

Chapter Eight: New Wine from Old Bottles
Max Malini's Hypnotic Gaze Divination
Nate Leipzig's Two-Deck Transposition
Leipzig on the Collins Ace Trick
Henry Christ's Vanish for the Collins Ace Trick
Henry Christ's Spell Detector
The Christ Ace Trick

Vernon Chronicles - Volume 3 -

The third volume in the series includes more gems from the legendary 'Castle Notebooks' kept by Bruce Cervon, including unpublished Vernon effects in addition to contributions from some of his friends and contemporaries such as Sam Horowitz, Henry Christ, Dr. Daley, Faucett Ross, Herb Zarrow and others.

Leading off this incredible volume is a 30-page essay, 'Trouping Around in Magic with Max Holden' by William P. Miesel, Max Maven, Bruce Cervon, Stephen Minch and Dai Vernon, a historical commentary on the New York Inner Circle in the 1920s and 30s.

Sleights covered include Subway Gambler's Palm, the Contortion Palm, Flat Top Switch, the Zarrow Block Addition and A Table Pass. Effects include the legendary Joker Monte, in addition to Horowitz's Look Homeward, Angel, Tenkai's Phoenix Bill Vanish and many more. 63 routines, 210 illustrations, 32 historical photographs - 270 pages of pure Vernon.

Contents:

Foreword - Herb Zarrow

Introduction - Bruce Cervon
Author's Introduction - Stephen Minch

Trouping Around in Magic with Max Holden - William P, Miesel


Chapter One: Dark Side of the Hand
Subway Gambler's Palm
The Contortion Palm
Dr . Daley's Face-Lift Addition
The Lilliput Palm
An Historical Note on the Dr. Elliott Top Palm
The Revolving Palm-Replacement
The Finley Diagonal Palm Shift Revisited
Flat Top

Chapter Two: Sundry Sleights
Flat Top Switch
The Spring-Loaded Tip-Over Change
The Zarrow Block Addition
A Note on Zarrow's Revolving Aces
Back Breaker
The Hair's-Breadth Stall
Vernon on the "Endfield" Slip Cut
On the Hay False Dovetail Shuffle
A Table Pass

Chapter Three: Motley
Spellatron
Cut and Spell
Caught in the Stretch
If the Suit Fits
Bruce Cervon's Trans Mitt
Given the Slip
Will-o'-the-wisp
The Vernon Deck Vanish and Recovery


Chapter Four: Cheats
Joker Monte
Three in the Hand, One in the Bush
A Straight Deal
The David and Goliath Deal
Black's Stack
Stacked to Formula

Chapter Five: Inflationary Effects
On Your Metal
All Sound and Fabric
Right Where?
Two Techniques with the Purse Palm
Pastiche on Ramsay, with Variations
On the Origins of the Steeplechase
Folding Money
Cashing a Check

Chapter Six: Notes on Cherished Ghosts
"Vester" Adam's Flight of Fabric
Arthur Finley's Remote Control
S . Leo Horowitz's Look Homeward. Angel
Henry Christ's Obstinate Pasteboards
Faucett Ross' Twice Turned
Mac MacDonald's Lost Chord
Dr. Daley's Vis-A-vis
Dr. Daley's Select Transposition
Dr. Daley's Interlocking Setup
Tenkai's Phoenix Bill Vanish
Larry Grey's Cut to Perfection
Jay Ose's Presentation for The Glass Through Table
John Scarne's Doppelganger Location
John Scarne's Western Union Trick 208


Chapter Seven: Solitary Amusements
What's-the-Value Solitaire
Think-of-a-Card Solitaire

Vernon Chronicles - Volume 4 -

Anecdotal biography which follows Dai Vernon from his birth to his arrival in Hollywood in 1963 to his becoming Resident magician at the world famous Magic Castle. You will feel as if you are sitting with Dai at the Magic Castle while he shares the stories and experiences of his lifetime. Don't miss this revealing history that can make you a better magician and a better performer. The story of the greatest natural magician the world has ever seen - Dai Vernon - with 67 historical photographs and 326 fascinating pages. Written by Keith Burns and Bruce Cervon

Contents:

Foreword by Richard Buffum

Introduction

Magic's Past and Future

My First Hundred Years

PART ONE 1896 - 1916
I Try to Fly and Other Early Memories
My Father's Principles for Life
My Father and My First Magic Tricks
My First Playing Cards
Learning about Silhouettes
My First Magician
Going Backstage
Some Thoughts on Thurston
My First Trip to the Pawn Shop
Mother and Magic
The Carnegie Library in Ottawa
Magic Books
My Attack on Magic
Practice
Know the Terms
You Should be an Engineer
Cliff Green
New York and Coney Island
Carny Games
Carnival Talk
Larry Grey, the Dizzy Wizard
My Brother Napier and the Army

PART TWO 1917 - 1939
New York 1917
New York's Magic Shops
Powers' Magic Shop
Harry Kellar and Thurston
The Short Card
Doc Elliott, He Played with a Full Deck
The Inner Circle
"Just Think of a Card ... "
"The Tricks of the Greeks"
Gamblers
The Three Card Monte
The Masked Man. One of My Heroes
Hofzinser. Another of My Heroes
On Using Trick Cards
Jeanne Comes into My Life
Women in Magic
Nate Leipzig
My First Professional Engagement
The Union League Club
Cardini
Doc Tarbell
Jud Cole
Horace Goldin and the Unusual Cane
Alfred Benzone. "Originator of Ectoplasm"
The Man Who Fooled Vernon
Malini's Misdirection
Malini. Still Another Hero
Malini and the Queen
On Meeting Thomas Edison
Silhouettes and Agents
Mr . Houdini and Madame Houdin
More Memories of Harry Houdini
Houdini and Spiritualism
Ted "Male" Vernon
Cuba
Sawing a Woman in Half in Cuba
My Black Magic in Cuba
Sam Margules and Dickie the Dunce
Mentalists
Touring America
Jarrow and Van Hoven
Dai Yen or Dr Chung
Fred Keating
Mr. Shock and the Rubber Bands
Dad Stevens - "The Mysterious Kid"
The Fabulous Center Deal
Charlie Miller. "I'm a Dice Man"
My Life as Edward Brown
J. Warren Keane
William J. Hilliar
Harry Blackstone
Vernon in Print
Jean Hugard
The Wonderful Faro Box
Paul Fox and FDR
Neepie
The Cigarette Trick
Frank Tobey's Gambling Furniture
Garnet Lee. the Chinaman's Toy
Secrets
Australian Slang
Effects Defined
Entertaining the Rich
The Linking Rings
My Brother Napier Dies

PART THREE 1939 - 1963
My Harlequin Act
Doves Steal the Show at the Rainbow Room
Compeer. the Monkey
How I Became "The Professor"
Fu Manchu
The Mind-Reading Box
On the Same Bill with Charlie Chaplin
Dante
Sam Horowitz Becomes Me!
From Blueprints to Broken Arms
Citizenship
Shade
With the USO in World War II
Dan Cummings
Milbourne Christopher and the Cuban Lottery
Annemann's Bullet Catch
Annemann's Suicide
Roy Benson
On Being Natural
Cruising
A Couple of Funny Moments
The Old Vaudeville Formula
Old Cards...New Cards
Authority
The Father of the Modern Lecture Series
Great Tricks
Simple Ideas Drive People Crazy
"A Pocket Trick"
How to be Effective
Classics
An Original Thought
Art in the Craft
Traveling Magicians
Through the Looking-Glass
The Pass
On Performing
What's Wrong with Magic
My Family
Afterword

INDEX

PHOTO CREDITS