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This volume of The Vernon Chronicles offers another generous serving of superb magic from the repertoire of magic's most revered Professor, Dai Vernon.
The book opens with a special essay, which surveys a cross section of the close-up magic being done by New York City's avant-garde during the seminal 1920s and 1930s. William P. Miesel constructed the skeleton of this historical excursion from columns in the old Sphinx magazine. Prominent there were Dai Vernon and his friends; people like Sam Horowitz, Ted Anneman and Luis Zingone. Mr. Miesel selected some of their more intriguing effects and, in collaboration with Dai Vernon, Max Maven, Bruce Cervon and Stephen Minch, the methods were reconstructed as accurately as is possible. This study is an imporatant historical document, and revealing in the life of Dai Vernon.
We then resume the pleasant task of recording another large portion of Dai Vernon's unpublished work. Included are many little-known sleights and tricks with cards, coins and bills. The magic ranges from the nearly self-working to the consummately skillful. And, at long last, here is an explanation of the near legendary "Joker Monte" trick that Mr. Vernon used for decades to tease and baffle fellow magicians. His original method is given, along with new ideas by Tom Gagnon and Bruce Cervon.
Like the second volume of this series, a generous seasoning of magic by Dai Vernon's friends, both past and present, is included. Among those represented are Arthur Finley, Sam Horowitz, Henry Christ, "One-Armed" MacDonald, Dr. Daley, Faucett Ross, Herb Zarrow and Bruce Cervon.
This volume continues the pageant of exquisite magic that helped to justify Dai Vernon's reputation as one of this century's most important innovators and champions of artistic conjuring.
219 pages, hardbound with dustjacket.
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