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-P.UOWARD l-YCHS

Ibidem Volume 1

Ibidem Volume 1

P. Howard Lyons Illustrated

Pat Patterson Lyons

Edited by Tom Eansom, Matthew Field, and Mark Phillips

Published by Richard Kaufman and Alan Greenberg

Printed and Bound in tlie United States of America First Edition 98765432 1

© Copyright 1993 by Jeanette Louise Lyons. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission.

Contents Introduction (Richard Kaufman) A Brief Word from Stewart James Correspondence "between Lyons and James (1953-1955): "Birth of Ibidem."

xiii xv xv

Pre-Apa, November, 1954

xvii

Ibidem covers 1 through 16 in color

xxxiii

Ibidem 1, June 1988 _ Editor's Comments. Parlay: A Card Avenue (Stewart James) A Record Prediction (Randall Zwinge/The Amazing Randi) Color Blind (Norman Houghton) Cheating at Cheating No. 1... Middle Deal (P. H. Lyons)... No Switch Switch (P. H. Isrons). Double Dealing Second Deal (P. H. Lyons) T-E-IrE-M-A-T-H-Y (Mel Stover) Puzzle: Herman the Hobo (Mel Stover) Infallible Coincidence (P. H. Lyons) Infallible Force (P. H. Lyons) FJy&r For Ibidem...

1 2 3 4 7 9 9 9

10 10 12 12 13 14

Ibidem a, August 18S3 Editor's Comments....... M. C. Bit (P. H. Lyons) Atlantic Avenue (Stewart James) Maybe Make Three (TomBowyer) Puzzle Solution: Herman the Hobo (Mel Stover) Half A Headache (Ken Beale).. Betcha (Mel Stover) Filler on Impression Pads (Randall Zwinge/The Amazing Randi) Double Up (P. H. Lyons) Deliver The Billets (Randall Zwinge/The Amazing Randi) Songs of TomLehrer.... Puzzle: Lewis Carroll (Mel Stover) A Letter, Strictly (Sic) Some Miraculous Manifestations of Dr. Dahesh Mentalism Tip (Randall Zwinge/The Amazing Randi)

15_ 16 1? 18 19 20 21 23 23 24 25 26 28 28 29 31

Ibidem Mailing Wrapper

32

Ibldam Sg August 1988 Editor's Comments The Open Prediction... No. 1 (Stewart James) No. 2 (Stewart James)

33 34 35 36 37

....

No. 3 (Stewart James) No. 4 (Stewart James) No. 5 (Stewart James) No. 6 (Stewart James) No. 7 (Stewart James) No. 8 (Stewart James) No. 9 (Stewart James) No. 10 (Stewart James) No. 11 (Stewart James) No. IS (Stewart James) No. 13 (Stewart James) No. 14 (Stewart James) No. 15 (Stewart James) No. 16 (Stewart James) No. 17 (Stewart James) No. 18 (Stewart James) No. 19 (Stewart James) No. 20 (Stewart James) No. 21 (Stewart James) No. 22 (Stewart James) No. 23 (Stewart James) No. 24 (Stewart James) No. 25 (Stewart James) The Lyons Share No. 26 (P. H. I^yons) No. 27 (P. H. I^ons) No. 28 (P. H. lyons) No. 29 (P. H. I^ons) No. 30 (P. H. I^yons) No. 31 (P. H. I^ons) No. 32 (P. H. I#ons) No. 33 (P. H. I#ons) No. 34 (P. H. I#ons) No. 35 (P. H. I#ons) No. 36 (P. H. I^ons)

3? 38 38 38 38 39 39 39 39 40 40 41 41 41 42 42 43 43 43 43 43 44 45 45 45 46 46 46 46 46 46 47 47 47 47

,

sf fanzine Ibidem 1, September 1955 (Excerpts)

48

Ibidem 4, Hovember 1955 Editor's Comments The Mathematricker (Stewart James) Divination of Two Mentally Chosen Cards (Brown/I^ons/Raiisom/Houghton) Addition and Teaser (Stewart James) Puzzles: The Huckster, Color Poker (Tom Ransom) Trick Brain Tumors Break Even (P. H. I^ons) Some Amazing Mazes (Peirce/Lyons) Trick Brain Tumors The Torn Off-Center (Randall Zwinge/The Amazing Randi) The Marlo-Curry Prediction (Francis Haxton) More Approaches to The Open Prediction No. 3? (P. H. I^ons) ... No. 38 (P. H. IR/ Page 210 of The Trick Brain: A sense is attributed to a portion of the body which that portion does not possess. Bowyer: play the piano by ear. Fiddle with your mustache. Ripley had a guy who could whistle with his nose. Some people think with their hearts. I know one guy who smells with his feet. 161

is produced "by P. Howard Lyons. It is intended for the Oct. 1956 mailing of the Spectator Amateur Press Association and is number two of that name. There is no art work "by Pat Patterson and there will be none. Unfortunately fan-recipients of free art work have not, as a class, done good by our Nell, and therefore no more art work from her for 'fandom.' She's not mad at individual fans, even those who did her wrong, but fannish-ness in the matter of acknowledging work, publishing as promised and so on have broken the camel's back. O

About ESP and all that psi, I don't go for it. I respect Rhine for investigating it, but I do not think his continual retreading and realigning is scientific. As I have said, nothing definite will be proven if there is not a witness not skilled in observing chicanery; it's a magicians business. That bit I did for Gerald a few issues back (48 out of 50 score) is a trick called "Out of this World" invented by Paul Gurry and obtainable for one dollar from any good sized magic store. O

Right now I'm seated within ten feet of the silk-screen mechanism that produced the cover on Ibidem 3 just sent through PAPA. Pat is about ten feet the other way, cursing loudly and trying to meet a deadline for a book. We just received a copy of the last one, Working With Words and Ideas, a book for 12 year old students on grammar, composition, and semantics (yes, really). The illos are terrific and the author thought so much of them that he rewrote the introduction to compliment Pat and draw attention to them.

Critical Article I was sitting in the living room, sorting out fanzines into piles: excellent, okay, putrid, and discard. Our budgie was perched on the chandelier trying desperately to attract attention. A burst of laughter reached me from across the room. "What is it, my dear?" I asked of Pat Patterson Lyons. "I am reading a story entitled The House of Ecstasy1®?? Ralph Milne Farley." "I don't recall that that was an amusing story." "Listen, then: 'This actually happened to you, and when I say you, I mean YOU now reading these very words—for I know something about you—something deeply personal—something which, however, I am afraid that you have forgotten . . . where were you at 8 o'clock on that warm evening of August 4, 1937 . . . you don't remember?'" This quotation was followed by insane laughter from the stuffed chair. As it subsided, friend wife continued, "'The weather was warm and muggy, it made you restless in the house until finally you went out for a little walk—down to the corner store to buy a package of cigarettes . . . . ' " And subsequent chortling. "I see nothing funny there," I remarked "Well, if I had done that at the age of four, it would have been in all the papers. I would surely remember it." "Ohyes. Hah." "'A young fellow stopped you and asked you for a light. . . you studied his clean-cut whimsical features. Rather attractive, he seemed to you. You said to yourself, Here is a man I'd like to know. Then you lit your own cigarette and noticed that the young fellow was studying you . . . . ' "

*

At this point Pat broke up completely and ran screaming into the kitchen to seek out an allotment of rum. I guess she just isn't a fan. Excerpts from Sardoodledum 2, October 1986 t

162

ISSUE 9 (March, 195?) is a magic magazine produced with the wave of a wand "by P. Howard I^yons at P. O. Box 561, Adelaide P.O., Toronto, Ont., Canada. The art work, including the "beautiful cover, is "by Pat Patterson I^yons, the spouse of life around here. Ibidem is produced quarterly at 50$ per copy, this is the March, 195?, issue and all back issues are available. By number, this is number 9. Don Tanner is working on a couple of mss. with the card box. One will be all tricks that don't use playing cards, the other will be with playing cards, he was good enough to send along the two tricks from that ms., which are printed here as "Royal Box." By the way, my own trick with the box was published in The Servante and you might write Don begging for a copy of this fine club sheet. Second thing this issue is "A Clean Book Test" by The Amazing Randi, former Torontonian and New Yorker. You've no doubt seen him several times on TV and if you listen to the weird late show on WOR you've no doubt heard him as special guest. Anyway, right here we have a secret of his that I salvaged from an age-old draft for a Hocus Pocus Parade. Prell is a Canadian brand of shampoo—maybe you don't have it in foreign countries, but experiment, because the Prell Treatment is really something. A few issues ago we had a "Divination of Two Cards" by the late E. G. Brown. With my permission, Warlock reprinted this in The Pentagram. Since then he has had great reaction and alternate methods from everybody including The Professor. What's the matter, Ibidem not good enough for you? Anyway. I feel better now, because Peter's been robbed right back, Francis Haxton has sent along three or four developments of a trick that was recently revived in the pages of The Pentagram. So have a good long look at "Three More," you might even get an idea yourself. I don't know how the supply of material for "The Resurrectionist" will work out, but this ms. by Tom Bowyer from way back when deserves printing, for historical as well as magical reasons. This was the first he put out. Trevor Hall has been hoarding E. G. Brown's descriptions of his own magical creations, for lo these many years. Bit by bit they are slipping out and pretty soon he will no longer have them all to himself. In one of the lectures of the Magic Circle, there was a reference to Brown's approach to the final three cards for the "Cards to Pocket." There was no hint of the procedures, but on reading the comments, I tried to reconstruct what he might have done. You'll note I have put my name to "Final Three Cardmanship," but I would be flattered to hear that this was created previously by E. G. Brown. "Three Up" is obviously a development of the "Elevator Trick" cross-bred with the "Ambitious Card" trick. This resulted from a gag. A Toronto magician, Art Latcham, is renowned for doing fifty-five consecutive "Ambitious Cards", with many different methods. My gag was to be that this was labor saving, have each of the 52 cards rise to the top one at a time. I got as far as three. By the way, I would love to present some of Art's moves here, but we're out of touch so you can do without. Next we find that after six months the solution to the "Flexa-Tube" puzzle has appeared. If you'll look back at issue 7 you'll find the problem. Ed Marlo said, in his "Time Machine" routine in Ibidem 7, that even if you didn't go for the routine as a whole, the six card oil and water idea would be of interest. I liked the whole routine a lot, and the ininiature oil and water especially. I had a move hanging around for a while for which I hadn't found a use. I don't know if the move is original or not, but you'll find it in "Slipduc." Subsequently I developed several more versions of the six card oil and water and you'll see them listed as "Two with Six" and "Clown Version." Norman Houghton was intrigued by the idea, and developed his own methods, two of which you'll find as "Poor Mixers." I love the twisted thinking that obviously went into this. Tom Ransom expressed interest in "Oil and Water," and devised a pair of what he terms "disgusters." However, I surprised myself by fooling people with his methods (see "Mixmaster") and Marlo remarked that he thought the two methods done together would probably be foolers. He also said that he would do the dealing in the first part, 164

in the hands rather than onto the table, "this handling gives good cover for a Push-Off type second deal because the upper cards, as taken, cover the others so that there is ample cover given to the second deal at counts of two and six—The last two cards are held momentarily in left hand then deliberately place them on top of the others as you say something about each pair of cards being red and black." In this handling, by the way, you do not reverse the order of the cards in counting, and that is why the two go on top at the end. And finally Ed sent along a whole new ms. which you find here as "Latest Oil and Water." Norm Houghton, on seeing the trick, remarked that he felt sure I'd rung in an extra on him. So there you are, go forth and fool your fellow magi. And last but not least, you'll find "Miracle Transposition" by Ed Marlo. You'll find this a nice use for those Miracle Card Changes of his. Martin Gardner is a never-ending supply of everything from top-secret addresses to material, inspiration and tips by the bale. He has recently commenced a series of mathematical recreations in The Scientific American. The December, 1956, issue covered the Hexagons, the January, 1957, issue dealt with the quaint principle embodied in Mel Stover's "Days of Force" and "Ognib" and which I used in my own "And So Force" as published in the AllCanadian issue of the Genii several years ago. But by far the best news of late is the publication by Dover of his new book, Mathematics, Magic and Mystery. This book is paper-bound, 176 pages and sells for one buck. It'll be the best magical dollar you ever spent, believe me. It deals entirely with the mathematical aspects of magic—and it isn't limited to card magic either. The index produces names of magicians we've all heard of (Vernon, Baker, Stover, James, Marlo, etc.). The publishers have given Ibidem permission to reprint some excerpts and I would love to, but my personal view is that every one of you jokers needs this book bad. And speaking of books, get Ireland's First Card Annual—contains an excellent Non-Switch Switch by Marlo, an application to Brown's Transposition of a Mentally Chosen Card, as well as other fine material. But Ed's moveless move is my favorite.

This is a close-up effect and is done at a table. A box is lying on the table, open, and apparently empty. A business card, blank on both sides, is shown and placed into the box. You explain that you are going to show them a small version of spirit paintings. The box is closed and the spectator is told to think of any one of our past Presidents of the United States, one who is no longer living. He is then told to place his fingertips on the box and to think of this dead President. In due time the box is opened and there on the previously blank card is a skull. Since the spectator has previously revealed his choice, you look at the skull and remark that, "If you had been dead as long as President (so and so) you would look like that too!" Of course, to work the effect, a business card bearing a skull is placed in the lid of the card box (aha!) which is the loose flap type, and covered with the flap. You know the rest, except perhaps where to get the skull on card. I use little skull stickers made by "Dennison's" for Halloween. They are in color and cost a dime a dozen or so. Another nice use for the card box: A card bearing the name Houdini in big bold letters is shown and sealed in an envelope which represents a jail. A barred window can be drawn on the envelope, if you want to make a production number out of it. The Houdini card, sealed in the envelope, is placed in the card box and the box closed. When the box is opened, the Houdini card is outside of the envelope and the envelope is sealed just as before. This is very effective on a lay spectator. To work, a sealed envelope and duplicate Houdini card are placed in the cover and covered with the flap at the start. Don Tanner 165

166

BQGKTE5T This effect was especially created for use at an executive dinner of the Reader's Digest Office in Toronto in 1951. A current issue of the Reader's Digest is used. A number is chosen and the page selected by this means is turned to. Spectator is allowed to choose any one or two words on this page, not necessarily together, and to circle them with a pencil. The book is then passed around to several others so that they can see the words. The book is then passed back to the original holder and the page is torn out by him, rolled into a ball and placed on the table in front of him. At no time does the mentalist touch or see this page. The mentalist is now able to divine the words. Preparation: Select in the current issue of the Reader's Digest a page which is taken up half by a picture and title, i.e., a page of which only the bottom half is composed of text. Make sure that the page directly beneath is solid text. Prepare this page by fastening (with rubber cement) a duplicate of the lower half of the page above. It is important to make sure that these halves are exactly matched so that each word on this page is directly underneath the same word on the original. The back of the top page is given the Prell Treatment as described in Ibidem 2. Equip yourself with a thumbtip which has a small wad of cotton batting on the end dipped in graphite. Method: You may guess that it is necessary to force the page number. I do this using the simplest and most direct method possible . . . the number list method whereby the total is forced. Patter as follows: "On the page you have selected, do you find at least, say, fifty words? Mentally select one or two of these words, disregarding any ones in large print, such as might appear in a heading or title. I would like other people besides yourself to know these words. Therefore will you circle them, and pass the magazine some distance along the row." Follow the effect to the point where the crumpled page is on the table and magazine is discarded. Mentalist recapitulates, flipping through the magazine to the place where page was torn out. In indicating the spot, he brushes the graphite across the page. The circles transferred in Prell are now easily seen by him. The words therein are the chosen words. The Amazing Randi

TRICK ORAIN On page 206 of The Trick Brain, Fitzkee lists ten methods of reading thoughts. Number 11 is "through other secret access to the written thought." Bowyer: A safe way of covering everything else, except thoughts which are not written. Fitzkee: I bet you wouldn't care for my neckties.

A new lease on life has been given to an effect by Charles T. Jordan from his card mysteries series by its publication in Peter Warlock's Pentagram under the title of "Take Three," this appearing in the July, 1955, issue. Two versions of this were subsequently contributed to The Pentagram by Dr. Jaks and myself. Since then I have thought more about this excellent effect, which has brought out several more variations in effect and method. It is hoped that you will find something of interest from them which I will describe. 167

Briefly the effect is that the deck is cut in two and three cards are selected from one of the packets. One of these cards is noted and the three are thrust reversed into the packet. The packet is then fanned and it is shown that the selected card has vanished. On fanning the other packet the chosen card is found reversed in the center. First variation.: The deck is shuffled by a spectator and handed to the performer. He turns over the top card, face up on top of the deck and shows it to the audience. Now right hand takes the card between the thumb and the fingers, while at the same time the left hand brings the cards up to face the audience. The card is placed face down on the table. The same procedure is followed with the next card. Now for the third card the performer double lifts and places the cards face up on top of the deck as before. Now as the deck is brought up to face the audience and the right finger and thumb take the card, the thumb pushes it back onto the deck and takes the under card, which is placed on the table with the other two, face down. As the cards are in an upright position, facing the audience, the reversed (and selected card) on the back of the deck is not seen. Now this packet is Hindu Shuffled, care being taken not to reveal the reversed card. See that it is shuffled near to the bottom of the deck and have it cut in two. You pick up the cut-off portion between the fingers of the right hand at the outer end and the thumb at the inner end of the deck and place it in the left hand. As you do this you drop about half the packet on the left hand and with the right hand turn over the top portion face up and on top of the face-down packet on your left hand. You appear to have turned the packet face up. Now you take the last card which you placed on the table—which will be an indifferent one—and keeping it face down, thrust it in the packet at the position between the face-up and face-down packets. The other two cards are also thrust into the packet, face down but in the face-up half. Now you leaf through the packet to show the three cards reversed in it. When you come to the third card you know that underneath are all face-down cards and you stop here and secure a break, making the half pass as you place the packet back on the table. Everything is now ready for you to reveal that the card has passed across. It is of course necessary for you to force the card you pass across. Second variation: In this second method, the deck is cut into two face-up packets before the cards are chosen from one of them. Three cards are chosen from one of the face-up packets and placed on the face of that packet. Now you push off the three cards together with the indifferent card directly underneath them, so that you have four cards in your right hand. Fan the cards to show as the three chosen cards, the indifferent card hidden behind the last card. [In other words, the last two cards are held as one.] Now have one of the three cards verbally named or pointed to (you do not let the spectator touch the cards). If it is either the face or center card, take it from the fan and place it at the rear. If the spectator indicates the card on the face of the double card, do nothing. Now turn the cards face down, palm the selected card in your right hand at the same time dropping the three cards on the table. The audience will see three cards and will not suspect anything. Your right hand now picks up one of the packets, adding the palmed card to it, but brings the cards to an upright position facing the audience. In this way the reversed card is not seen. Now shuffle the packet to bring the reversed card to the middle. The three cards on the table are placed in the second packet in the same way as the first routine above, and the effect concluded. Third variation: A deck of cards is shuffled and cut into two face-down packets on the table. You have three cards chosen from one of the packets, and one of these is noted. Keeping this packet in your left hand, you pick up one of the cards and place it face up on top of the face-down packet, and cut it into the packet, and cut again. Do the same with the next card. Now take the third (noted) card and place that on top of the packet, also face up. Now double undercut, which will leave this card face up on the bottom of the face-down packet. Now here comes the crucial move. Holding the packet between the fingers of the right hand at the outer end of the deck, or packet rather, and the thumb at the inner end, you let go the reversed card and one other—it does not matter if you let go more than one other. 168

With your right thumb you hold a break between these two cards and the rest of the packet. Now the left hand picks up the other packet and the right hand moves across to the left in one sweep and as it passes over the lefthand packet (I have found it advisable here to turn your body slightly to the left at this stage so that the right hand passes more or less diagonally across the left hand), you drop the cards below the break onto the left-hand packet. Continuing its uninterrupted passage, for there must be no hesitation as the right hand moves over, the cards axe placed on the table and ribbon spread to the right, to expose only two cards in the spread. After the right hand has passed the left there is ample cover for the left hand to make a one-handed pass, bringing the chosen card to about the middle of the packet. This packet is now taken by the right hand and ribbon spread to show the chosen card has passed into it. Fourth. Variation: Performer takes the deck and running it through removes and places some cards on top. Deck is now cut in two. Taking the top half, performer turns over the top card on top of the packet. Say it is the 9D. He deals this card face down on the table. Now he turns over the next card on his packet. It is 4S. This he also deals face down on the table. He now turns over the next card. It is the Joker. This card is also dealt face down on the table. The packet of cards is now shuffled and placed aside. Picking up the other packet the cards are turned face up and one of the three cards on the table is placed face down on the face-up packet. The card is now cut into the deck. The same procedure is followed with the other two cards. When the deck is spread, however, it is seen that only the 9D and the 4S are showing face up in the face-down packet. The other packet is then spread, revealing the Joker face up. Method: When you run through the cards you bring the Joker 4th from the top of the deck. The values of the three cards above it are immaterial. Now cut the deck in two. Take the top half and turn over the top card and leave it face up on the face-down packet. Show it to the audience. You will now be holding the packet in your left hand, held low so that your audience can see the card. Now your left hand is brought up so that your packet is at right angles to the floor. In other words the card you have just shown is facing in towards your chest. Before your left hand has reached this position, however, your right thumb and forefinger are taking the card off the top of the deck and dealing it face down on the table. The next card is picked up, placed on the deck and dealt with in exactly the same manner. Now when you turn the next card face up on the deck, you double turnover so that the card shown to the audience will be the Joker. As your left hand comes up, as before, and your right finger and thumb go to take the card, you second deal and place the indifferent card face down on the table with the other two. Being careful not to reveal the Joker still reversed on top of the packet you are holding, you cut or shuffle the packet to conceal the reversed Joker in the deck, and place the packet aside. Now pick up the other packet and place the first of the three cards on the table face down on top of the packet, which you are holding face up in your left hand. Cut the card into the packet and cut again. Do exactly the same with the next card. Now you pick up what your audience will think is the Joker, but instead of cutting it in the deck, you double undercut. (That is why you double cut before—to keep your moves uniform.) This will leave the indifferent card face down on the bottom of the face-up packet. Bottom palm this card in your left hand and with your right hand turn the rest of the packet face down on this card. Now ribbon spread the cards to show only two of the cards you reversed in the packet, the 9D and the 4S. It only remains to pick up the other packet and ribbon spread it to show that the Joker has passed to the other packet in which it is now seen to be reversed. In this final version, I do not find it practical to force the one of three which is to jump. This is why a Joker is used as it seemed more reasonable to say you would cause it to pass to the other packet, rather than any other indifferent card. Francis Haxton 169

A One-Man Impossibility?

A One-Man Impossibility You arrive among a gathering of strangers. Anyone volunteers, is blindfolded, seated in a chair and covered with a borrowed cloth or sheet. This person may be a total stranger to you. Yet you have him name instantly cards selected in various ways from a shuffled deck. Other articles may be called if desired. An excellent sucker gag may be worked by having any "wise guy" present do the same thing himself, and he won't know ha\% lie did it. Positively no prearrangement with anyone. You could drop from an aeroplane, with a parachute in one hand and a deck in the other, and be ready to perform this knockout mind-reading effect. Price, ONE DOLLAR, Complete

VAN RUSSELL 64 %

Shuter Street

TORONTO, CANADA

An Ad in The Sphinx, July 19S3

A ONE-MAN IMPOSSIBILITY? Mark Henry said in the "Billboard": "A clever trick with an artifice and subterfuge that should stand any magician who plays private gatherings and clubs in good stead. It is a mind-reading stunt that is sure to please and will undoubtedly cause considerable wonder. In addition, Van Russell has included a 'sucker' effect that should be a scream. The typewritten sheet is clearly written, carefully prepared as to spelling and is succinct, clear and concise in directness and explanation. There is a little fake in addition to the typewritten sheet neatly prepared. I can recommend this trick for those who do the kind of work before referred to and, although it might be worked upon the stage, it seems more suitable for clubs and parlors." Full Description in July "Sphinx" PRICE ONE DOLLAR, COMPLETE

* *

VAN

RUSSELL

SHUTER STREET

TORONTO, CANADA

[Following are the original instructions for this marketed item—no Key Card was included with this issue, however.] The secret consists in the use of the enclosed Key Card, and a number of cards in an known order which are secretly added to the shuffled deck. If it is an informal gathering, and you can veer the conversation around to the topic of mindreading, telepathy, etc., so much the better. Then ask someone to volunteer for a sort of test, which, you say, may or may not be successful. Volunteer is blindfolded and seated on a chair. Borrow a tablecloth or sheet and throw over him. While doing so, drop into his lap the Key Card, which you had palmed. The blindfold should also be shifted slightly upward, so he will have no difficulty in reading the Key Card. Deck is now shuffled by anyone and, when returned, you add to it ten cards in the order named on Key Card. These are forced in various ways: straight force, "What number from top?", "Tell me when to stop" (riffling or dealing), knife inserted in deck and top card slipped to break, etc. The person selecting card is told to concentrate upon the name of it, and the volunteer, of course, calls same by reading it off the Key Card. Probably you will not wish to use as many as ten cards but, properly presented purely as an "experiment in telepathy," this cannot fail to puzzle. The Key Card may afterwards be secured from the person who volunteered. You need not fear that he will betray the secret, as to do so would lose him all the credit. ls

Smckerff Effect

Have a skeptic blindfolded, etc., and a card freely selected. Face audience and put finger to your An Ad in The Sphinx, November 1923 lips, mutely calling for silence. At the moment they don't know what you are getting at, but never mind. Hold up selected card and ask skeptic to concentrate and name "the first card that enters his mind." Say he replies: "King of Diamonds." No matter what the card actually is, you say, "No you didn't quite get it that time. It was the Queen of Diamonds." The skeptic under the sheet thinks: "Funny thing! That was a pretty close guess." The audience now begin to see the joke but again motion them to silence. Have skeptic name a couple more cards and tell him each time that he is right. He won't know what to think and, when he emerges, will say, "You know, I don't know how I did it. It just seemed to come to me." And then he gets the big laugh. 170

Of course, as a variation, certain articles of apparel, etc., might be written on a Key Card and named by volunteer as you touch them in a given order. Believe you will like this. Try it. T. Van Russell (stage name of Tom Bowyer) Lyons sez: The above ms. was loaned to me by Sid Lorraine, who said, "The key card referred to was a blank playing card on which the upper half bore a message in bold type to this effect: 'Be a sport and help me fool the others. Name the following cards, one at a time, in the order given, when I request them. Thank Fou/'Then the ten force cards were listed." Also Sid sent along the review from The Billboard of October 13, 19S3, of this trick reviewed by Mark Henry. [The Sphinx ads at the beginning of this item, which did not appear in the original issue of Ibidem, were supplied by Tom Ransom.]

You have been performing a version of the "Ten Cards to the Pocket" in which the cards from One to Ten of one suit pass in order. This means you now hold the Eight, Nine, Ten in your hands. You count the cards and show them to the audience, making sure that the top card is Eight, then Nine and then Ten. Close up the group of three, and in placing them in left hand, palm off the top two (Eight and Nine) in right hand, which goes to pocket. Put cards in upper corner and pull out pocket, meanwhile showing hand empty also. Push the pocket back in. Now make gestures, remark that the Eight has gone, leaving the Nine and Ten. Reach in pocket and bring out Eight. More gestures and remark that the Nine has gone, leaving only the Ten. Show the Ten is all alone, and make that clear, show hands empty. Now pretend to replace Ten in left hand, but use snap change to retain it in right palm while left hand turns back to audience. Right hand goes to pocket, leaves the Ten and brings out the Nine which was there. Finally, the most impressive gestures of all, and you reveal that the Ten has vanished. Produce it from your pocket, and smile, knowing you have been one up on the crowd. This method adapts very nicely to Doc Daley's "Cards Up Sleeve" in the Stars of Magic series. I'll leave the details to you, but this hint: you steal the Eight and Nine after showing the last three, but before taking the Seven from the left shoulder. You have been showing that the Seven is gone. Thus you get your load in ahead of time by leaving the two cards when you take out the Seven. P. H. Lyons

Tftl«K page 27, Pitzkee: an inanimate object is mysteriously endowed with movement. Many of the pseudo-spiritualistic tricks belong in this category. Bowyer: Is a medium tied to a chair an "inanimate object?" Fitzkee: The medium, unless dead, is not "mysteriously endowed with movement." Bowyer: Even though tied so as to make movement impossible?

171

172

The effect is that the Ace, Two and Three of Clubs get ambitious, in sequence. In other words, they jump to the top of the deck, in order. Deck is ordinary and shuffled. Remove the Ace, Two and Three of Clubs and hold them face up on top of the deck, which is held face down in the left hand. Fan out the three face-up cards and move them slightly forward so that they jut over the outer end of the deck. Also, get a break under the top face-down card with the left first or second finger. Take off the top face-up card, the Ace, and turn it face down; slip it under the other two face-up cards (and also, secretly, under the end of the top face-down card). Take off the next face-up card, the Two, and slip it face down under the Ace. Now square all the cards up, remarking that the final card is the Three, which goes in the number three position. [This would appear to be Icons' own covered version of Bill Simon's "Simon Secret Addition" on p. 109 of Effective Card Magic, 1952. Larry Jennings would later independently develop a similar move for his routine, "Tell-Tale Aces."] That's what you say, but you are a liar, in a way. You fan out the top three cards of the deck, take the face-up Three and place it face down in the third position from the top of the deck. The spectators now think that the cards, from the top, are the Ace, Two, Three, but the order is really indifferent card, Ace, Three, Two. So you take off the top card, calling it the Ace, and slip it into the center of the pack, squaring up neatly. Gesture and take off top card and snap it face up, showing the Ace. Take the next card, calling it the Two, and slip it face down into the center of the deck. This card is really the Three. When you tap the card flush, you are really using the push-through move and it projects slightly at the rear of the deck. Leave it there for now, do not get a break yet. Gesture and turn up the top card with a flip to show the Two is 'back' on top. Now you get a break above the Three which is projecting from the rear of the deck. You cut it to the top, meanwhile claiming that you are cutting the Three to the center. Gestures are all that are necessary to enable you to show the Three back on top. P. Howard lyons [Ransom notes that both the Ace and Two could be shown with a Double Turnover just prior to being buried in the deck.]

A At Ring 17 several years ago we had a symposium on routining. Sid Lorraine contributed some solid points from his vast experience: "You walk out, some guy stands up and says 'Drop Dead' and that's your opening." Someone asked Sid if you should open by speaking. Sid mentioned shooting off a gun, knife through arm. You can come out with your hair and clothes burning. You don't have to speak. He finally remarked: "A good well-routined act is one that ceases boring gradually."

TRICK page 104, Pitzkee: You can obtain an entirely new trick, but with an identical effect, by a substitution of all objects. Instead of rice we shall use corn flakes. Instead of the vase we shall use a bottomless coffee cup. Instead of the orange we shall use a doughnut. Instead of the usual metal cylinders, we shall use the two sections of the morning newspaper rolled into cylinders. Bowyer: New??? Fitzkee: Have you ever seen it described in a book or catalogue, I haven't. Bowyer: Does a mere substitution of objects make a "new trick?" 173

A L L DOTTED LINES INDICATE FOLDED AND CREASED EDGES SHADED AREAS INDICATE INSIDE SURFACES OF TUBE FOLD ON DOTTED LINES

PUSH I N © Q 9 T Q MEET AND FORM A FLAT SQUARE

FOLD ON AXIS ®®

/ /Sv (B/\

SO (§)(§) MEET

TO FORM ATRf ANGLE

PUSH TQGETRERTQ MEET AND FORM FLAT SQUARE INSIDE FLAPS MUST GO IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS P U L L © DOWN TO LEFT ^ (AMD ON OPPOSITE SIDE, PUSH© UP TO LEFT ) TO FORM FLAT STR! P

PULL(B)(D)UPTOFORM SMALL TUBE WHICH I5TME C H ANGE-OVER POSIT! ON

FLATTEN SO ( g ) ® IS AT

BOTTOM. REOPEN AS ABOVE IN REVERSE ORDER* ORIGINAL. TUBE WILLBE INSIDE OUT.

INSTRUCTIONS FROMT.S.RANSOM. IF YOU CAN'T FOLLOW THIS, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL. PUZZLE EXPERT.

174

Effect: Same as "Oil and Water" in The Cardlcian, except in this case no extra cards are used, just four red and four "black. First Phase: 1. Have spectator remove four red cards and hand them to you. Hold these face down in left hand. g. Have spectator give you four black cards. These go on top of red ones but a fourth finger break with left hand is held under the top two cards. 3. Say, "We have one, two, three, four black cards and four red cards." During this the top four face-down cards are seemingly counted off into right hand but in reality the first two cards are taken as one followed by three single cards taken one onto the other, thus reversing them in the count. The packet from right hand is now replaced onto those in the left. Order of cards at this point is, from top down, one red card, four blacks and three red. 4. Without reversing the order of the top two cards, drop them face down onto the table, followed by the next two. The remaining four are just spread out to show four cards only, which are dropped to the left of the first packet. Order of cards in packet on right, from top down, is two black, one red, one black. While the packet on left, from top down, is one black, three red. 5. Starting with the packet on the right, you take the top card and place on table between the two packets. Follow by taking the top card from left packet and placing it on the card at center. Continue this alternate mixing process, being sure to give the necessary flashes of red and black cards, until the two packets have been mixed. 6. If the above Step 5 has been correctly followed, the order of the supposedly mixed packet is, from top down, one red, one black, three red and three black. ?. Thumb off the top four cards, without reversing their order, and drop these to the right. The remaining four cards are spread but the last one is snapped and placed on top of the packet. Packet is dropped to the left. 8. Each packet now has a card of opposite color in second position from the top, thus you can show each as having four red and four black cards by the "Swindle Aces" moves as per The Cardlcian. 9. The packet on the right is shown first as follows. Turn top card and toss face down onto table. Double Turnover via the Single Buckle to show second red card. Turn down and toss face down on the first card. Show bottom card of remaining two and toss it onto the other two on table. Last card is shown as red and tossed onto other three. 10. Packet on the left is picked up and the top card is turned and shown as black, then tossed face down onto table. Single Buckle to turn two as one, again showing a black. Turn down and toss it on table. Bemaining two cards turned face up and shown as black. These two are used to scoop up the two just placed on table. The packet is then held face down in left hand. Second Phase: 1. At this stage the packet of cards on table is in two red, one black, and one red order from top down. The packet in left hand is in one red, three black order from top down. You are set to repeat the effect. S. Alternate the cards as before by starting the process with the first card taken from the packet on the table. Be sure to give the required flashes of red and black cards during this mixing. 3. After the seeming mixing of red and black cards, the cards will be in one black, one red, three black, three red order from top down. At this stage hold the cards face down in left hand. Right hand can show the top three cards, as they alternate. In replacing these cards on top, the left fourth finger obtains a break under the top two cards. 4. Take the first two cards as one into the right hand, followed by three single cards, one at a time, onto each other thus reversing the order of the cards and ending with actually five cards held in right hand. 175

5. With both hands apart you say, "Would you believe that these four cards are black and that these four are red?" With this you replace the cards from right hand onto those in left as you continue, "Let me show you." Turn the packet of cards face up in left hand. 6. You can now show four red cards and four black cards cleanly at this stage and finish the routine; however, if you want to continue into the third phase, show the red cards as follows: Take them into the right hand one at a time, one on top of another until all four red cards are face up in right hand. The left hand now merely spreads out its four black cards. The red cards from right hand are now seemingly placed back onto the black ones, but the right hand executes the Marlo Count Cop so that the bottom red card buckles away from the others with the result that three red cards go onto the black cards, but the buckled red card will go to the rear of the black cards. 7. When the packet is turned face down the cards will be in one red, four black, three red order from top down after the above maneuver. Say you will repeat the whole effect as you go into— Third Phase-. 1. With the cards face down, deal off one at a time, the top four cards, face down onto table being sure to flash the last three going down. Fan the remaining four cards in your hands but be sure top card is moved in back of the other three. You can now flash the faces of these as all red, then toss them face down onto the table to the left of the other packet. £. Again alternate the cards starting with the cards from the packet on the right. As you mix the cards be sure to injog the fourth card that is put down. This card will be one from the left-hand packet. 3. Pick up the packet and in squaring up get a break under the injogged card with the left fourth finger thus holding this break below the top five cards. 4. Say, "I wave my hand over the cards and the top four are all red." Here show the top four as red by taking the top card in right hand at lower right corner, then lifting up card to show as red. Take the next card, under the first one, in a fanned position, lift up hand to show the two red cards. Repeat this with third red card, but on the fourth count you take two cards, above the break, as one, to thus display a fan of four red cards. 5. Replace these cards onto those in left hand but left fingers push out the bottom card of those being replaced by right hand. Result is a side-jogged card in fifth position from the top. In meantime your patter runs, "Of course, oil being heavier than water remains at the bottom." Here turn packet end for end, bringing it face up but sidejogged card remaining on the right. As packet is brought face up the left fingers push upwards on the side-jogged card which enables left fourth finger to get a break under the face four cards. 6. The face four cards are shown as black as follows: Thumb over 1st card into right hand. Thumb over second and take it under the one in right hand. Next time thumb over two cards as one and take them under the cards in right hand. The fourth card is thumbed over and also taken under those in right hand. 7. Replace the cards from right hand back onto those in left hand. Turn packet face down in readiness for the— Fourth Phase-. 1. Without any reversing of order you spread the top four cards and drop these onto the table to the right. The remaining four are spread and dropped face down to the left. 2. The packet on the right is in three red, one black order and the one on the left is in one red, three black order from top down. 3. Alternate the cards starting with the card from the packet on the right. The mixing will have the cards in three black, one red, one black, three red order from top down. 4. Obviously if you can transpose the positions of the one red and one black card, the cards can be shown cleanly as four black and four red cards. Our procedure, with logical patter then, is as follows: Without reversing the order of the top four cards, you take them into right hand in a position similar to that of the left hand which is a dealing position. Say, "Of course, these cards are the red ones representing water as water being lighter travels to the top; however, I shall attempt to cause the oil, which is heavier, to overcome that physical law and come to the top." Here the right hand replaces the cards from right onto those in the left but not before the right fingers do the Count Cop Move to buckle the bottom card so that this card actually goes to the bottom of the cards held in left hand. 5. Wave hand over packet for effect, then very openly deal off the top four black cards, then fan the remaining four red ones to climax the routine. 176

Note: The little finger separation idea as explained in "New Oil and Water Routine" in Ibidem 8 can be used in place of the Count Cop Move. Ed Marlo (October 24, 1956)

Method 1: You use three red and three blacks only. Pan them out face up to show the red cards above the black. [Prom the suggested patter, it must be deduced that Lyons intended this to be used as the second part of an "Oil and Water" routine.] 1. Take the three black, still fanned, with left hand, and place them on top of the still fanned red cards, slightly jogged up, as shown in Fig. 1. 2. Remark that the reds (at this moment make the 'secret move') and blacks have separated once; let's see if they will again. 3. The Secret Move merely consists of adjusting the third black from the face so that it now lies fourth from the face. That is, the order from face would be two blacks, a red, a black and two reds. However, the faces are up and to the spectator it appears that the card was merely straightened in the fan and that the reds and blacks are separate. The actual position of the moved card is shown in Pig. 2. 4. Square the fan face up, turn it down and take off the top three cards without changing their order and place them down on the table. 5. Hold the other three face down in left hand. Take first card from tabled group, turn it up and remark, "the first red." Place it face down on the table. Thumb off the top card of group in left hand, without showing, and remark, "the first black."

•fig.1

6. Take the next from table, show it and say, "the next red." Take the top card from packet in hand, show it and remark, "the next black." 7. Put the final card from packet on table, without showing, on the mixed group, "the final red." Show the last card in left hand, and put it on pile, "the last black." 8. The cards are really separated. Method 2\ Norman Houghton showed "Poor Mixers" to Bill Elliott, with the injunction not to tell me about it, because he (Houghton) was too lazy to write it up for Ibidem. Elliott, being a man of honor, immediately described the trick to me. I got it all mixed up and in trying to reconstruct the method I developed this method. Six cards, three red on top of three black, are held face down in left hand. Hold a break under the red cards with little finger. Right hand lifts off top card and shows it is red, slip that under the next two cards (as one) and lift to show first card again, and another red. Slip these two (really three) under the top card of packet, square them and flip the four cards face up on packet, squared. Now thumb off the top two to show three face-up red cards. Using the double buckle, turn the top four down without showing that black one. Now deal off the top three onto the table, one at a time, into a face-down pile. Finish the trick as in Method 1, above, moves 5 to 8. P. H. Lyons

177

In this Oil and Water effect, a spectator is asked to remove from the pack three red cards and three "black, arrange them with the colors alternating, and hand them to the magician. The latter is surprised to find that the colors are still separate, and hands the cards back to have them alternated once more. As he receives the packet again, the performer explains that what really happened was that the cards played a little joke on the spectator. "You see," he says as he shows the cards alternated, "this is known in the science of cardology as an unstable arrangement—it doesn't last long. The reason is that threes are not good mixers. In fact, I believe the little devils have separated again." He shows the top three cards to be all one color, then spreads all six cards face up on the table. "Unsociable, that's what they are," he says, resignedly. The method used the first time has the virtue of bringing about a genuine separation of the colors automatically, in the process of showing them apparently separate. Thus while he is in the very act of swindling the audience, the magician is making an honest man of himself. This sort of thing does wonders for one's morale. The second method is basically the same, but sacrifices a certain amount of cleanness of operation in the interest of speedy color separation, accomplishing a genuine separation in the course of showing and replacing only one of the colors. Enough of this chatter; let's get to work. Suppose the spectator arranges the cards in red-black order. When you receive the packet from him, spread it out face down as you make some remark about what has been done. In closing the spread, secure a little-finger break above the three bottom cards. Deal off the top card into the right hand, lift it and show it; then deal the next two as one, on top of the first and overlapping it to the left. This two-as-one deal may be accomplished either by buckling the bottom cards, or by pushing off the pair with the left thumb, which is placed at the extreme left forward corner of the packet. I prefer the latter method. Actually, the action of transferring the pair to the right hand is only partially a deal. As soon as it projects over the side of the packet, and while it is still under the control of the left fingers, the right-hand card is slid beneath it. The right thumb secures the pair in its overlapping position with a light pressure, and the right hand is raised to show the apparent two cards. The next pair is now taken as one in the right hand, overlapping the preceding cards to the left. The supposed three cards are shown to the audience, and are then slid under the one card remaining in the left hand. (Don't worry about the audience noticing that it's only one card; all their attention is on the right hand.) The reason for showing the cards one after another, instead of placing them all in the right hand and then raising the hand only once, is to keep the hand moving as much as possible. If a pair of cards should separate slightly, there is less danger of detection if the hand is in motion. The next step is to show the three black cards; and in preparation for this you need a break above the second card from the bottom. I experimented with injogging the third card from the bottom in the act of replacing the apparent three red cards, and also tried the double buckle. I found neither entirely satisfactory, and finally settled on the simple expedient of spreading the cards briefly, face down, and securing the break while squaring them again. I accompany this action with the remark: "I'm afraid you haven't alternated the colors—" Then, as I show the three black, I add, half apologetically:"—at least, not very thoroughly." The process of showing the apparent three red cards has left two blacks together on top of the packet. These are shown, one after the other, exactly the same as the reds were; then the next pair is taken as one card, the right hand is raised again to show three black cards, and the cards in the right hand are slid under the two remaining in the left. The colors are now genuinely separated. In the second phase of the trick, have the colors alternated by the spectator again, and take the packet from him. As you give your "explanation" about the unsociability of the threes, spread the cards face up. In the act of squaring them again and turning them face down, injog the third card from the left; then secure a little-finger break below the injog. Take the top card in the right hand, then take the next pair as one on top of it, just as in the first phase. This time, however, as the right hand rises to show the cards, the left hand follows along for the first part of the upward swing. When the cards are tilted enough for their backs to be concealed from the audience, the left 179

second finger pushes ahead on the bottom card of the pair, while the left thumb draws back on the top one and pulls it down onto the cards in the left hand. The right hand, having shown the two cards, now takes the next three cards as one, rises to show the audience three red cards, then replaces its cards below the one remaining in the left hand. This procedure has brought about a genuine separation of the colors in the act of showing only one of them; and the packet of cards is now spread face up on the table. Here is an alternative method of completing the separation of the colors in the first phase of the trick, after the three red have been shown. As you spread out the cards and remark on the spectator's failure to alternate the colors, pick up the two top cards (which are both black) and show them. At the same instant, while the attention of the audience is focused on these cards, with the left thumb pull back on the top card of the remaining four, while with the left fingers you push ahead on the card below it. As you do this, tilt the left hand so that the faces of its cards are towards the audience. By this action you leave the third black card projecting from the right-hand side of the spread-out cards; and the right hand now grasps this card and draws it away, leaving all the black cards in the right hand and three red in the left. Norman Houghton

TRICK GRAIH page 167, Fitzkee: Fire eating dates back centuries. The methods are based largely on the use of protective coatings. Bowyer: Ask a fire eater. Fitzkee: I did and also I saw him get ready. Now who shall I ask? Bowyer: Me.

A Herewith the solution to the twin-matching problem in the last issue: "The main point of this puzzle is that it is impossible to get only one set of twins matched incorrectly. If one had 49 sets correctly matched, the remaining set must be automatically correct. This means that exactly 18 people had 3 sets wrong. Since the number of perfect answers was the same as the number with two wrong, we have the following equation. 18 plus 2x equals 19/1000 of the number of entries As the number of people who entered cannot be a fraction, x must be 10 or 29 or some multiple of 19 added to 10. If x were 29, the number of entries would be 4,000. However, we are told that the number of subscribers is less than 4,000, so x must have been 10 and the number of entries 2,000.

Only do this for fellow magicians, preferably those who know at least one version of "Oil and Water." On top of the deck you have, from top down, 7G, 8S, 9C, 9H, 8D, 7H, 9S, 8G, 7S. Get a break under the Seven of Spades. Thumb off the top six and turn them face up on the deck. Pick up all the cards above the break, keeping them well squared. Now use the Secret Addition (see Hugard's) move to flip over the three red cards face down onto the deck, one at a time; put the six cards still held by right hand on top. Now 180

thumb off the three face-up blacks and the three face-down cards below. The spectators think these are the three red cards just shown, but they are the other three black cards from the setup. Put the deck aside, still holding the six cards fanned in the right hand, three face-up cards above three face-down cards. Take the face-down cards in left hand, and turn three in right hand face down. Drop top card from right hand onto table face down, then one from left and so on alternately. Pick up in left hand and thumb off top three into right to show three blacks. They will be a Seven, Eight and Nine, but of different suits than shown originally. Continue by dropping top card from right-hand group, one from left and so on. You keep this up until someone asks to see the other three cards at which point you blush, show all six are black and put the blame on . . . P. H. I^ons

I RICK 9ft*lN TV*C>ft/ page 74, Fitzkee: the famous Kellar flower growth utilized this principle of exchange. Bowyer: It did not. Kellar loaded his covers. (See complete routine in Elliott's Last Legacy). Fitzkee: But I owned such an outfit. The containers were exchanged. I also once owned what was purported to have been Kellar's own set. It could not have been used as in the Elliott book, the cones would not nest, and they were aZ/nickled. In fact, I still have the cones. I got them in a collection of Kellar's stuff I bought.

Three red cards and three black are held up in a fan with the faces towards the audience. The fingers are on the faces and the thumbs on the backs. The cards are held by the bottoms. The fan is turned down and split into two fans of three cards. The two groups are intermingled by dropping a card alternately from each. Presto, the reds and blacks are separated. Please get six cards and fiddle with this as I babble on about it. I'm not in my clearest mind today. Hold the cards up in a fan as described above; the blacks are to the right as you look at the backs of the cards. Now, you are going to lower the fan with both hands holding it all the while. When the cards are just about horizontal, you will separate the cards into two groups of three, but you do this in such a way that the righthand packet from the top down is black-black-red and the left-hand packet is black-red-red. These are your right and left. To do this, when you are holding the fan up, you are looking at the backs of the cards. Your left fingers are on the face of the first two cards on the left, your left thumb is on the rear corner of the fourth card from the left. Your right first finger and thumb hold the fifth and sixth cards (the thumb at the rear) and the right middle finger is on the right lower front corner of the third card from the left. The other two right fingers are not holding any cards. All fingers are, as I said, on the faces, both thumbs on the backs. Now, just as the cards have reached the horizontal position, you separate them thus: Right hand holding the third, fifth and sixth cards as described moves to the right, leaving the first, second and fourth cards in the left. You'll find this is easy, natural and undetectable. Now you thumb off the top card of the right-hand pile, then top of the left and so on alternately. You'll find that the cards are arranged with the three reds on top of the three blacks. P. H. Lyons 181

TRICK Q*AM TV*C>ft* page 176, Pitzkee: A spectator-failure trick, too, is Bingo which appeared in one of the earlier issues of Hugard's Magic Monthly. Bowyer: No, in The Sphinx'hj Stewart Judah first. Pitzkee: I meant Hugard's Monthly. What kind of examples do you give when you desire to explain something—obscure ones? Bowyer: So The SphinxIs more obscure than Hugard's magazine.

In this method for "Oil and Water" only four red and four black cards are used. You hold four red in left hand, face up, the blacks face up in the right. You deal these cards into two face-up piles, dealing simultaneously from each hand, as follows: Left hand moves forward and drops face card face up, at the same time the right has moved back and dealt its face card face up in another pile. Right hand now moves forward to deal its black face card on the red card just dealt by the left; the left moves back to drop its face card on the black dealt first \)j the right. Reverse positions again and deal, and finally reverse once more and drop last card on each pile. An examination at this point would show the front pile is, from face, black, red, black, red. The rear pile from face is red, black, red, black. But do not allow an examination. Immediately drop one pile on the other and hold squared and face down, in left hand. "There are eight cards . . . ," you deal from top calling red, black, etc. You do this from face-down packet into a face-down pile, and you second deal on counts of Z and 6. The cards are now almost in separate red black groups. You merely cut two top cards to the bottom and there you are. You now supposedly repeat, but with a twist. You hold the four red in left hand and four black in right, but face down. Cross arms with right over left and drop top cards, face down; now uncross arms and recross with left over right and drop top cards on piles, now right over left and finally left over right again. This confusing maneuver is designed to disguise the fact that you have really dealt all four red in one pile and all four black in the other. Put one pile on the other and make gestures. Turn and show them all separate. If you get ooohs and aaahs instead of boos and bans you'll know you fooled them, as Ransom did me. A trick of T.S. Ransom (Translated from the original Canadian by P. H. I^yons)

A When this magazine was in the embryo stage, the name was somewhat of a problem. I was considering The Cauldron. Sid Lorraine had a list: The Enigma, Mumbo-Jumbo, The Cabala, Voodoo, The Vampire, The Oracle, but his favorite, for a subtle reason, was The Familiar. 182

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o Effect: A card placed on top of a packet of cards changes places with one of the cards on the table. 1. From the top of a shuffled deck, drop cards one at a time onto the table, thus forming a packet of unsquared cards faces down. The cards are dropped from about a six-inch height. 2. After you have thus dropped about half a dozen cards, ask a spectator to tell you when to stop. 3. When the stop command has been given, you do a double turnover of the top two cards, as one, onto the deck. 4. Call attention to this card, let us assume it to be the Five of Spades, then turn it face down and deal the supposed Five of Spades onto the tabled packet. Do not square the tabled cards. 5. Do another double lift or turnover so that the card(s) injog over the inner end of the deck. Call attention to this card, again let us assume this second card is the Ten of Diamonds, then grasp it in readiness for the Miracle Change Wo. 1 (see Miracle Card Changes'bj Marlo). 6. The right hand now takes the two cards as one to throw the visible Ten of Diamonds on table to the left or in front of the packet. The Performer should be facing with right side slightly to audience from the beginning. Actually the Miracle Change No. 1 is made with result that Ten of Diamonds goes into Rear Thumb Palm while Five of Spades is actually thrown instead. 7. During the adjustment of the supposed Ten of Diamonds on the table, the right hand is directly over the tabled packet of cards. It is during this time that the palmed Ten is released to fall onto the packet. This whole action is similar to Figs. 14 and 15 in Miracle Card Changes. 8. The transposition is actually complete now. All that needs to be done is to point it up. 9. Point to the tabled single card and ask what card that is. Naturally they have just seen you throw down the Ten of Diamonds, so the answer will be the same. Say, "No, that is the Five of Spades," as you turn over the tabled card with your left hand. Now say, "The Ten of Diamonds is over here," as your right fingers pick up the top card of the tabled packet. Note: In all transpositions, emphasize the position of only one card in order to avoid confusion. Never say, "Which card is here and which is here." Rather say, "the Ten of Diamonds is here," with the last line again referring to the Ten of Diamonds just mentioned. With such emphasis there is less confusion and the transposition is very strong and clear. Therefore, by pointing up the position of one of the cards, the other takes care of itself. Ed Marlo, 1953

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In its short history, this magazine has had several departments. None of them seem to have clicked very well. But there are a few tag ends, and you'll find them below if I can find my notes. If any of these departments appeal to your creative instincts, then create! Principles Only Bill Simon gave me an excellent principle, for use in the guessing the cut type trick. He suggests having a business card, on the edge of which is a mark which will gauge the distance up in deck that chosen card should lie. The handling is to arrange matters to place chosen card at, perhaps, number 26 in the deck. You remove business card from pocket. Deck is squared on table. You set business card against deck, with end on table, and use the light mark to give you spot to cut. You cut, drop card in deck at that point. Spectator now removes card above marker; marker (on blank side) reads "This is Your Card" and of course there it is—due in large part to a subtle principle. Titles OnlyWell, as it happens this department, with its one appearance, was very successful as far as I am concerned. The title was "Psi Stebbins" and I was inspired by friend Houghton's title. The tricks may appear next issue. Cheating at Cheating Only real comment I've had on this is from England. Seems that poker (on which this series is largely based) is unknown there. I figure Nap is close enough to twist things a little, but since no one is interested, this dept. will not be a regular feature. Suggestion Box Nobody, but nobody, has bothered about this. Me, I don't care, because I like to run this rag my way—but you had your chance. Effects Only This one didn't bad. Only thing in practical and the other, runs than the other.

even appear before I got discouraged. Similar columns have appeared before, some good, some I had in mind for this was something Norm Houghton has been working on, with little success elegant solutions. The effect is that a length of string with a red weight on one end and a blue on through a pulley. This pulley is held by magician, and each weight alternately becomes heavier

I did, in an earlier issue, remark that Winston Freer can tie a single overhand knot in one side of an elastic band without breaking the band. Nobody bit on this. He said he had three methods. The one he described was to carve into the band a knot, very much as chains are carved from solid lengths of wood. Another method we figured out was to take a loop of rubber, fairly thick. Then we would carve it into a flat band so that there were three twists in it. If it is now cut along the center line all the way around, you finish with a single band with a simple knot in one side. Mel Stover even suggested freezing the band and using a home grinding tool to make it into the twisted band. So that still leaves at least one more method. How cum no guesses, you guys not interested in the finer things of life?

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ISSUE 10 (June, 1957)

is a composition of holes in a wax stencil, paper, castor oil and printer's ink. It is published four times a year by P. Howard Lyons, of P.O. Box 561, Adelaide P.O., Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The price is 50$ per issue, paid in Canadian currency by postal money order. The art-work is by Pat Patterson Lyons. This issue may look a little slimmer than the past few. However, this is the size it's supposed to be; issues 8 and 9 in particular were extra hefty. You'll probably notice a variety of type faces in this issue. What you see on this page will be the rule from now on, but I hope to develop a little more oomph to get a sharper cut from this here now portable typewriter. When Ed Marlo sent along the material for Ibidem 8, he enclosed a few extra manuscripts. These will appear from time to time, and they'll all be published soon, even if I must turn out another all-Marlo issue to do it. The first item in this issue is "Red Black Locations." This is a study by Ed of the divided deck principle. You'll find much of value here. Further back you'll find a discussion of the "Double Buckle Vanish" and the last item in this issue is "Skipping Elevator." All these are by Ed and all good stuff. Speaking of good stuff, the latest issue of The Linking Ring contains a complete Parade by Ed, and all the material is non-card. Some fine work there, too. I am especially taken with the silver and copper routine, and with the silver ball routine. If you haven't the issue, make sure you do something about getting it, even if you must join the IBM to do so. Back in issue 7 there was a neat handling of a force by Norm Houghton—Movable Marker. This move seemed to suggest tricks to me. Two of them appear here as "Athlete's Pool" and "Puzzle for Marks." I think these will amuse you. The Departments are still not getting much attention from you readers. However, Martin Gardner and Elmer Biddle both sent along some ideas for this. You'll find food for thought in "Looped!", "Biddle Diddle," and "Elmer's Spell." A few months ago, I was reading Art ofMagic ty Downs. I became intrigued with the "Everywhere and Nowhere" routine. You'll find my method in this issue titled "Here, There and Everywhere." Lazy man that I am, I have slipped this method directly into one of J. Hofzinser's presentations. I got a letter a while ago from William Miesel. He complimented me on the magazine and said he might have some material for Ibidem. He did, and pursuing the many card up idea that appeared in "Three Up" last issue, he presents "Ambitious Ten." Who'll get it up to 52? I didn't even know that John Howie was getting Ibidem (he gets it through George Jenness of England). Imagine my surprise when he sent along a ms. for publication. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a variation on the "Mutus Nomen" trick. Imagine my surprise when I found it was a genuine variant. I guess this is the best version so far. It will certainly fool those who know the older versions. Tom Ransom was doing card tricks at a banquet once. After he had done a few, a waiter asked if he 'knew this one.' The waiter did the "Mutus Nomen" effect. The switcheroo is that the fellow was Hungarian (I believe) and these are the words he used, as transcribed from the original napkin: Norman Houghton continues to turn out his Horrible Humor. Unfortunately, I laugh and thus cannot refuse the material subsequently. If you think the material is strange, you should see the stuff that I reject (Norm uses all this material, but he is a strong man and not easily overwhelmed by the crowd). "The Compleat Angler"—read it and weep.

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And that's a run down of the material. Mel Stover has a suggestion for all you mind readers. How would you like a book on Scientific Cold Beading? It's called Atlas of Man, by William H. Sheldon, Harper