In 1992, the beloved Vernon Chronicles, a series of magic book from acclaimed author Stephen Minch that chronicled many of Dai Vernon's most cherished works, concluded with Vernon Chronicles Vol. 4: He Fooled Houdini, Dai Vernon a Magical Life. The original version was incredibly difficult to find for years and, now, these deluxe signed and deluxe signed & numbered editions are as rare as they come. This gorgeous book and matching slipcase are a must-have in the library of any serious magic collector.
Note About Vanishing Inc.âs Rare Magic Book Collection: These rare magic books have been acquired by Vanishing Inc. from Louis Falanga (of L&L Publishing)âs personal collection. They are in perfect condition and are often the super-rare âpublisher editionsâ where the ânumbered versionsâ may actually be labeled with letters instead of numbers. This varies per book.
About the Book
Unlike the previous entires to the Vernon Chronicles, which focused mostly on tricks, Vernon Chronicles Vol. 4 contains a variety of fascinating anecdotes about Vernon's life. This text offers an in-depth look at the thinking process of one of the most influential magicians of the 20th century. Not only has Dai influenced many young magicians, he has also personally known many great magicians of the past such as Nate Leipzig, Cardini, Malini, Harry Houdini, T. Nelson Downs (The King of Koins), Harry Blackstone, and many othersâall of whom are discussed in this remarkable book.
Since there are only a few tricks included, the beginner magician eager to find the next best trick may pass on the chance to read this amazing book. However, any magician that desires to truly master their craft must read Vernon Chronicles Volume 4.
Contents
- Foreword by Richard Buffum
- Introduction
- Magicâs Past and Future
- My First Hundred Years
Part One (1894-1916)
- I Try to Fly and Other Early Memories
- My Fatherâs 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 bean 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 (1917â1938)
- New York 1917
- New Yorkâs Magic Shops
- Powersâ Magic Shop
- Harry Kellar and Thurston
- The Short Card
- Doc Elliott, He Played with a Full Deck
- The Inner Circle
- âJust Think of a Cardâ
- âThe Tricks of the Greeksâ
- Gamblers
- The Three Card Monte
- The Masked Man, One of My Heros
- Hofzinser, Another of My Heros
- 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, âOriginator of Ectoplasmâ
- The Man Who Fooled Vernon
- Maliniâs 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 âMaleâ 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-âThe Mysterious Kidâ
- The Fabulous Center Deal
- Charlie Miller, âIâm a Dice Manâ
- My Life as Edward Brown
- J Warren Keane
- William J Hilliar
- Tommy Downs, âThe King of Koinsâ
- Harry Blackstone
- Vernon in Print
- Jean Hugard
- The Wonderful Faro Box
- Paul Fox and FDR
- Neepie
- The Cigarette Trick
- Frank Tobeyâs Gambling Furniture
- Garnet Lee, the Chinamanâs 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 âThe Professorâ
- 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
- Annemannâs Bullet Catch
- Annemannâs 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
- âA Pocket Trickâ
- How to be Effective
- Classics
- An Original Thought
- Art in the Craft
- Traveling Magicians
- Through the Looking-Glass
- The Pass
- On Performing
- Whatâs Wrong with Magic
- My Family
- Afterword
308 Pages