Sixty Years of Magic from the Private Notebooks of Jack Avis!
After Jack's death in 2004, 28 notebooks were discovered among his vast collection of manuscripts, books and other publications that contained his collected thoughts over the past half century. Some original, some of his own handlings of effects of his friends, some sleights, some tips and ideas but all bearing the stamp that earned him a world reputation for simple, baffling, natural magic. This important volume contains much of Jack's original thinking and ideas as well as rare photographs and notes from throughout his sixty years in magic. If you are a serious card person, close-up worker, historian or a magic enthusiast you will want to own this valuable record of the work of a man who devoted every moment of his spare time to the pursuit of magic - and particular card magic - at its highest level and is honored wherever a deck of cards is shuffled.
1st edition 2006 by The Cairn Press; digital edition 2011; original 220 pages; PDF 229 pages.
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Jack Avis by John Derris
- Introduction
- Acknowledgements
Chapter One Effects with Cards
- Ace Routine Handling
- Jack Avis Notes on All Red
- Another Call—from Another Place
- Random Notes by Jack Avis
- Blind Choice
- A Bridge Hand
- Calculating Cards
- The Card Between
- Cards to Blanks with Signatures
- Tip for Use with a Stacked Deck
- A Change of Identity (Identity Crisis)
- Coincidence—Again
- Thoughts on Vernon's Handling of the Ten Card Trick
- Colour Match
- A Contrived Location
- Court Card Spell
- A Little Extra with the Multi—Spell
- Diamond Cut Diamond—Variation
- A Variation on the Diary Trick
- Divination of Thought
- A Dotty Location
- Double Cross (Cut) Count Down
- Double Cross Transpo
- Turn and Take Bottom—a use for this
- Envelope Prediction
- Double Side Deal
- Exchanged
- Fake Memory Routine—Avis Handling
- A Few Steps Further On
- Flight Fantastique
- Folded Card in Box (Kaps)—An Idea
- Follow the Leader
- Siva Follows his Leader
- Follow the Leader—Again!
- The French Reverse
- The Fulves Problem
- Jack Avis Ideas
- Imp Bottle Idea
- Hidden Power
- The Hot Hand Test
- The Houdini Card
- Houdini's Unfinished Trick
- An Inside Straight
- Isaac's Law
- The Magic of Jack and Jill
- The Jumping Aces
- The Jumping Thought
- I Knew that Hacker
- Lie or Tell the Truth
- Routine to Locate the Aces
- Locate Four—Locate the One
- Tell Me a Lie—Truth will Out
- Magic Bullet Effect
- "Throw—In" Presentation
- The Magic Card
- Mental Control—Avis Routine
- 5x5 Mental Routine, A Handling
- M. S. Poker Deal
- Mechanical Second Elevator Aces
- A Multiple Matching
- The Mystery of X (Ten)
- The Not So Friendly Giant
- Oil and Water Again—Agai—Aga—Ag—A
- An Oil and Water Move
- Outside In
- Perverse Card to Wallet Routine
- Tips
- The Old Q Card Trick
- The "Professional" Cuts the Aces
- Right Card—Wrong Colour
- Avis Handling for Jennings' "Royal Triumph"
- Seven and Eleven Transpo
- Shuffled Deck Poker Deal
- Poker Demonstration
- Simultwins
- Siva's Aces
- The Avis Multiple Glide
- "Skullo" Handling
- Table Reverse Location
- The Tabled Reverse—Again
- Thought Card Transposition
- Tunnel Change
- 2-4-6-8-Find
- Undercover Assembly
- Who Wants Another Collectors?
- No Fake Card in Balloon
- Will the Cards Match? Variation
- Meeting Jack Birnman
Chapter Two Card Sleights, Subtleties and Other Artifices
- An Idea for Adding a Card to the Top of the Deck
- Notes on the Bizarre Twist
- A One Hand Twist
- The Diagonal Twist
- To Control a Card to a Known Position
- Centre Packet Switch
- Centre Double Lift Variation
- A Control
- Ideas with a "Cutaway Deck"
- Demo Deal
- Double Flip Change
- A Move with the Double Undercut
- The Finger Clip Cull
- Flip—Up Put Back Count A Utility Move
- A Discourse on a Force Procedure
- A Routine using the Avis Double Knife Force
- Thoughts on my Hindu Force Variation
- Ideas for Forcing
- A Method for the Cut and Stop Force
- Another Force
- The Magician Magazine
- Illogical False Cut a la Vernon
- Use of Key Card with Dribble Selection
- A False Cut
- Lace Through False Shuffle and Cut
- Left Side Double Deal
- Avis Handling for the Leipzig Pass
- Technique for a Multiple Slip Cut
- Some Thoughts on Old Card Routines
- A Little Extra with the Multi—Spelling
- A Placement Idea with the Master Move
- Plot Idea for a Card Trick
- Patter Lines
- A Presentation
- Spectator learns a Trick
- A Punch Deal that Isn't
- Double Location
- Riffle Shuffle Control
- Siva's Switch
- A Stack
- A Switch Move
- The Weave and Waterfall Bottom Palm
- Table Edge Palm
- Zarrow Shuffle Thoughts
- A Zarrow Shuffle Setting—up Technique
- A Zarrow Shuffle Tip
- Historical Items and Magical Facts
Chapter Three Effects without Cards
- Count Dracula
- The Last Straw
- The Magnetic Straw
- Message from Hades
- Name that Tune
- The Ghost Pen
- A Tale of Two Slates
- Scarab without a Brainwave
- My List of Best Trouble-Free 'Workers'
- Migratory Coins the "All Fair" Way
- Four Coins under Cards—Opening Steal
- No Pockets Stand—Up Routine for Silver—Copper—Brass Transpo
- Coin Box Idea
- Triple Coin Penetration
- Strip of Paper Torn in Half
- Three Pellet Routine
- Three Shell Game
- Finger Ring Release (Harvey Rosenthal)
- Ribbon and Ring — Avis Notes
- Torn and Restored Banknote
- Mike Skinner Lecture
word count: 48532 which is equivalent to 194 standard pages of text