Customer Reviews

The Magician and the Cardsharp: The Search for America's Greatest Sleight-of-Hand Artist

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We just finished reading The Magician and the Cardsharp by Karl Johnson and are blown away.

If you do not already have this book, get it. Mr. Johnson tells the story of Dai Vernon's hunt for the middle-deal with such excitement, detail, and interest; you would swear he was a magician.

He's not one of us but he is the next best thing; a career journalist who knows how to write a good detective story.

The story of Dai Vernon's pursuit of what many considered a myth - the center deal - is well-known to most magicians (or at least the ones as old as us).

Some magicians assumed Mr. Vernon fabricated the entire story. There is no such thing as undetectable middle-deal, they grumble. And even if there was, no card mechanic would or could ever use it in a real game.

Tony Giorgio's writings against the myth of the center deal has been addressed several times on the Inside Magic web site. We see no need to go into it again other than to suggest this book supports a loud "told you so."

It is difficult to write a book about magic. We've all read the horrible efforts of non-magicians who either describe effects impossible to perform, or expose effects we depend on for our sustenance.

Jim Steinmeyer's approach to writing about the history of our great art deserves praise. We don't believe he unnecessarily exposes magic secrets in his writings.

We thought his balance was perfect in his two latest books: the recently released The Glorious Deception: The Double Life of William Robinson, aka Chung Ling Soo, the "Marvelous Chinese Conjurer" and the incredible Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear.

Some may agree with us, some will not.

As much as we loved Mr. Steinmeyer's work -- and we really do -- Mr. Johnson's book on Dai Vernon's hunt for the mythical move surpasses all we've read.

Mr. Johnson's works real magic in his descriptions of the hunt for Allen Kennedy - the card mechanic - and the move magicians either dismissed as impossible to perfect, or irrelevant for a true gambler.

We read Jamy Ian Swiss' review of the book in one of our favorite magic magazines before we picked it up.

Mr. Swiss certainly knows his way around a deck of cards and knows what is possible. Mr. Swiss makes a convincing case that a gambler would learn to perfect the center deal despite the fact that it had limited (or according to Mr. Giorgio no) value in a real card game.

By the way, is it just us, or is Jamy Ian Swiss one of the best writers in our business? The guy is good. In fact, we think he's a gooder writer than us any day.

Some have asked, why would any mechanic take the time necessary to perfect a move that promised no advantage in a card game?

After all, assuming there is a stack you would like to use or preserve, you most certainly would not put the stack approximately in the center of the deck.

Remember, in a card game there would be a cut required after shuffling. The cut would certainly change the order of the bottom or top stack but and certainly not in a predictable sequence.

("Trust everyone but always cut the cards")

The book makes it clear the center deal can be done. Mr. Johnson points out, however, Mr. Vernon dedicated approximately two-years of daily practice to effectively present it.

Let's assume for the sake of argument Mr. Swiss and Mr. Vernon's skills with a deck of cards exceeds the average internet magic blog editor. If it would take them two years of daily practice to perfect the move for use in a magic trick, why would a gambler spend the time to learn the move or ever use it in a game when his moves are being burned by fellow gamers?

This is essentially Mr. Giorgio's point.

The Magician and the Cardsharp convincingly answers this question. We don't want to ruin the incredible drama of Mr. Vernon and Mr. Kennedy's meeting -- but we are sorely tempted because it is such great literature. You'll need to pick-up the book for yourself and read about the encounter. We think it is almost more exhilarating than the story of how Mr. Vernon finally located the card shark.

One of our favorite scenes leading up to the meeting with Mr. Kennedy, has Mr. Vernon and Charlie Miller meeting the underworld boss of the greater Kansas City area.

We never thought of Mr. Miller as being anything other than one of the very elite, cool members of the Dai Vernon mafia. His skills were legendary. But he had to start somewhere and the description of his first undercover test is hysterical and human.

We don't want to disclose too much. But at the same time, we're aching to tell. It's a great moment.

Please buy the book. Read it, buy copies for your magic and non-magic friends. This is a great story and as such transcends the traditional limitations of genre.

(...)

Dai Vernon,the "professor" of American magicians was famous for his single minded quests after diffcult and obscure card manipulations. This often took him into the seedy gambling dens of the early 20th century. The best card slights were done by cardsharpers whose income and somtimes life depended on a flawless performance. This true life tale concerns Vernon's search for the holy grail of card moves-the middle deal.Johnson has done a wonderful job of reseach and wrapped it in breezy narrative which makes it hard to put down. If you would like a glimpse into an otherwise closed fraternity of unusually gifted men this is your chance.

Story of the life of one of greatest magicans of the twentieth century.He is not as well known as the stage magicans of this era but most who study magic believe the true art is displayed in close up. Vernon was considered by many to be the best. He was a perfectionist and the book covers this well. It is also a story that covers mid western depression era gambling and associated scams, in Vernon's search for the perfect card slieght. The book is extremely well written and researched.

For budding and practicing magicians who love history about their art - hard to go wrong in reading and absorbing this book throughly.

For general readers (like myself) - you can appreciate this book two ways, it's an amazing transport back to another America. Back to a time of riverboat gamblers, railroad card sharps, prohibitions, etc, etc ... and the author's journey in tracing and tracking the whereabouts of a near mythical card trick. You learn about an amazing sub-culture that most of us were vaguely aware of and you learn about the daily lives of magicians and card sharps back in the day.

The other thing you learn to really appreciate and marvel at is that in case you thought non-fiction writers were all lazy (or liars these days :-), Karl Johnson proves them wrong. He literally leaves no stone unturned. If someone remarks that he met so and so on a rainy day. Karl went back and unearthed the meteorological from at least two newspaper to verify if that memory rings true ... and by doing so, he paints a very detailed picture of these small towns (and some not so small) and life in America in the years prior to WWII.

So, even if you're just mildly interested in card tricks or magic, the author has woven a very intricate journey of an interesting subculture and portraits of daily small town America in the 1920's and 1930's that's interesting in itself. Afterwards, you almost feel the need to dust yourself off from the Kansas winds ...

The only people who might be disappointed in this book are people who are looking for card trick tips how to. This is not that kind of book - this book literally shows you that the journey is the reward.

This is the story of how one of the century's greatest magicians tracked down a gambler who could do what most slight-of-hand artists only dreamed about: deal cards from the center of the deck. This move, the "holy grail" of card manipulation is really just little more than the MacGuffin in this intriguing page-turner of a story.

Even if you are not the slightest bit interested in magic, card tricks or gambling, this is a fascinating read.

You will be transported to the first third of the 20th century into a story full of memorable and colorful characters. Johnson's attention to detail and the thoroughness of his investigation is nothing short of miraculous.

One of the most purely entertaining books I've read in quite some time.

Prof.Dai Vernon was Sleight-of-Hand's Superman. This book is about Superman's search for a man who could do something that even he could not - deal off the center of a a pack of cards. The Professor, I'm told, told the tale of his quest with great aplomb.I'd say he'd be pretty impressed with the author's version of the tale. It's a very well researched book with a splendid narrative woven around the facts that the author has dug up. You get a peek into Vernon's letters, feel his passion for the art,sense his fear (when he poses as a cardsharp to meet mobsters ) share his excitement (when he discovers Charlie Miller, and when he meets Pleasant Hill's center-dealer) and get insights into the other great magicians of the era. The ways of Pleasant Hill's card and dice mechanics that 'play the boats' or 'work the cubes' will fascinate you.

For non-magicians, this is a wonderful read - a taut , magical tale about a man's lifelong quest for something that most would dismiss as a trivial party trick .

For magicians, there's enough Erdnase/Vernon worship to keep you happy. The description of how Kennedy masters the deal over many years and the tale of Vernon's 'Ambitious Card' routine that flummoxed Houdini will fill your hearts with pride and respect.

This book goes far beyond most biographical treatments that you see in the field of magic. Yes, it talks about Vernon and his search for Bill Kennedy, and yes, it delves into the magic that they shared (although it was not magic to Kennedy; it was a way of making a living). "Magician and the Cardsharp" reads more like time travel. Johnson superbly takes you back into the past, and gives you a true "you are there" feeling. It reads like a novel, and that is an excellent thing...because you find yourself caring about the characters and seeing how they relate to their surroundings. Superb book; highest recommendation, even if you don't care about magic at all.

Magic and magicians have fascinated me since a young age. I remember learning about this magician, Dai Vernon, who was considered the greatest magician of the 20th century. His obsession with perfecting his magic, and learning from the best practitioners is legendary.
This book details his search for the impossible move, being able to deal a card from the center of the deck. His search reads like a detective novel, fast moving and fun to read. Highly recommended.

Dai Vernon, a towering figure in the history magic, probably influenced card magic more than The Beatles influenced music. Vernon is like a brilliant composer who composes music but never performs for the public. For that reason, he is today unknown outside those who are interested magic, though in his day, he was sometimes referred to as the "Man Who Fooled Houdini."

Like many who make their mark on history, Vernon was obsessed. Revered by magicians for his contribution to the art of magic, we see from the story that his contributions to his family are not to be admired.

This book, which gives the reader the background to understand the character and contributions of Vernon, tells of Vernon's quest to find a card cheat who was rumored to be able to deal cards from the center of the deck. Such a feat is important to the cheat because the tradition (and rule) of someone other than the dealer cutting the deck means that any cards that were maneuvered to the top or bottom of the deck are put right into the center.

Fortunately, Karl Jonson is a first-rate story-teller, and you get a glimpse into the lives of a number of interesting characters. The book is well researched, and although the events occurred many decades ago and all the main players are long dead, the author documents his assertions of facts with references to articles, letters, interviews, and tapes that support the story.

This book will be of interest to anyone interested in magic, and it should prove a quick and entertaining read for those with the slightest interest in the artistic temperament or the shady side of gambling.

I bought this because I read a review by David Blaine. His card tricks have always interested me. That he found the book interesting piqued my own interest.

The narrative is good. If you're interested in magic, or card sharks, this is a good read. It's history, but it's also entertainment. Poker players might want to pick it up to see the tricks of the professional gambler.