The Card Magic of Edward Brown - Trevor Hall & Andi Gladwin
$60.00
https://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=61743

The Hype:

The 1930s and 1940s were exciting times for card magicians, and while many magicians actively performing during those times have become lasting names, Edward George Brown was sadly not one of them. Luminaries from John Ramsay, Dai Vernon, and Charlie Miller wrote that Edward G. Brown was one of the finest sleight-of-hand artists of all time, yet his presence is all but forgotten, almost certainly due to the scarcity of his astounding book, The Card Magic of Edward G. Brown.

Working with The Magic Circle, Andi Gladwin has reproduced this rare book, and combined it with a thorough analysis of Brown's life's work in a separate "study guide." The two books come packaged in a beautiful collector's slipcase, raising the standards of how a magic book should be produced.

Brown's book is a view to card magic of a different era. The book contains an equal mixture of parlor and close-up card magic: some easy, and some difficult. Brown was one of the earliest proponents of "naturalness" and "uniformity of action," and much of the material is as relevant and interesting today as it ever was. Amongst the many treasures created by Brown, you'll learn the trick that Andi Gladwin believes is one of the best-constructed card tricks of all time; the transposition of a genuinely freely thought-of card from one spectator to another. As you read each trick, you can use Andi's study guide to learn more details about the method. On occasion, you'll even learn extra handlings (including a previously-unpublished Dai Vernon effect).

Books like this come along all too rarely; a sought-after text, analyzed by an expert in that area. If you appreciate fine card magic, this two-book set deserves a place on your shelf.

My Take

The boys at Vanishing Inc. have once again done it. This is a beautiful addition to your bookshelf. It seems that with every release, they try to outdo the previous one. This is actually two books. The first is the study guide written by Andi Gladwin. I would suggest you approach this the same way I have. Sit back and read the guide. There is not a lot of technical jargon but some background is given on the effects in the book. Magic history buffs will enjoy this. Then, approach the book. As you read the effects, you will find yourself referring back to the study guide to complete the picture.

Just as Superman had a secret identity, a lot of our best magicians have had day jobs unrelated to magic. I found out that a friend of mine worked for years in an office with Harry Reiser for a boss and had no idea that he was a magician. Edward was a bank manager, a demanding and stressful job. He had been encouraged to give up the magic and just tend to the banking, but Edward's love of the Magic Art made him refuse. It did cost him finally however. After giving a well received program at the Magic Circle (on Halloween, no less), he went home, went to bed and passed away in his sleep.

Edward was a contemporary of Dai Vernon and there has been some confusion as to which created certain moves. Edward was certainly skilled enough to come up with them but accurate records just aren't available. In fact, no less an expert but John Ramsay said he was the finest closeup performer in Europe. Unfortunately there seems to be no video of him. This book was originally published in 1974, around 27 years after we lost Edward. A lot of it was reconstructed from both letters from Edward detailing many of the routines plus the author, Trevor Hall,  who was a close personal friend.

The book is one of those important gems of magic that has been forgotten over the years. A search for the original publication shows that it is still available , if you don't mind paying several hundred dollars. Fortunately, Andi's reprinting of the original text puts it within the means of most of us.

With seventeen routines and six lectures, it would not be feasible to describe every one so I am just going to mention a few that I enjoyed.

The Spelling Trick - The concept of spelling out the values consecutively of a small packet of cards was not new with Edward but this is plain fun to do. The only caveats might be learning the shuffles (easy) and a top change (which is easy with such a small packet). Trot this out at your next poker night. I particularly like this effect as you can have your spectator pull the needed cards from the deck and do the initial setup. Then, right as they watch, the cards are arranged into the necessary order.

Everywhere and Nowhere - Edward's take on the classic Hofzinzer plot actually turns it into a packet trick. This can be done with a borrowed deck in use. Moves are easy to do and it is a very effective trick.

 The 12 Card Thought Transposition - This is probably the trick he was best known for. Two spectators each choose six cards. One of the spectators simply thinks of one of the cards in his hand. The packs are counted. Each has six cards. With no moves, the thought of card travels to the other pack leaving only four behind. Powerful trick. A switch is described which Jon Racherbaumer said was "impossible to perform convincingly". However, in his notes, Andi offers some alternate handling that will make it easier plus his own addition both lengthening the effect and giving it a more powerful ending.

The Brown Version of the Three Card Trick - This can be done impromptu or just carry a set of cards in your pocket. Nice little packet trick for the informal occasion. Edward uses a double pushoff but I have had better luck using a move I learned in Color Monte.

The book finishes with a series of six lectures that he had given. As most of you, when I think lecture, I think of magic being taught. but that is not the case here. No tricks are explained but you still get more than your money's worth in teaching and tips. He broaches subjects such as performing for magicians vs. performing for laymen. He gives what he calls a brief analysis of the principles of mental magic which is anything but brief. He seems to cover just about every base in this making it almost a college course in the tenets of mental magic. He also does lectures on sleights, forcing and misdirection. Very well written and worth the time to read.

Conclusion: Andi and Josh have published another winner here. Beautifully produced, this is a handsome tome to reside on your book shelf. The routines run the gamut of plots from Ace assembly to monte routine to spelling and more. I have been having a lot of fun with the simplest trick in the book, a spelling effect. Simple but it seems to amaze people. And the book introduces two of Edwards's loves. Palming and using a glass tumbler to display cards. The tumbler alone can make a closeup effect suitable for stage work. Andi printed the book exactly as it was printed in 1974 (except for the format) so the text might seem a little dated but Andi has also included a separate booklet with his notes. The notes not only offer advice but give some history of the effects, an interesting read by itself. I would definitely recommend this book. You will definitely get something from it you will use but it is also great for the magic history buff. It makes me wonder what the boys at Vanishing Inc. are going to come up with next.

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