USDDetails: Written by Joe Berg, David Avadon, and Eric Lewis. Illustrated by Eric C. Lewis and Tom Jorgenson. A much sought after work on the life and magic created by or released by noted 20th century magic dealer and performer Joe Berg. Includes a chapter on the Okito/Bamberg material marketed by Mr. Berg and much varied magic. Pictures and Illustrations throughout.
Contents (Chapters from Book ToC):
7 Author’s Introduction (Joe Berg)
8 David Avadon: David’s intro – author and illustrator
9 Eric C. Lewis: Eric’s intro – author and illustrator
10 Tom Jorgenson: intro – author and illustrator
11 Joe Stevens: intro – publisher
12 Edward A. Tamborello: intro – publisher
13 Nicholas Saint-Erne: intro – post-production work
15 Tributes: a few words from some of Joe’s many friends
16 Carl Ballantine
17 John Braun
18 Dai Vernon
19 Johnny Platt
20 Charles Miller
21 Chapter One Looking Back with Joe (David Avadon)
22 Cossacks and Chinese Dentists – The Early Years
24 An Evening’s Brush to Wipe Away…
26 Psychic Sidekick
29 Dealer’s Choice – An Overview of Joe Berg’s Career in Magic
38 Okito
40 Berg in the Movies
42 Goldin and the Snapper Puzzle
43 Hellstrom, Buckley, and Joseffy
45 Carl Ballantine
46 Eugene Bernstein
47 Chapter Two Shop Talk (David Avadon)
48 Pitchmen
50 Max Malini
50 Chicago World’s Fair
50 Blackstone and Dante
51 Houdini
52 Mysterious Smith
52 Manuel
52 Rosini
54 Greatest Thrill
54 Berg Firsts
55 Chapter Three Quick Thoughts
56 Thurston
56 Servias LeRoy
56 A Patriotic Story
56 Paul LePaul
56 World Wide Recognition
67 The Shirt Pull
59 Chapter Four Routining Joe’s Way
60 Your Routine Is the Thing
61 A Silent Club Magic Act: outline using Torn/Restored Newspaper, Vanishing Cane, Silks, etc.
62 A New Novelty Act: idea for an apparently impromptu act
63 Joe Berg’s 3-IN-1 Routine (Tom Jorgenson): rope routine explained, Prof Nightmare to Linking Ropes to Takagi’s Knotted Rope Loop
63 – 3-To-1
63 – Linking Ropes
64 – Pretzel Knot
64 – Takagi’s Rope Loop
65 Expert Card Act and Routine (David Avadon): six ideas for stage card manipulation
65 – With a Cane
65 – With Hat and Gloves
65 – With a Handkerchief
66 – Card Produced at Any Number
66 – Vanishing and Reproducing Pairs of Cards
66 – Cards From Mouth
66 Sponge Ball History (David Avadon)
68 Berg’s Cups & Balls (Eric Lewis)
68 The First Version: a three cup and sponge ball routine, originally in 1974 Genii
69 The Second Version: adds three larger balls and three large loads
73 Chapter Five Comedy
74 Berg’s Brainwaves & Comedy Throwaways: comic strips
75 Ad-Libs, One Liners, Patter: over three dozen one liners
77 Two Gags (David Avadon): two visual gags
78 Heckler Stumper (David Avadon): a card revelation gag
79 Chapter Six Close-Up Magic
80 The Royal Rising Colors (Eric Lewis): rising crayons
80 – Another Crayon Effect: mentalism with crayon
81 Chewing Gum Vibrations: divining which stick of gum was selected
81 – Sawing a Stick of Gum in Half
82 Find the Matchstick (Eric Lewis): a Monte effect with three cards and a matchstick
Berg’s Topsy-Turvy Match Move (Joe Berg): matchstick changes orientation when pushed through fist
Match-Tip Monte (Eric Lewis): with matchbox
85 Dice Through Hand – Devil’s Die (Eric Lewis): a die in a box penetrates the hand
85 – The Second Method: using a mechanical brass tube
86 The Looped Pencil (Eric Lewis): two variations on the pencil through buttonhole trick
87 Berg’s Die Divination Box (Eric Lewis): magician divines top number of a die in a box
88 Berg’s Repeater Matches (Eric Lewis): making relighting matches
89 The Incredible Shrinking Ball (Eric Lewis): large ball shrinks as it passes through tube
90 The Patriotic Release (Eric Lewis): a ribbon passes through 3 wooden slabs and a box, yet named slab can be removed
91 A Tip on Kolar’s String & Straw (Joe Berg): variation on the old uncut string in straw
92 The None-Such Ribbon Effect (Joe Berg): cut and restored crepe paper
93 The Miracle String Trick (Eric Lewis): a cut and restored string using crepe paper
94 The Princess Mystic Vial (Eric Lewis): a clever glass tube apparatus where objects can appear inside
96 Massey’s Ringed Lute Model by John Snyder Jr. (Eric Lewis): borrowed ring vanishes and is found on a stick surrounded by strings
98 Joe Berg’s Double Cross (Joe Berg): crosses marked on a board appear also on performer’s hand
98 – Note by David Avadon: for having the marks appear on spectator’s hand
99 Berg’s Color Changing Thimble (Eric Lewis): using two thimbles
99 – Another Color-Changing Thimble: variation using a gimmicked thimble
100 Berg’s Giant Disc and Shell Mystery (Eric Lewis): a Jardine Ellis style disc
101 – Effect No. 1 Disc on Pocket Handkerchief
101 – Effect No. 2 The Impossible Pocket Disc Penetration
101 – Effect No. 3 Threading the Thumb
102 – Effect No. 4 A Mental Word Prediction
102 Disc Burnt-and-Restored Handkerchief (Nick Saint-Erne): using the above disc
103 The Severed Thumb (David Avadon): bizarre magic – performer cuts off his own thumb
104 The Improved Topsy-Turvy Pencil (Eric Lewis): a pencil changes direction as passed through a paper tube
105 Topsy Turvy Pencil Second Method (David Avadon): handling to perform in the hands
106 Joe Berg’s Jumping Peg (Tom Jorgenson): clever gimmicked paddle trick
107 Telling the Time (Eric Lewis): performer can divine the time set on a clock
107 The Chinese Bean Trick (David Avadon): a four bean trick
108 Berg’s Criss Cross Paper Napkin (Harlan Tarbell): torn and restored napkin
111 Berg’s Comedy Hot Wand (Joe Berg): a wand held by spectator gets too hot to hold
113 Chapter Seven Cigarette Magic
114 Berg’s Cutting a Camel Cigarette In Two (Eric Lewis): brass apparatus explained
115 Berg’s Pencil Thru a Cigarette (Joe Berg): another clever mechanism
116 Pin Cushion Cigarette Tube (Joe Berg): instruction sheet for a cleverly gimmicked brass tube
116 Ever-Ready Lighted Cigarette Production (Intro by David Avadon, described by Eric Lewis): producing lit cigarettes using saltpeter
118 Berg’s Novel Cigarette Pull (Joe Berg): a clever pull allows retrieval as well
119 The Cigarette From Nowhere (Eric Lewis): a cigarette load
119 Lighting a Cigarette by Magic (Eric Lewis): using a double-barrelled pull
120 Cigarette Phantasy (Joe Berg): produced and vanished lit cigarette using a special vanisher
121 – Phantasy Pull (Tom Jorgenson): additional handling
122 The Helicopter Cigarette (Eric Lewis): a cigarette appears to levitate in front of the body
123 No Apparatus Cigarette From Nowhere (Joe Berg): no gimmicks
124 The Enchanted Cigarette Case (Joe Berg): flowers or a silk from a cigarette case
125 Chapter Eight Coin Magic
126 Joe Berg’s Coin Change (Harlan Tarbell): copper & silver transposition using just two coins
126 Berg’s Thumb Coin Vanish: a vanish in the hands
127 Nelson Hahne’s Balancing Dime (Joe Berg): suspending a coin on a hangar while it spins
127 Berg’s Coin Holder (Eric Lewis): utility for stealing coins
128 The Coin Disappears (Eric Lewis): coin vanishes in fold of pants
128 Berg’s Miracle Coin Vanish (Harlan Tarbell): coin vanishes and reappears in a handkerchief, no gimmicks
130 The Colorful Die and Vanishing Penny (Joe Berg): a special die is place on a penny, the penny penetrates the hand
131 An Eye for Money (Eric Lewis): coin vanishes to appear on the eye like a Monacle
132 Berg’s Space Coins (Tom Jorgeson): one coin floats to the other hand using special coins
132 The Yo-Yo Coin (Tom Jorgenson): gag or comedy magic
132 Berg’s Ambitious Nickel (David Avadon): nickle to half using folding half
133 The Deviating Dime (Invented by Nelson Hahne, described by David Avadon): a dime on the back of the hand is covered by a half dollar and penetrates the hand, no gimmicks
134 The Chinese Coins and Cups (David Avadon): Chinese coins vanish and appear in cups
139 Chapter Nine Trick Decks
140 The History of the Ultra-Mental Deck (David Avadon): later known as the Invisible Deck and the Imaginary Deck
141 The Ultra-Mental Deck (David Avadon): original routine for this rough & smooth deck
142 – Effect #1
142 – Effect #2
142 Added Effect: combining with Master Color Changing Deck
143 The Split Ultra-Mental Deck (David Avadon): a deck literally cut in half and featuring the same principle
144 Master Color Changing Deck (David Avadon): combines stripper decks and rough & smooth principle
146 Berg’s Blank Deck (Eric Lewis): uses 26 blank face cards and 26 blank back cards, gimmicked
147 Berg’s Rainbow Fanning Deck (Eric Lewis): qualities for fanning
148 Tel-A-Tric Deck (David Avadon): the Mene-Tekel Deck
149 Berg’s Pirate Pack (Tom Jorgenson): special deck for the card stab
150 The Atomic Mystery Deck (Joe Berg): deck can force one or two cards, and more
152 The Mirro Peek Deck (Eric Lewis): a peek deck described
153 Duo-Prediction Decks (David Avadon): with red and blue backed decks
155 Improved Prediction Deck (David Avadon): another version
158 Berg’s Novel-Gali Deck (David Avadon): Svengali deck combined with Rough & Smooth
159 Auto-Spell-It Deck (Joe Berg): special deck allows selection to be spelled to
161 Berg’s Mar-v-lus Deck (David Avadon): thought of card vanishes from deck and is revealed
162 – Effect #1
162 – Effect #2
163 – Effect #3
165 Chapter Ten Card Tricks Using Apparatus
166 The Bashful Queen (Tom Jorgenson): a gimmicked three card Monte in the hands
166 That’s Right – You’re Wrong (Tom Jorgenson): Jumbo two card trick where spectator is wrong twice
167 Jumbo Chango (David Avadon): two Jumbo cards transpose in envelopes
168 Berg’s Fadwaway Jumbo Card Trick (Joe Berg): As transparent e
nvelopes are placed in front of Jumbo card, it fades away and vanishes
169 The Improved Zenz Cards and Envelopes (David Avadon): 3 selections transfer from one envelope of 15 cards to another
172 – Second Method
173 Berg’s Super Wallet (Eric Lewis): Trifold wallet described
173 – Effect One: reverse Card to Wallet
174 – Effect Two: variation with transposition of two cards
174 – Effect Three: card to wallet
175 – Effect Four: marked card to wallet
175 – Effect Five: torn and restored card in wallet
176 Berg’s Ideal Card Wallet (David Avadon): vanished card to ID Case
177 Double Trouble (Invented by John Benzais, described by David Avadon): a bill to envelope and card to wallet combination
178 Berg’s Unique Card Box (David Avadon): magician names top cards from deck placed in a box
179 Berg’s Improved Card Drawer (Eric Lewis): construction of this apparatus described
180 The Houdini Card Escape (Eric Lewis): although a ribbon passes through holes in a deck, the selection is removed
180 Splendo Cut & Restored String (Eric Lewis & Joe Berg): cut and restored string using cards
181 The Card Box and Tape (Eric Lewis): a card releases from a ribbon in a special card box
182 The Release It Deck (Eric Lewis): card from ribbon release
183 The No-Fake Card Frame (Eric Lewis): card frame to reproduce a card, and other uses
185 The Enchanted Card Slide (invented by Nishan and Joe Berg): special card slide for transpositions, changes
185 Routine One: wrong card in frame is taken out and turns into selection
186 Routine Two: adds a reversed card in deck
186 Three: rapid transposition
186 Four: more visible version
187 Five: used in combination with Card in Wallet
187 Six: with a ribbon!
188 The Sucker Sliding Card Frame: a sort-of Die Box for a card
189 The Card Gallows: a pack is placed in a noose on a gallows, and when the door opened, only the selection remains on the rope
191 Chapter Eleven Card Tricks and Sleights
192 A Mental Card Effect (Tom Jorgenson): a multiple prediction
193 Touch Reading Deluxe (David Avadon): magician can tell cards held over his head using a unique deck
194 The Two Ace Trick (Tom Jorgenson): dealing from the bottom of the deck, the two Red Aces always appear together
194 Berg’s Instant Novelty Card Location (David Avadon & Tom Jorgenson): the 52 on One card trick with a twist
195 The Card Elimination (Tom Jorgenson): selection found by elimination
196 The Card That Can’t Be Lost (David Avadon): a fast location starting from behind the back
196 An Unusual Card Effect (Tom Jorgenson): a simple force well disguised
196 The Paul Rosini Touch (David Avadon):
197 Coincidental Location (Eric Lewis): spectator thinks of a card, takes one random card and hands another to magician; thought of cards are missing from deck and are found to be he random cards
198 Berg’s Super Detection (Eric Lewis): magician riffles through deck and discovers missing set of 4
199 The Magician Makes Good (David Avadon): three reversed cards don’t match a selection, but then do
200 Fast Counting the Cards (David Avadon; created by James McKnight): cut to any number of cards called
201 Knock Oout Card Location (David Avadon): reveal the card selected from middle of deck
202 Berg’s Count Down Card Mystery (David Avadon): magician determines the card counted to and mixed in the deck
202 Another Card Trick or Two (David Avadon): the last card the magician reveals is the selection
203 Improved Lie Speller (David Avadon, created by Martin Gardner): a card speller
205 Berg’s Card Discovery (Eric Lewis): magician discovers card selected from one pile, with a used deck
206 The Double Prophecy (Joe Berg): with red & blue decks
208 An Amazing Card Location (Eric Lewis): using a similar principle to Berg’s Card Discovery
209 A Different Disclosure (Eric Lewis): selection revealed from behind back and under a handkerchief
209 The Elusive Aces (Eric Lewis): a clever four Ace trick
210 The Elusive Aces – Additional Notes (David Avadon)
211 The Comedy Sucker Card Trick (Joe Berg): spectator can’t repeat the cheat
211 Berg’s Four Ace Routine (Eric Lewis): using double facers
212 A Suprising Discovery (Eric Lewis): reversed card revealed by tossing deck back and forth
213 The Do-It-Yourself Card Mystery (Eric Lewis): impromptu effect using 10 cards, with a variation
214 The Trained Card (Eric Lewis): selected card pops out of the deck
215 Routine With a Double Backed Card (Eric Lewis): how to make your own gimmicked card, and an effect to go with it
216 The Card Behind (Eric Lewis): magician reveals card behind his back
217 Double Trouble Transposition (Eric Lewis): with red and blue decks
218 Berg’s Slow Motion Location (Eric Lewis): selection is slowly lost in the deck, yet still discovered
The Slow Motion Pass or The Card Pass I Use (Tom Jorgenson, invented by James ‘Kater’ Thompson): card passed to top while showing top and bottom cards
219 Follow the Four Aces (David Avadon): Aces end up at top of deck
220 A One Hand Shuffle (David Avadon): novel one handed flourish
221 The Slap Down Riffle Force (Tom Jorgenson): forcing a card glimpsed at
221 A False Cut (David Avadon): keeps entire deck in order
222 Lost In the Shuffle (Eric Lewis): card is counted to but not found, but can then be revealed
223 The Quick Peek (Invented by Jimmy ‘Kator’ Thompson): a card peek
224 Berg’s Bottom Peek (Tom Jorgenson): another peek
225 Joe Berg’s Double Lift (Tom Jorgenson): Joe’s method
225 Joe Berg’s Novel Card Production (Tom Jorgenson): with one hand
225 Mistakes Will Happen (Eric Lewis): cards are reversed and one chosen, but it isn’t the selection but later becomes the selection
226 A Mysterious Change (Eric Lewis): copping a glimpsed card
227 Berg’s Twenty Card Trick (Eric Lewis): cards travel from one packet to another
228 Flesh-Grip Force (Eric Lewis): force with a prediction and a change
229 Practice Sleights (Tom Jorgenson): smooth and easy routine
231 Chapter Twelve Mental Effects
232 Berg’s Blindfold (Eric Lewis): fully described
232 – Introduction by David Avadon
234 Berg’s Spirit Mental Slates (Tom Jorgenson): message appears on one of two ungimmicked slates
235 The Blank Cards of Psyche (Eric Lewis): message appears on a blank card
236 The Devil Discs (Eric Lewis): determinethe color of a disc in a wooden box
236 Pyramid Color Divination (Eric Lewis): magician can point to the side of a pyramid and name its color in a handkerchief
237 The Match Divination Tube: magican can state if match in a tube is heads up or down
238 Kurious Kolors or The Mystic Crayon Tube (David Avadon): determine the color of a crayon in a tube behind your back
238 Color Chip Divination (David Avadon): determine the color of a poker chip behind your back
239 The Dream Prediction (Tom Jorgenson): audiences choses color of cardboard, chalk, and which object to draw, which matches the prediction
240 I’ll Read Your Minds (David Avadon): card and drawing revelation with two spectators
241 Simple Book Test (Tom Jorgenson): almost impromptu
242 E.S.P. Match-Magical (Tom Jorgenson): 5 Jumbo ESP card are arranged in order which matches the magcian’s set
245 Chapter Thirteen Silk/Rope Effects
246 Pipe Production in Silk (Eric Lewis): pipe is produced, smoked, and turns into a silk
247 Paper Cups and Silk (Eric Lewis): a silk appears ion two empty coffee cups twice
247 Berg’s Miracle Silks (Eric Lewis): silks change color as pulled through the hand and change color in a match box
249 Joe Berg’s Incredible Knot (Eric Lewis): convincing disolving knot
251 The Berg Knot – Berg’s Handling (David Avadon): another version
254 Appearing and Self-Tying Silks (David Avadon, invented by Keith Clark): vanished silk appears between two others
255 Any Silk Called For (David Avadon): chosen color scarf vanishes and appears in glass
256 Berg’s Silksation (Tom Jorgenson): color changing silk ending clean
257 The Penetrating Silk (David Avadon, created by Nelson Hahne): silk produced, penetrates handkerchief, and vanishes; using a dye tube
259 Berg’s Silk Cabby Routine (David Avadon): using the Silk Cabby apparatus
260 Berg’s Sympathetic Silks (Eric Lewis): a version of the Sympathetic silks
261 – Introduction (David Avadon)
262 A Rope, a Silk, and a Glass of Milk (David Avadon): milk poured into newspaper with a silk, and a rope lowered in stretches, cathes the dry silk, and milk is poured out
263 The Knot From No Where (David Avadon): appears on rope
265 Chapter Fourteen: Liquid Tricks
266 The Patriotic Liquids (Eric Lewis): performer names color of liquid poured
266 Have-A-Drink (Eric Lewis): liquid appears in a glass
267 The Master Glass of Wine Production (Eric Lewis): opener
271 Chapter Fifteen Berg and Bamberg
272 The Okito Gobi Bowl (Tom Jorgenson): empty bowl is filled with confetti, which changes to water
273 Berg’s Confetti Mystery (Tom Jorgenson): another presentation using the same principle
273 Berg’s Jewel Chest Mystery (Tom Jorgenson): silk and jewel case transpose
275 Berg’s Linking Chain Links (David Avadon): loose links in a glass become linked
276 Okito’s Tea Canister Tubes (Tom Jorgenson): one canister magically transfers to a second cylinder, and the first cylinder is lifted to show a fish bowl
278 The Bam-Berg Zombie Cabinet (Eric Lewis): box to appear and vanish a Zombie ball
280 Fu Manchu Hand Guillotine (Tom Jorgenson, invented by Rev. Charles K. Hayden): a carrot is cut but spectator’s hand is unharmed
282 Berg’s Mignon Illusion (Tom Jorgenson): production box
283 Chapter Sixteen Stage Magic
284 Berg’s Roman Barrel Illusion (Roland Hill): barrell filled with water, but then dry items and assistant appear out of it
285 Berg’s Sawing an Arm in Half (Eric Lewis): two stick are sawed, an saw apparently goes through assistant’s arm
287 The Wonder Nest of Boxes (Eric Lewis): next of boxes for stage with no assistant needed
288 The Improved Tip-Over Box (Eric Lewis): improved angle of vision
289 The Wand-O-Ring Box (Eric Lewis): ring passes off ribbon and onto wand in this box
291 The Magical Hatchery (Eric Lewis): eggs and finally a live chick appears in this special bag
292 The Clean-Cut Rice Bowls (Eric Lewis): allows both bowls to be shown empty
293 Bowl of Flowers Production (Eric Lewis): for stage
294 Stack of Rings Livestock Production (om Jorgenson): stack of rings put together and animal produced
295 Die-Tration Deluxe (Tom Jorgenson, invented by Oscar Oswald): a large die is held in an open tube by a rod, but penetrates the rod
296 The Tea Canister Mystery (David Avadon): a canister covered by a tube transfers to a hat
297 Berg’s Block and Rope Trick (David Avadon): a rope passes through a folding block, and is cut and restored
299 Chapter Seventeen Pictures and Letters
300 Photos: Al Flosso, Frances Ireland Marshall, and more
311 Letters: various letters sent to Joe Berg
315 Bibliography (David Avadon): of Joe’s works
