Royal road to card magic

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Sebastian B
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Royal road to card magic

Postby Sebastian B » January 3rd, 2017, 2:42 pm

Hi,
I have been doing some light research on The Royal Road To Card Magic and my understanding is that the book was published in 1947. The book was being advertised in december 1947 in the Sphinx (if i am remembering correctly). I wonder if someone has a picture of the cover of the first edition they would be willing to share.

All the best
Sebastian

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby performer » January 3rd, 2017, 2:47 pm

I love this book. Fully 50% of my repertoire with cards comes from here. To be a good card magician you really don't need much else except this book. And it tells you how to PRESENT the tricks therein. In some ways that is more important than the actual material. Alas I can't help you with pictures of the first edition but no doubt someone else can.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby Sebastian B » January 3rd, 2017, 3:05 pm

Hi Mr Lewis,
I agree with you that the Royal Road To Card Magic is a wonderful book. I bought the book in my teens and have been coming back to it more and more lately. The older i get the more I appreciate the book.

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Joe Pecore
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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby Joe Pecore » January 3rd, 2017, 3:40 pm

Sebastian B wrote:Hi,
I have been doing some light research on The Royal Road To Card Magic and my understanding is that the book was published in 1947. The book was being advertised in december 1947 in the Sphinx (if i am remembering correctly). I wonder if someone has a picture of the cover of the first edition they would be willing to share.

All the best
Sebastian


Here is one recently sold on e-bay that says is a first edition: http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-ROYAL-ROAD- ... 2017093655

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Sebastian B
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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby Sebastian B » January 3rd, 2017, 3:45 pm

HI Mr Pecore,
Thank you :D I believe this was the cover I saw in Sphinx as well.

All the best
Sebastian

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby Jason England » April 17th, 2017, 1:16 am

Is Royal Road still under copyright protection? If so, who owns the copyright? If not, when did it pass into the public domain?

Just curious.

Jason

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby Richard Kaufman » April 17th, 2017, 1:18 am

If it's copyrighted, then it's not in public domain. If no one renewed the copyright 26 years after initial publication, it's in the public domain.
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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby Richard Hatch » April 17th, 2017, 2:02 am

Dover reprinted the 1951 edition in a paperback format a few years ago (though their website currently lists it as "out of stock", though they still offer it as an eBook), so it is reasonable to assume their research department determined it was in the public domain (pretty sure they didn't track down and pay royalties to the heirs of either Hugard or Braue...):
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486408434.html

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erdnasephile
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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby erdnasephile » April 17th, 2017, 2:22 am

I think Amazon has a kindle version as well.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby MagicbyAlfred » April 17th, 2017, 2:32 am

Based on the consensus from about a half dozen websites I've checked out (sites of both rare book sellers and independent/non-bookseller sources), The Royal Road to Card Magic was first published in 1948 (Harper). If, in fact, it was advertised on the cover of The Sphinx in December 1947 (i.e. the last month of 1947), and I have no reason that leads me to believe otherwise, it may have been the case that it was being advertised in advance of its actual publication, although that is just an educated guess. Perhaps someone who has that issue of The Sphinx, or access to it, could confirm or deny whether or not the book had already been published in or by December 1947.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby Philippe Billot » April 17th, 2017, 4:18 am

Curiously, The Royal Road to Card Magic was advertised in The Sphinx, Genii and The Conjurors' Magazine in december 1947 BUT in January 1948 in HUGARD'S MAGIC MONTHLY (See page 390).

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby performer » April 17th, 2017, 5:22 am

I keep thinking that I should annotate this book and self publish it. I suspect I know this book better than anyone else. I studied it backwards, forwards, zig zag and inside out. It has been the most important book in my entire life.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby Jonathan Townsend » April 17th, 2017, 8:31 am

performer wrote:I keep thinking that I should annotate this book and self publish it. I suspect I know this book better than anyone else. I studied it backwards, forwards, zig zag and inside out. It has been the most important book in my entire life.

How about a few paragraphs annotated as article for the magazine and getting a sense of the bandwagon for the project?
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby erdnasephile » April 17th, 2017, 11:38 am

Jonathan Townsend wrote:
performer wrote:I keep thinking that I should annotate this book and self publish it. I suspect I know this book better than anyone else. I studied it backwards, forwards, zig zag and inside out. It has been the most important book in my entire life.

How about a few paragraphs annotated as article for the magazine and getting a sense of the bandwagon for the project?


Great idea, JT! I would enjoy reading such an article.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby performer » April 17th, 2017, 12:22 pm

It is not generally known that I annotated Step Two of the Thirteen Steps to Mentalism.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby MagicbyAlfred » April 17th, 2017, 2:49 pm

performer wrote:It is not generally known that I annotated Step Two of the Thirteen Steps to Mentalism.


Funny, I had the strongest premonition that Performer was going to do so!

As to the Royal Road, I have no doubt that there would be no-one more well suited to annotate the book than Performer, and that if he decided to undertake such a project, it would be a very valuable contribution to the magical literature.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby performer » April 17th, 2017, 5:32 pm

Indeed. I suppose the thing which deters me somewhat is the technical side of things. I would somehow have to scan the contents of the book into my computer and then go from there so I can add the annotations beneath the text in red type the way I did with the 13 Steps. The copyright holder of this book sent me the text so I was able to do it. However that option would not be available with the Royal Road. Alas I was born in the age of the dinosaur and am not computer savvy.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby erdnasephile » April 17th, 2017, 5:52 pm

Mr. Lewis:

Conjuring Arts sells a pdf of Royal Road: http://shop.conjuringarts.org/store/pc/ ... 52p742.htm

If it's an open pdf, one could easily annotate the manuscript and save them in the file itself with Adobe Acrobat or other pdf editors.

(I'm not a lawyer though--not sure of the legalities of doing it this way--so I would surely defer to others more knowledgeable than me. I withdraw my suggestion if I'm suggesting something illegal/unethical)
Last edited by erdnasephile on April 17th, 2017, 5:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby AJM » April 17th, 2017, 5:53 pm

Don't encourage him.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby mbreggar » April 17th, 2017, 6:33 pm

I'd love to read it too!

There have been a couple DVD "Versions" of Royal Road. The Paul Wilson version is really good. Paul makes quite a few comments during the course of his instruction regarding things he agrees with and several things he believes the description I think book is either flat out incorrect or overly complicated.

Regardless, to have an annotated version in front of me to READ .. as I learned from the book initially .. would be a wonderful thing.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby performer » April 17th, 2017, 7:47 pm

AJM wrote:Don't encourage him.


I was quite inclined to procrastinate over the matter but because of your mean spirited remark I am now determined to do it. I really do not wish to be disrespectful so I shall merely say that if your intelligence were two points higher you would be a plant. May I respectfully suggest to you the message contained in this song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vm51sR4tRY

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby performer » April 17th, 2017, 7:57 pm

mbreggar wrote:I'd love to read it too!

There have been a couple DVD "Versions" of Royal Road. The Paul Wilson version is really good. Paul makes quite a few comments during the course of his instruction regarding things he agrees with and several things he believes the description I think book is either flat out incorrect or overly complicated.

Regardless, to have an annotated version in front of me to READ .. as I learned from the book initially .. would be a wonderful thing.



All I can tell you is that I have lived and breathed this book and apart from the tricks and sleights some of the advice in it has been priceless to me.
The information about presentation, routining and other matters of that kind would be difficult to impart in a DVD. It is my Bible and in fact I have been reading it today. The book is as important to me as the Erdnase book was to Vernon. At one time I carried it around with me constantly. I know it inside out. I am virtually married to the book.

I am the one to write it. And I can assure you I am a damn good writer. I might just do it..............................

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby jkeyes1000 » April 17th, 2017, 8:05 pm

performer wrote:
AJM wrote:Don't encourage him.


I was quite inclined to procrastinate over the matter but because of your mean spirited remark I am now determined to do it. I really do not wish to be disrespectful so I shall merely say that if your intelligence were two points higher you would be a plant. May I respectfully suggest to you the message contained in this song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vm51sR4tRY


I do hope AJM is sporting enough to say "Touche!" Mark. Best laugh I had all day.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby mbreggar » April 17th, 2017, 8:15 pm

performer wrote:I am the one to write it. And I can assure you I am a damn good writer. I might just do it..............................

Do it!!!
Do it!!!!


I will buy the first edition!!

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby performer » April 17th, 2017, 8:30 pm

mbreggar wrote:
performer wrote:I am the one to write it. And I can assure you I am a damn good writer. I might just do it..............................

Do it!!!
Do it!!!!


I will buy the first edition!!


It WILL be done. And as soon as possible. I am not a young man so I shall have to get to work on it before I join the authors in the spirit world. I owe this book a lot and I intend to repay the debt to it.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby Jason England » April 18th, 2017, 12:10 am

Wow. Looks like a book published/copyrighted in 1948 just barely missed the cutoff. US copyright law appears to have changed to 28 years worth of protection in 1909, so Royal Road would have been good until the end of 1975 under its initial copyright. If it wasn't renewed in 1975, then it would have passed into the public domain. And once a work has passed into the public domain, it can't be protected again, even if a future law should change in your favor.

In 1976, that protection was extended (retroactively to any work still under copyright) to "author's life plus 50 years" which was again altered in 1998 to "author's life plus 70 years."

Looks like someone blew it by not renewing the copyright in 1975 and publishing houses like Dover have been reaping the benefits ever since.

Jason

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby Richard Kaufman » April 18th, 2017, 1:34 am

Hugard never renewed his copyrights, including the first edition of Expert Card Technique.
Jay Marshall never renewed the copyright on the first edition of Modern Coin Magic.
Lou Tannen never renewed the copyrights of all the books he bought from Max Holden.

All of these books have been published by Dover.
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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby performer » April 18th, 2017, 4:16 am

I have started work on the book. Once the first chapter is done I will announce it. Then you will know that I am serious.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby jkeyes1000 » April 18th, 2017, 11:06 am

performer wrote:I have started work on the book. Once the first chapter is done I will announce it. Then you will know that I am serious.


I haven't bought a magic book in years Mark. But this is one I must include in my collection. The reaffirmation of the value of Royal Road and your experience with it will be well received I'm sure.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby performer » April 18th, 2017, 1:06 pm

jkeyes1000 wrote:
performer wrote:I have started work on the book. Once the first chapter is done I will announce it. Then you will know that I am serious.


I haven't bought a magic book in years Mark. But this is one I must include in my collection. The reaffirmation of the value of Royal Road and your experience with it will be well received I'm sure.


Do you own the Royal Road? If so, you will know what I am talking about. I have other books which I treasure but the Royal Road is something special to me. Authors should know and ponder what an incredible thing they do when they write a good book. It can affect people's lives and probably 90% or more of the time they have no idea whose life they have affected or in what manner. They would probably be overwhelmed if they knew.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby MagicbyAlfred » April 18th, 2017, 2:11 pm

PERFORMER WROTE: "I have other books which I treasure but the Royal Road is something special to me. Authors should know and ponder what an incredible thing they do when they write a good book. It can affect people's lives and probably 90% or more of the time they have no idea whose life they have affected or in what manner. They would probably be overwhelmed if they knew."

It is great to see the enthusiasm and encouragement that members of this Forum are expressing in regard to Performer writing an annotated version of this classic. People know and appreciate that his posts are articulate, well informed, and highly entertaining. His unique and engaging writing style, coupled with the profound influence the book has had on his own "Royal Road" - well, I cannot imagine anyone more well-suited to write an annotated version.

I consider it a phenomenal course on card magic, but equally, if not more importantly, the presentation of card magic. Yes, there are some things (patter and move-wise) that are not perfect and/or dated, but it remains invaluable and immutable to any serious student with aspirations of entertaining people with card magic. It will become even more invaluable when Performer adds his magic touches...

But beyond that, the book has special significance and sentimental value to me. Many years ago, when I was first totally blown away in witnessing my soon-to-become mentor and friend perform in a restaurant in Florida, it literally changed my life. I knew there and then that I wanted to become a professional close-up magical entertainer, with an emphasis on card magic. And what do you think was the book he recommended that I read and study first and foremost? Yes, you guessed it...

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby jkeyes1000 » April 18th, 2017, 3:11 pm

performer wrote:
jkeyes1000 wrote:
performer wrote:I have started work on the book. Once the first chapter is done I will announce it. Then you will know that I am serious.


I haven't bought a magic book in years Mark. But this is one I must include in my collection. The reaffirmation of the value of Royal Road and your experience with it will be well received I'm sure.


Do you own the Royal Road? If so, you will know what I am talking about. I have other books which I treasure but the Royal Road is something special to me. Authors should know and ponder what an incredible thing they do when they write a good book. It can affect people's lives and probably 90% or more of the time they have no idea whose life they have affected or in what manner. They would probably be overwhelmed if they knew.


I was inspired by Royal Road in my youth, but have since lost touch with it and don't currently own a copy. Being a more serious book collector than ever I was, I would want both a first edition and a signed copy of your annotated edition Mark. It's the sort of book that really motivates and excites the reader to contribute to the art.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby magicfish » April 20th, 2017, 5:28 pm

Many of us are still hoping Mr. Lorayne takes this on. Perhaps after his next book.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby performer » April 20th, 2017, 6:07 pm

Harry has mentioned in the past that he was approached to do it
but turned it down. I am grateful that he did. And I am not grateful to you for stirring it up again. Your motives for posting this are quite transparent and I don't appreciate it.

Having said that I have always considered Harry the greatest magical writer of the twentieth century and the little bit of this twenty first century that has gone by. And I have always been consistent in saying that. However, I got to the Royal Road before he wrote his first magic book and had digested what was in it.

Then I discovered Close Up Card Magic and considered that my post graduate course in card magic. He only wrote one book for beginners as far as I am aware and it is an utterly fantastic one called "The Magic Book" It has wonderful descriptions of non card magic so between the Royal Road and the Magic Book there is enough for a beginner to study and no longer be a beginner. Come to think of it he would never need to read another book on magic. (although I certainly think he should)

Regardless of all this I WILL be annotating the Royal Road no matter what happens. I am utterly determined to do it and nothing will stop me. I am already well into doing the first chapter and I only started a few days ago.

I am the one to do this book. I can do nearly every trick in it. Nobody knows this book better than I do. Nobody.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby magicfish » April 20th, 2017, 6:34 pm

Not quite sure what you mean by "motives"
Or "stirring up".
It is quite a good book and I hope Mr. Lorayne takes it on. Always have, always will. Regardless of who else attempts it. Good luck to them. Im sure they/he/she/you will do fine.
My hope was/is always that Harry would do it. That is all. No motives. No stirring.
A statement of hope in an open forum.
I don't appreciate your implications nor your false accusations.
Thanks.


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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby MagicbyAlfred » April 20th, 2017, 10:09 pm

I believe I can state that I know for a fact that Performer's assertion is correct: Harry was approached to annotate the Royal Road, and he had zero interest in doing so. Anyone who hopes that Harry may take on that project will surely do so only in vain. I don't believe that Harry has ever had anything even remotely approaching the appreciation and zest for the Royal Road that Performer has. Performer is the one to undertake the project. Harry is a great writer (and magical entertainer), but even if he was interested in annotating the Royal Road (which he is not), IMHO, no one on the planet could do a more magnificent job than Performer, and I am thrilled that he is doing it!

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby AJM » April 21st, 2017, 1:28 am

I despair at what this forum has become.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby performer » April 21st, 2017, 3:32 am

AJM wrote:I despair at what this forum has become.


Then I suggest you amuse yourself better at the Magic Cafe. There are people there more suited to your calibre of work. Methinks your presence would be enhanced by your absence.

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Re: Royal road to card magic

Postby performer » April 21st, 2017, 3:52 am

Anyway, I thank Alfred for his support and I am now making further progress on the book. The ironic thing is that it is the begrudgers who have spurred me on. If they had said nothing I would have lapsed into writer's procrastination which is an awful disease. Ironically, it was a magic writer who has given me the best way to deal with this disease. I was browsing through Roberto Giobbio's Hidden Agenda in a magic shop and saw this tip. It was the reason I purchased the book even though it had nothing to do with magic. It is a very good book filled with excellent material but this little tip to me was the best thing in the book.

You are supposed to have a little hourglass but since I don't have one I adapted things since you don't really need one anyway. You say to yourself, "I only have to do ten minutes of writing today" That is not a lot and a very good way to force yourself to start writing. Ten minutes is nothing and you think, "OK. I only have to do ten minutes. Let me get that ten minutes over with. That should be easy to do" And you do this every day. You will not feel guilty if you do this consistently because you have followed the plan. Only ten minutes. However in actual practice once you start the brain loses it lethargy and you actually do a hell of a lot more than ten minutes. But if you only do the ten minutes that is perfectly fine too. You have not broken your contract with yourself and you can feel at ease.

It is a really good way to overcome writer's procrastination. Only a lousy ten minutes. That is all you need. I have no idea how people can write several books at once. If I did that not a single one would ever get finished. I have to focus on one book at a time. I suppose it is tempting to write a few at once because of your enthusiasm for the subject. I just couldn't do it.

With regard to writer's procrastination I thought I was the only one who suffered it but I was heartened when there was an author's conference in Toronto and many best selling authors complained about the same disease and explained all the things they did to combat it. I imagine it is harder for a self published author because there is no publisher demanding a deadline so there is less pressure to finish.

I think if my detractors don't want me to do the book their best plan is to shut up and hope I go into procrastination mode. The more they speak the more determined I am to continue. Human psychology you know.


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