Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

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Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Christopher1979 » October 29th, 2017, 5:12 pm

Hi all,

I am interested in buying a set of the limited edition 5 volume set of Bruce Cervon's Castle Notebooks. I have seen two sets, one is called series "Y" and another set called series "C". Any idea what the differences are?

Many thanks!
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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Brad Jeffers » October 29th, 2017, 5:45 pm

Quoting from this listing on Ebay ...

"Offered here is a complete set of the Cervon Castle Notebooks in absolutely LIKE NEW condition with three of the volumes still in their original shrink wrap. A group of 26 sets, known as the Alphabet Series, were put aside by Bruce's Widow & L&L for use after the tenth anniversary of Bruce Cervon's death. They were identified by a letter between A & Z and were later sold to Murphy's Magic at which point they sold out entirely. This is set "Y." Never to be reprinted, these volumes are out of print and are rarely ever found as a complete set anymore."

You can get a a complete set from JordanB for $650.

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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Brad Jeffers » October 29th, 2017, 6:20 pm

Christopher1979 wrote: I have seen two sets, one is called series "Y" and another set called series "C".

WHY would anyone pay $1900 for the Y set once they SEE that the C set can be had for $725? ;)

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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Richard Kaufman » October 29th, 2017, 7:09 pm

Confusing, isn't it?
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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Christopher1979 » October 30th, 2017, 1:52 am

Brad Jeffers wrote:
Christopher1979 wrote: I have seen two sets, one is called series "Y" and another set called series "C".

WHY would anyone pay $1900 for the Y set once they SEE that the C set can be had for $725? ;)


Yes, exactly, thats why i was asking here whether i was missing something. If "Y" contains something that "C" doesn't or visa versa. No i realize its just purely an earlier printing... Thank you for your input Brad!
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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Christopher1979 » October 30th, 2017, 1:52 am

Richard Kaufman wrote:Confusing, isn't it?


Sure is Richard!
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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Christopher1979 » October 30th, 2017, 2:00 am

Brad Jeffers wrote:Quoting from this listing on Ebay ...

"Offered here is a complete set of the Cervon Castle Notebooks in absolutely LIKE NEW condition with three of the volumes still in their original shrink wrap. A group of 26 sets, known as the Alphabet Series, were put aside by Bruce's Widow & L&L for use after the tenth anniversary of Bruce Cervon's death. They were identified by a letter between A & Z and were later sold to Murphy's Magic at which point they sold out entirely. This is set "Y." Never to be reprinted, these volumes are out of print and are rarely ever found as a complete set anymore."

You can get a a complete set from JordanB for $650.


Wow, thanks for that Brad, i will contact him!
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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Richard Kaufman » October 30th, 2017, 12:05 pm

There was only one printing.

It makes no sense for there to be two sets like this.
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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Christopher1979 » October 30th, 2017, 2:40 pm

Richard Kaufman wrote:There was only one printing.

It makes no sense for there to be two sets like this.


That really makes no sense, the only way i could relate to it would of been if there was more than one printing.
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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Richard Kaufman » October 30th, 2017, 3:24 pm

No.
500 copies (supposedly) of each book.
One printing.
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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Q. Kumber » October 30th, 2017, 4:01 pm

A question to those who have bought these books.

Have you found anything in them that you have actually used and feel it was worth your investment?

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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Richard Kaufman » October 30th, 2017, 5:20 pm

I was one of the lucky 26 who got a set for $200 when the last batch was released, so I definitely got my money's worth.
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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Ian Kendall » October 30th, 2017, 7:00 pm

I traded a set of the Crimp for mine; I swapped one handwritten hard-to-read collection for another :)

Sadly, even after a few years, I've not had time to study them. They do not lend themselves to idle browsing...

There was a crowd-project to transcribe them at the time; you had to prove you had the books and you could get access to the typed up pages. I can't find it now, so I'm assuming it was shut down?

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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby erdnasephile » October 30th, 2017, 9:08 pm

Q. Kumber wrote:A question to those who have bought these books.

Have you found anything in them that you have actually used and feel it was worth your investment?


Sadly, no. (I paid full price).

This is not to impugn anyone who was involved in the production of the books (and may, in fact, be a reflection of my limitations as a student). However, as I've written before, I feel that the material deserved better and it was an opportunity missed (especially with Mr. Patton's passing).

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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Christopher1979 » October 30th, 2017, 11:03 pm

erdnasephile wrote:
Q. Kumber wrote:A question to those who have bought these books.

Have you found anything in them that you have actually used and feel it was worth your investment?


Sadly, no. (I paid full price).

This is not to impugn anyone who was involved in the production of the books (and may, in fact, be a reflection of my limitations as a student). However, as I've written before, I feel that the material deserved better and it was an opportunity missed (especially with Mr. Patton's passing).


Well, i have just invested in the set. I have a feeling there will be some hidden gems. I have heard some rave reviews from top card-men, i just hope that is genuine and not clever marketing ;)
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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby erdnasephile » October 31st, 2017, 8:36 am

I hope you have fun with them Christopher--you got a good deal on them. Taste in books is like taste in anything else--horses for courses. I'm sure there are nuggets buried in there just waiting for the right person to dig them out, polish them, and fool us all. I suspect they will give you many hours of pleasure as you search. Happy hunting, and enjoy!

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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby JordanB » October 31st, 2017, 9:32 am

Before I listed my set I did some research and contacted two people privately who have recently sold their sets as well and my selling price was in line with what they had obtained. I know there is another set on eBay for nearly $2K. I have not seen any sell for that price, but I hope they get what they want for them.

I know for a fact that there is good material in them. My decision to sell them had nothing to do with the quality of the material, but rather is a function of my life, my interest in magic, and time. I have over 100 linear feet of books (which I know pales in comparisons to some/many collections). I've got two young children, am nearly 40 years old, and work full time. I have zero desire to be a full time professional magician. I also have no desire to learn every trick in the book. I decided to focus on the quality of the tricks I already know and use. At some point I realized that all those books represent, at least to me, a horde of secrets....the majority of which I will never utilize. It's my sincere wish that someone takes some of those secrets, polish them up and turn them into a masterpiece. Getting rid of the books was easier than the second half of my commitment. I vowed not to buy any new magic books for two years, no exceptions. That will be difficult.

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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Marco Pusterla » October 31st, 2017, 10:10 am

Q. Kumber wrote:Have you found anything in them that you have actually used and feel it was worth your investment?


Yes, I did, but it wasn't probably worth $1,000 (this is the amount I paid for the set, one volume at a time, when they were first produced). The "disappointment" is to see the amount of material already published in the Vernon Chronicles and in other books and magazines where Cervon contributed to, generally explained better than in the notebooks.

But, yes, there is some great material and - for me - great tips. This is not a set one can browse idly, but you really need to put in your time (months, years?) and really take notes as you study.
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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby Christopher1979 » October 31st, 2017, 12:01 pm

erdnasephile wrote:I hope you have fun with them Christopher--you got a good deal on them. Taste in books is like taste in anything else--horses for courses. I'm sure there are nuggets buried in there just waiting for the right person to dig them out, polish them, and fool us all. I suspect they will give you many hours of pleasure as you search. Happy hunting, and enjoy!


Thank you for your kind words, i have the luxury of working from home and have my library at hand so i am able to put the time into these books. I am purely a card man and i have a feeling that i will dig out a few unknown nuggets!.
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Re: Bruce Cervon’s Castle Notebooks Volume "C" or "Y" of the alphabet series

Postby MagicDOT42 » November 2nd, 2017, 1:00 pm

My set is a collection from the original 500. I’m wondering when the other notebook will be released or if it will. In an exchange of emails with Linda Cervon she wrote “I am working on the last volume of Bruce's ideas, based on his video notes. When he stopped keeping written notes he video taped everything. “Blank” in England is transcribing (is that the proper word?) the video material. We're thinking of releasing the work next year sometime. I'll be self-publishing and, as before, doing all the layout, etc.” . - I received this email in mid Oct of this year (2017). I know ,when it comes out, I’ll be ready and willing to purchase it. I do hope that the book cover design matches the original set. Just thought I’d put this information out there for the other Bruce Cervon Fans. Care *


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