The Genii Forum

Hello,

I'm interested in books about faro.
Specifically i'm looking for these books:
Faro Fantasy, Paul Swinford
More Faro Fantasy, Paul Swinford
Faro Possibilities, Karl Fulves
Faro & rifle techniques, Karl Fulves

Someone of you has any of them and wants to sell?
Anyone know where to buy these books?

Thanks a lot!!!

Try out H&R Magic Booksellers.
They are online. They have a ton of used magic books listed and you can always call them for titles your looking for.
I got my copies of the Fulves books you listed from them.

Michael Close has a wonderful DVD ( might have been a CD )dedicated to the FARO..with a couple tips that makes it easier to do it consistently

Michael Close's work is available by instant download from his site:

http://www.michaelclose.com./index.php/ ... ffle-ebook

I think the OP is asking for applications on the Faro and not how to do it.

I have all the books you have mentioned above and I would recommend the Paul Swindle series. It pops up on Ebay every now and then. Small beware, if you do find it on Ebay, PM me with the sellers name as I have been stung twice buying the Paul Swindle books.

I also have the Michael Close tips and instructions on how to do the Faro. It is quite good but better to just ask a local who can faro to teach you.

Cheers,
Nathan

Thank you everybody for the responses.
Yes, as Nathan says, i want books for applications of the faro shuffle.

Thanks a lot!

There are "applications" for the faro throughout most, if not all, of my books. And many have told me that they really learned the faro from Close-Up Card Magic. Go figure!

Nathan Ernest wrote:
I have all the books you have mentioned above and I would recommend the Paul Swindle series. It pops up on Ebay every now and then. Small beware, if you do find it on Ebay, PM me with the sellers name as I have been stung twice buying the Paul Swindle books

Cheers,
Nathan

THAT'S Paul SWINFORD

Hello again,

First of all, sorry about my poor english.
When i wrote "i want books for applications ...". I was trying to say, I am interested in these books in particular, did not want Harry to offend you or any other magician writter.
I know there are many books containing tricks that use the faro shuffle in many tricks, published by you and by other authors.
But now i'm looking for these books because all the content is about this shuffle.

Thanks for all your responses!!

Okay: I've just cleaned up this thread.

Goat: Most people learned the Faro Shuffle from Close-Up Card Magic. Harry's books have also consistently contained many tricks with Faro Shuffles for decades. His posts were entirely appropriate, so it was the wrong place to poke your finger.

I've deleted Harry's posts only because they were in response to yours.

Thanks for the correction! I'm just typing away :-)

Nath

Pepelirrojo

Please email me if you are still looking for these books.

Jon
JONVG.JM@GMAIL.COM

I have a signed copy of Marlo's FARO CONTROLLED MIRACLES that I will sell, if you are interested. ($125 postpaid)

Bill Miesel's book Visionary Card Effects has a number of tricks with the Faro Shuffle. And one of the big Alex Elmsley books by Stephen Minch has some work on the Faro.

Bill Mullins wrote:And one of the big Alex Elmsley books by Stephen Minch has some work on the Faro.

That's quite an understatement! The second volume of The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley has the most groundbreaking, ingenious and fascinating faro material one can find!

I read most faro material (I once prepared a talk about faro magic with my friend Pit) and if you are looking for concentrated faro material in one place, my top three recommendations would be: Faro Notes, Faro-Controlled Miracles, The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley Vol.2.

My two favorite tricks that use a faro are:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiWjEBx8Hns This is Denis Behr's trick. (props go to Pit Hartling as well)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBfjUBlL3OQ (This thing is mostly Ackerman.)

Both videos list their sources. The second trick in it's current form is not in print. The ace location is based on a Vernon idea used by many.

OK, I've got to bite:
The Denis Behr trick. You make the point in your presentation; you need your audience to be magically educated and paying attention to realise this is not the slop shuffle.

Now; in one sense that's fine. If you want to fry an audience of magicians, this is one way to go.

But, unless you are regularly performing in front of magicians, what would make this one of your favourite tricks? As opposed to, say, the slop shuffle?

I do regularly perform for magicians. They seem to have an insatiable desire for new twists and plots. I think if you're not working to instill some small sense of wonder for your audience, you're not doing magic.

Working for layfolks, I do this version, which seems to work for magicians too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLH-ctrbQa8

I hear it got published in some magazine. For me, the above version is one of the few tricks I can do for magicians or lay-folk and still get similar reactions.

After much consideration I've removed the slop shuffle/Lorraine version (Sid not Harry) from my bag of tricks. I truly have found the version above gets a better reaction from one and all.

Just realized I've hijacked yet another thread.

Faro shuffle tricks . . . I don't do Unshuffled, I've seen it many times. I suspect it's one of the very best tricks with a Faro in existance. I just can't stand to write on my cards, eaahhh!; especially the edges.

That's cool.
In this context, I think it is helpful to make it clear the audience this is most appropriate for.
I 100% agree with "I think if you're not working to instill some small sense of wonder for your audience, you're not doing magic."

El,

I was waxing enthusiastic. Most magicians have had their sense of wonder surgically removed. It's sad really.

For magicians, I'll settle for fooling the snot out of 'em. I don't always succeed, but on occasion I get lucky or find a process the magician hasn't seen.

Get the Riobbi book, by the way. Lots of snot-slinging good tricks there.

FARO CONTROLLED MIRACLES is available as a PDF on my Website. There will also be a huge consolidation of Faro material available soon; however, these kinds of books are aimed at a very small niche audience. Marlo published Faro tricks in his SPADE book back in 1946...long before the first flurry of interest that erupted around 1958-1962. Lorayne's book seeded the field. So did Elmsley. Andrus added. Riser and Swinford added more.

Thanks to everybody to show me other books and other tricks.

Thanks for all your comments

Pepe
http://magicsocial.org/index.php/en/

There is a good list of faro tricks here

http://archive.denisbehr.de/show.php?search=faro

Hello Everybody,

Thanks to all, for the responses and the interest.
Thanks also to Jon, now I have the books i wanted

Best
Pepe
http://magicsocial.org

Jon Racherbaumer wrote:FARO CONTROLLED MIRACLES is available as a PDF on my Website. There will also be a huge consolidation of Faro material available soon; however, these kinds of books are aimed at a very small niche audience. Marlo published Faro tricks in his SPADE book back in 1946...long before the first flurry of interest that erupted around 1958-1962. Lorayne's book seeded the field. So did Elmsley. Andrus added. Riser and Swinford added more.

Jon, do you have a link for the PDF of Faro Controlled Miracles? I'm keen on obtaining a copy. Thanks.

Steven...

The Website is http://www.jonracherbaumer.com/ but now there is just a photo, probably they are redesigning the site. You need to be a Member in order to download files. Jon mentioned a while ago that the files would also be available individually soon. Maybe that's what is happening now...

Yeah, I went to the site and saw that it is "coming soon". Guess I'll check back every so often.

Yes, it is coming. The purpose of the interim shutdown was to expand and enhance (the standard rationale)the Website. My son is doing all of the work in his spare time but he says it is nearly complete. For me my site (so far) has operated like a small, basement bookstore that thinks like a non-profit. (Our membership fluctuated between 60-200 members...a small but dedicated cabal). Frankly, I'm more motivated by archiving material and preserving and writing new monographs than in creating a blockbuster business. Yes, I want the site to sustain itself, but besides the creative preservation aspects, I want to give interested practitioners value for their investment. After all, PDF (electric books) can now be sold at the low prices.

Meanwhile, I have always appreciated those who supported my efforts and read my contributions.

Thanks to all and I'll keep you apprised.

Onward...

Thanks for the update Jon! I'll patiently await the websites triumphant return whereupon after a pregnant pause a sigh of relief ensues and I can purchase these long awaited works... or I'll just watch some TV until your site is back up.