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New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 2:44 pm
by Richard Kaufman
I've been working in secret with David Berglas for the past year on what will be a book devoted entirely to his card magic. Half a dozen trips to England later, I'm well on the way with writing the text and can promise you a genuinely miraculous book that will, in turn, teach you how to perform miracles.

The Mind and Magic of David Berglas, the superb book written by David Britland and published by Jim Steinmeyer, covered so much of David's life and magic that only a small portion could be devoted to his card magic. The new book will greatly expand upon the material covered there, along with much previously unpublished material.

I expect the book, which will also contain a DVD, a CD-Rom, and a pair of 3D glasses, to be published by summer of 2010 in time for David's 85th birthday. Dodd Vicker's is about to post an interview with David on the Magic Newswire--make sure you click on over there as soon as Dodd posts the link.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 2:50 pm
by mrgoat
Mmmm

You dirty tease.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 3:01 pm
by Richard Kaufman
A "tease," perhaps. "Dirty" ... no. Took a shower this morning.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 3:17 pm
by Steve Bryant
Meanwhile, speaking of Mr. Steinmeyer, his new book, Technique and Understanding, contains some of the most amazing secrets I've ever encountered in a magic book. I'll no doubt never attempt to build some of the illusions, but I feel privileged just to know how some of this stuff works. Simply thrilling material.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 4:21 pm
by Magic Newswire
Glad that you mentioned this Richard. My interview with Mr. Berglas will be appearing at MagicNewswire.com in the morning!

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 5:33 pm
by Jonathan Townsend
And the one trick folks have been asking for/about...??

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 7:43 pm
by Richard Kaufman
You mean "Any Who at Any What?"

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 8:20 pm
by Scott M.
That's really exciting. I'll be looking forward to picking this up when it comes out.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 9:42 pm
by Richard Kaufman
It's been excrutiatingly difficult to writeDavid deals with a deck of cards in an entirely unique way. Simply getting the reader to understand that takes quite a bit of doing.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 10:15 pm
by Steve Cohen
You're right, Richard. Berglas handles cards in a way I've not seen before. His think-a-card routines are terribly baffling. He and I spent several memorable late-night sessions, and I've concluded that there is no end to this man's genius.

Greatly looking forward to this book.
-SC

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 10:26 pm
by Richard Kaufman
One of his greatest tricks, Steve, is making you believe that there is no end to his genius!

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 10:54 pm
by Jim Martin
This is great news --

Any info on who will publish?

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 11:10 pm
by Richard Kaufman
Kaufman and Company will publish!

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 11:21 pm
by Chris Aguilar
So this one will come out before the Jennings book?

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 11:23 pm
by Paul Gordon
In the early/mid 90's, a bunch of finger-flinging jugglers were showing off in the hotel for the IBM convention in Eastbourne, UK. No tricks, no magic - just sleight after sleight...horrible!

David Berglas approached and casually performed his, as RK might say, "Any Who at Any What".

Result: Silence...dropped jaws...silence...then wild applause! Beautiful............

Paul Gordon

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 12th, 2009, 11:47 pm
by Richard Kaufman
Yes, before the Jennings book.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 13th, 2009, 10:19 am
by PickaCard
Richard,

Will this be a signed limited edition?

Do you have a guess as to how much I have to save up for?

Can we pre-order it?

Thank you for the pleasant surprise.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 13th, 2009, 10:37 am
by Richard Kaufman
There will be two editions as I used to do: one signed and numbered deluxe edition, and one regular edition.

I have no idea what the price will be yet, and am not taking pre-orders.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 13th, 2009, 10:51 am
by James Foster
I speak for many when I thank you for the effort, expenditure and heart you put into publishing. It is, as mentioned in another thread regarding "magazines", a complex and often thankless task. Looking forward to the Berglas book (and the DeLand one as well!). Thanks so much...

James

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 13th, 2009, 3:15 pm
by Magic Newswire
My chat with "International Man of Mystery" David Berglas is now online! We talk about everything from working on several Bond films to entertaining Winston Churchill & the Royal Family of England. Enjoy!

Five Most Recent Interviews:
David Ben
Marvin Miller
Banacheck
Bob Cassidy
Barrie Richardson

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 14th, 2009, 7:40 am
by naquada
enjoyed the chat with David Berglas very much.. i'd urge everyone to listen to anything David ever says.. his words, however informal or conversational are always full of gems and enlightened thinking.. and theres some really great comments in the podcast!!

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 14th, 2009, 3:05 pm
by Jack C
Richard do you have a rough idea on the number of pages

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 14th, 2009, 3:59 pm
by Richard Kaufman
Not yet. But it's not going to be a booklet. Should be at least 200 pages.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 15th, 2009, 5:46 am
by Matthew Field
It has been one of the great pleasures in my life to get to know David Berglas since moving from New Yawk to England. He is a gentleman and knows more about magic than almost anyone else on earth.

I know how hard Richard has worked on this book, and I am really looking forward to it. I know a thing or two about cards and David has fooled me badly on more than one occasion with his card effects.

Matt Field

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 15th, 2009, 4:28 pm
by Joe Mckay
Can't wait for next Summer. The World Cup and the Berglas book!

Joe

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 15th, 2009, 5:56 pm
by Jonathan Townsend
Lecture tour?

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 15th, 2009, 6:40 pm
by Richard Kaufman
David will not be doing a lecture tour.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 17th, 2009, 1:25 pm
by Scott M.
Just listened to Berglas's interview on The Magic Newswire. Excellent thoughts, memories and comments, and at the end he discusses for just a short bit the book. The interview really got me looking forward to this.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 23rd, 2009, 5:56 am
by Nathan Muir
Steve Cohen wrote:You're right, Richard. Berglas handles cards in a way I've not seen before. His think-a-card routines are terribly baffling. He and I spent several memorable late-night sessions, and I've concluded that there is no end to this man's genius.


Indeed. I have also concluded the same after several late night sessions.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: October 24th, 2009, 12:00 am
by Mark.Lewis
David Berglas once spent an evening teaching me magic when I was about 16 or 17 years old. I am not quite sure he has recovered from the shame of it.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: November 6th, 2009, 8:08 pm
by Matt Colman
Sincerely look forward to this Mr Kaufman.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: December 2nd, 2009, 6:51 pm
by Michel Asselin
Looking foward to it; but I do hope that the approach is a little more rigourous than what was in the Britland tome.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: December 2nd, 2009, 8:16 pm
by Richard Kaufman
David Britland had the extremely difficult task of encompassing Berglas's entire career in one book. An almost impossible task, yet he succeeded admirably.

Britland's card section is not that long, but the language is very dense and rich.

I have the luxury of an entire book to devote to the card magic and David Berglas's manner of working is antithetical to the type of nuts and bolts descriptions I normally write. However, I have discovered a way that suits us. It makes you aware of the dynamism and free flow of the card work, but also gives you the nuts and bolts to go down that road. Once you're on the road, you have to just start doing the material and learning it yourself.

I'll be giving you all the tools and teaching you how to use them, but you'll have to build your own boat. You'll understand when you read the book.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: December 2nd, 2009, 9:24 pm
by Mark.Lewis
David himself wrote a great little book years ago. I forget what the hell it was called. It seems to have vanished into oblivion which is a shame. Very slick paper and well printed.

All I remember about the old Berglas book was very good illustrations and he also explained how you tie a knot in a tie with one hand. The other thing that was quite amusing was a stunt he recommended when a group in an audience were not paying attention to you. You flip a ball of flaming flash paper over their head and when they look back at you look terribly innocent and the audience laughs.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: December 2nd, 2009, 9:44 pm
by Jim Martin
'The David Berglas File No. 1: Professional Magic for Magicians' (1976) has those items and several more.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: December 2nd, 2009, 10:00 pm
by Mark.Lewis
That's the one. It was very good and well produced. I don't think it made it to File number two.Shame.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: December 2nd, 2009, 10:25 pm
by NCMarsh
What are the chances of David publishing his cigarette routine? I was surprised to see it not make the Britland book...

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: December 2nd, 2009, 11:28 pm
by Richard Kaufman
David gave me his cigarette routine for the Genii issue, but we ran long and I couldn't include it. It won't fit in this book, because it's entirely devoted to card magic. I may publish it in Genii at some point.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: December 3rd, 2009, 12:01 am
by Mark.Lewis
I can actually do David's cigarette trick. In my opinion it is his greatest trick. Far better than that silly card and number thing that magicians rave about for some unknown reason. It is just another card trick after all.

I saw David do it in a very large theatre in London. It was the Victoria Palace. Yep. A small tricks with cigarettes could be seen in the largest theatre. Skilled lighting was used and it worked well. I even remember bits of the patter and it was nearly 50 years ago. He said "If I rub my hand once a cigarette appears. (and it did) If I rub my hand twice two cigarettes appear" (and they did) It was an absolute masterpiece and Ken Brooke told me that it was the trick that made David famous on British television. He did it with his sleeves rolled up.

Many years later he did it again on British TV but it was a pale shadow of its former self. I got the impression that he hadn't done it for years. I know he is known as a mentalist but I always preferred his magic and pickpocketing. He did have some wonderful blindfold work and a some of his mentalism was fine but there were occasions he got a bit too complicated with it and that can lead to boredom.

I once was booked at a regular gig in Ireland to do children's shows. The same kids were there week after week so I eventually ran out of material. So in desperation I decided to do the cigarette trick even though cigarette tricks are a no-no to perform for children. To my amazement the reaction was fantastic. The kids kept laughing and gasping when all the cigarettes appeared one at a time.

I am now inclined to do the trick with miniture magic wands instead when I do the item for children.

It really is a wonderful trick.

Re: New Book Coming on the Card Magic of David Berglas

Posted: December 3rd, 2009, 3:29 am
by NCMarsh
Appreciate the info., Richard and Mark.