Eddie Joseph

[Sam Kesler]

This magician's material fascinates me. I just added "Greater Card Tricks" (1942, Abbott's Magic) to my collection. There's an interesting discussion on his take on sleights including palming, slip, bottom dealing, top change and side steal. And don't forget the discussion on twenty methods of daubing! I first discovered him via "Premonition."

I believe he was born in 1899 and died in June 1974. Any anecdotes or comments about Mr. Joseph would be appreciated. What took him to India I wonder? Is anyone working on a book about him and his material?

[Guest]

He actually wrote a photo-illustrated, hardbacked collection of his stuff, The Magic of Eddie Joseph . I'm not home now to check, but I believe it was published in India and my guess would be in the early 1950's. There's some nifty stuff in there including using a paper clip as a gaff for controlling cards and a holdout of his own devising which doubles as a "dual control" device.

[Philippe Billot]

Here is a list of books by Eddie Joseph

1936 A Practical Lessons in Cups & Balls
1938 Advanced Lessons in Cups & Balls
1938 Intuitional Sight
1940 How to Pick Pockets
1940 Magic & Mysteries of India
1942 Greater Card Tricks
1942 Coin & Money Magic
1942 The Last Word on the Cups & Balls
1948 Come, Good Spirits
1949 My Favourite Routine with Cups & Balls
1950 Eddie's Dumbfounders with Cards
1950 How Gamblers Win
1950 The Art of Body Loading & Productions
1951 More Doumbfounders with Cards
1951 The Invisible Influence
1951 Cigarette Tricks & Gags at the Bar
1952 Card Magic of the Mind
1952 Twelve Brand New Tricks
1952 Joseph's Coat of Many Colours
1954 A Magician Goes to Dinner
1956 The Hindu Cups & Balls
1959 The Manuel of the Three Shell Game
1969 The Art of Eddie Joseph by Hugh Miller
1984 Eddie Joseph on Cups & Balls

[Edwin Corrie]

"The Art of Eddie Joseph" was published by Harry Stanley and then reprinted by Supreme Magic, both in England. It's still available along with various other inexpensive Eddie Joseph manuscripts (including some not mentioned above) from Magic Books by Post ( http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/magicbooks/ .

[Philippe Billot]

Edwin,

Is it possible you give me the missing manuscripts with their date of publications, please ?
Thanks in advance

I add The Art of Eddie Joseph in the list

[Edwin Corrie]

Bonjour Philippe,

Here are the items from the current MBBP catalogue which are not on your list:

Hindu Gaming Shells
Card Bonanza
Premonition (Abbott's 1959, and Supreme)
Hindu Cups
Bombay
Twelve Stunts With A Magic Mummy
Staggered
Mail Mentalism
Torn And Restored Bill (Supreme, 1977)
Thought Interceptions
Milk Glass Coins
Ring Tie
Astral Diviner (undated)
Joseph Levitation (undated)
Hot Heat (or "Fascination")
Invisible Influence
Last Word On Cups And Balls

Most of these were originally published by Abbott's in America and then later by Supreme. The MBBP catalogue doesn't include dates, but I've added them for the titles I have myself. "Hindu Cups" is probably the same as "Hindu Cups and Balls" on your list.

I also have the following, all undated:

Impossible (Supreme)
Quadruplicate (Abbott/Supreme)
Box of Matches (Abbott/Supreme)
Fifteen Minutes with the Joseph Card System (Abbott/Supreme)

Most of these are very thin manuscripts, and some are just a few sheets stapled together. The Joseph Card System is more substantial; it's a stacked deck (not memorised) which allows you to calculate the position of any card from its value.

I'm not an Eddie Joseph expert, but I did used to buy a lot of things from Supreme.

[Don Spurrier]

If one is looking for other Eddie Joseph material, locate a complete file of Max Andrews' Magic Magazine . Eddie Joseph had an effect or routine each month in that magazine from March, 1953 until the magazines's demise in April, 1956. Also, if I am not mistaken, Percy Abbott brought Eddie Joseph to America in the early '60s and Joseph was almost as prolific with his material in The New Tops during that period. Eddie Joseph, I believe, died in 1974

[Philippe Billot]

Edwin, thanks a lot for your list. As I work on the Genii Open index, I think I can find Abbott's Ads regarding Eddie Joseph's tricks and manuscripts and complete the dates.

Don, thanks to remember me that Eddie Joseph gave tricks for Magic Magazine.

I have bought the CD-ROM from Martin Breese. It's time to study it.

[Sam Kesler]

I spent some time perusing a bunch of old issues of the The Sphinx for sale at a used book shop in the LA area. I bought the September 1946 issue (my birthday month, how cool!) with a trick by Eddie called "Jasonism." In a later issue it was announced as winning best card trick published in Sphinx for that year (I think). It is all mathematical and no sleights (as most of his tricks were?) and must have had quite an impact. I can't wait to try it.

Two spectatos come up on stage to assist. One spectator stands behind the performer and covers his eyes. The other spectator cuts off half of the deck and hands the cards to the magician. Magician holds each card up and spectator mentally selects a card and its position.

After the magician runs through all the cards, the spectator secretly deals the same amount of cards his thought of card was from the top to the bottom of the packet. Magician has spectator concentrate on his card and spectator names aloud the cards in the packet. Performer intercepts the spectator's mental vibration and names the card. Too obvious?

[Guest]

Yup, it was the art of Eddie Joseph I was talking about, not magic . It was published in England, not India. This was in '69, not the fifties. Further, there is nothing using a paper clip to control cards (it was a folded slip cut from another playing cards) and his hold out stuff mentions nothing about using it to acheive the clingy pencil or magnetized cards effect. Clearly I should not post when I'm at work and away from the stabilizing influence of drugs and alcohol.

[gfajuri]

Many of the Eddie Joseph booklets (including Greater Card Tricks, which is hardbound) are still available from Abbott's, who published the material originally. There's also a lot of Joseph material in the Tops and New Tops magazines, which is worth seeking out.

Gabe Fajuri

[Guest]

You mentioned "Staggered", that is a great trick I also believe it included an effect called "The Blind Magician does a Trick" correct me if I'm wrong.
Rennie

[Edwin Corrie]

I think you're right about "The Blind Magician does a Trick" being included with "Staggered". This is one of a few things I unfortunately sold off about 10 years ago, but it sounds very familiar.

[gfajuri]

If memory serves, Blind Magician Does a Card Trick was originally included with Premonition, when it was first released in the 1950's. Staggered was released separately. Abbott's published both items.

Gabe Fajuri

[David Britland]

Eddie Joseph also released Premonition through Harry Stanley. In that manuscript Joseph described the original effect and his New Premonition. There is no date on the mss but Joseph says it is now 19 years since the release of the original trick.

The New Premonition is very different from the original. Joseph writes, "I wanted to go further. Firstly, I desired absolute freedom in setting up the packs. This as you will presently come to know has been achieved because I have succeeded in eliminating a set pattern of arrangement as used before. Secondly TWO assistants are now used and we are able to work TWICE in rapid succession. Thirdly an entirley different formula is applied and lastly we now use TWO packs both of which are out of sight in the pockets of the assistants before you even suggest for a card to be named."

All very intriguing if you're interested in variations of this effect.

Also described in this manuscript are two completely unrelated tricks. The New Dilka Steel Penetration, which is Joseph's needle through metal trick. And Matchnetism, which is a telekinesis trick with several matchboxes using thread. I've a feeling these had been issued in some form or other previously.

Best Wishes
David

[gfajuri]

The needle thru metal trick is still listed in the Abbott's catalog as "In Miniature," which is the name he released the trick under. I'm not sure if there was some bad blood between Abbott's and Joseph after Joseph moved to England, or if Abbott's simply allowed him to release the material with other dealers after a while. I know that Supreme ended up putting out most of the Abbott publications (with permission) starting in the late 1950's.

Gabe Fajuri

[magicam]

Edwin, the Magic Books by Post link does not work (i.e., http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/magicbooks/.). Any luck with a different link? Thanks! Clay

[Richard Hatch]

Looks like there site is down, as that is the same site that came up in a google search and that has worked in the past...

[Guest]

For QuickStack users: you can do T.A. Waters memorized deck version of Staggered, but with only one deck. Reverse the bottom 26 cards and you are set. Also, I found a very interesting version of Any Day For Any Date in one of the Eddie Jospeh books (Art or Magic, I cannot recall). It uses some playing cards that serve as calculator. But if one takes the time to memorize the 6 sets of four two-digit numbers, each associated to a main single digit, there will be no need for the playing cards and the calculations will be completely absent.

federico

[Edwin Corrie]

Originally posted by Magicam:
Edwin, the Magic Books by Post link does not work (i.e., http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/magicbooks/.). Any luck with a different link? Thanks! Clay

As Richard notes, the site seems to be down at the moment. This happens from time to time with MBBP, but it usually comes back after a few days. Keep trying!

[Sam Kesler]

Thanks to one and all for your comments. Great stuff! Isn't it about time someone do a new book on Eddie Joseph? Don't know how one would go about (or who to approach) about getting the rights. The last book about him was around, what, 1978?

p.s. how was his coin stuff (Coin & Money Magic, 1942)

p.s.s. does anyone know why some of these things (not just Joseph stuff) got published without a date? Even the Supreme books published in Devon, England, right?

[Guest]

Try www.magicbooksbypost.co.uk

chris

[Guest]

Dear All,

If you like Eddie Joseph's Dumbfounder books, you might like to see http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 17-4961265

This is a new reprint ( new typeset ) of both the Dumbfounder books; with permission of copyright owner. And - thoughts by Peter Duffie and Roger Crosthwaite

And - you might like: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 17-4961265 - Explorations on Finnell's Free Cut Principle, Joseph/Marlo Automatic Placement and more

Best, Judy Webb (Natzler Enterprises)