The Genii Forum

Roger M.

Unfortunately, beyond "thinking that photos were used", there is no evidence whatsoever to support your personal conjecture.

Roger M.

Technically, couldn't it be either?
Although I concede that Occam's Razor is the appropriate descriptor for the discussion underway.

Roger M.

It wouldn't make any sense at all really, because other than pure conjecture based on a nebulous phrase Martin Gardner used one single time, we have nothing to lead us to believe that a photographer was involved in EATCT at all . I mean you can posit anything you want, but at some point in time the ...

Roger M.

Smith was a talented artist, something that's easy to see in his paintings of old New Orleans. I think a more common thought is that some of the more "amateurish" hand drawings in EATCT were very likely done after the fact by (non-artist) Erdnase himself, with Erdnase making amateur effort...

Roger M.

Not that anyone will really be listening, but the argument that they were made from photographs is just another conspiracy theory... I'm certainly listening ... and couldn't agree more. The entire search for Erdnase has historically been burdened by these detours and conspiracy theories. If it's no...

Roger M.

Circling back to the New England Magic Collector's meeting question asked a month ago. Can anybody report back on how Chris Wasshuber's Erdnase presentation went? He indicated in his newsletter a couple of months ago that, depending on how the presentation went at the NEMC meeting, it might be the l...

Roger M.

Bob Farmer wrote:...Who made the filing and when was that done? If it was Erdnase, his signature would be on the paperwork. ...

I believe that paperwork has been searched for by multiple parties over the years, to no avail.

Roger M.

I think that kind of misses the point Ted. The guy lied outright. That's all that matters. That it's vertical subject matter being shared in a very low volume and expensive book doesn't change the fact that a series of lies were told about the book and its author. I don't think Culliton published Ho...

Roger M.

Steve, I misunderstood your post then. Apologies.

Roger M.

Leo Garet wrote:
Don’t know about “better,” but it’s a thought. And here’s another…How do you, suggest such a thread be policed?
Not being contentious, merely wondering.

II think if folks stay on-topic, the threads are pretty much self policing?

Roger M.

Always good to get alternative views Steve. I guess it could be fairly stated that none of the Ace stunts have anything to do with gambling either ... but it's so obvious, why bother? You seem to want to pick apart my post, a back and forth that I'm not interested in participating in. The comment I ...

Roger M.

Indeed, I have read the book. The contents are not unknown to me. Pseudo gambling stunts as per Fortes book are (IMO) not magical gambling tricks by definition or description. Of course the freedom to equate pseudo gambling stunts (as per Forte's book) to magical gambling tricks remains the individu...

Roger M.

I need to read through the Erdnase chapter one more time in order to comment in detail, but my initial impression on first read through doesn't render an opinion as to whether I agree with SF's final analysis or not, rather I would say that the high quality research on the content of EATCT that Fort...

Roger M.

What on earth does any of this have to do with Steve Forte's book? Or is it just freestyle on in any convenient thread about any topic that happens to come to mind? SF's book very specifically has nothing at all to do with magical gambling tricks. Why don't we reserve this thread for folks who own, ...

Roger M.

I'm with Brad and Alfred. I would posit that with two giant volumes of material, and with each book weighing almost too much to read it in bed ... taking the time, and offering the detail required to speak specifically about a sleight that Forte addresses won't (and can't) ever begin to approach &qu...

Roger M.

I agree with Bob, in that comparing "Cardiste" to "Cardman" (or "Cardwoman") simply because they utilize the same tool (playing cards) is like comparing the Olympic target shooter who has never killed an animal in their life, to a trophy hunter who shoots lions and elep...

Roger M.

I'm not finished the Erdnase section yet, but it's probably worth noting that if anything, detailed analysis as SF offered in the book only sharpens the interest in the search for Erdnase. Forte has, for the first time, offered more than the typical throw away statements "I think he was a magic...

Roger M.

Geez ... perhaps we could give those who are still waiting for their books in other countries a bit more time in order not to completely spoil their reading of the Erdnase chapter(s)? I'd like to continue to visit this thread as I've done for years now, but not at the expense of having my much antic...

Roger M.

Thanks Richard. I can't believe I got sucked into a back and forth with him (again).

Roger M.

....It is clear what you are really saying is that you don't like the idea of anybody but your candidate being Erdnase. I don't have a candidate, and as a result you don't have a point. You have closed mind. You are sure you are right, and you will hear no opposing evidence. Far too personal an ana...

Roger M.

Painfully obvious that you haven't done your research Pavel, you're just throwing crap at the wall. Yes, they met in a hotel - not an office. Is it just "good to know" that fact, or is it actually critical to know before you toss out some ridiculous, uninformed leading question about why E...

Roger M.

Ummm, they weren't in the office building Pavel, they met in a hotel room. You might want to buff up on the basic research before making any premature statements about what did or didn't happen. You know ... facts. Anyway, conjecture doesn't work quite like you think it does. There are 327 million p...

Roger M.

His (Gallaway's) relevance is: 1) He was there (at McKinney) confirmed, but so were lots of other people 2) Benedict was there (at McKinney) not entirely accurate, bordering on convenient wordplay ... Benedict was a customer at McKinney, and may never have met anybody but the secretary at the front...

Roger M.

What are the main points for Benedict connecting him with Erdnase? He's Peter Zenner's candidate, and Peter has done a quality job of presenting his candidacy. Look over "Zenner's" past posts, he lays out the case very clearly: https://forums.geniimagazine.com/search.php?author_id=3311&am...

Roger M.

Oh Pavel ... stick with the subject matter and avoid getting personal.

Gallaway is irrelevant - now rather than resort to personal insults, make a cohesive case demonstrating that he’s not irrelevant.
That’s how forums work.

Roger M.

Gallaway is irrelevant.

Roger M.

Benedict is a legitimate candidate.

Gallaway is a ridiculous distraction best left alone back on Chris’s blog.

Roger M.

There are many reasons to buy Steve Forte's book, including what will probably be the most insightful analysis of the contents of the book ever put on paper. But Steve writes nothing about which candidate he thinks it might be, nor does he introduce a new candidate. Steve's book is about other thin...

Roger M.

Whew! I have just been doing some catching up on the Forum. I am just as eager as anybody to see what Messrs Forte and Karr have to say but I am not spending that kind of money on a whim. I still feel sure that Edward Douglas Benedict was "Erdnase" and will be very surprised if he turns o...

Roger M.

So you're taking the " we needed the money" literally then? So you're taking M.D. Smith's memories literally then? ;) I do see your "wink" .. but I'll just state not "literally" so much as I am considering his memories "priority evidence" - that is to say evi...

Roger M.

Knowing something of human psychology, I would infer that your spiteful response to this alternate theory is based on the frustration of seeing your own elaborate narrative over-shadowed by simpler and more reasonable one. You can read back through my posts in this thread Pavel, and you'd quickly d...

Roger M.

1) Gallaway worked for printer that printed book. So did a bunch of other people. Many, indeed most people working for a printer are not authors. The suggestion that Gallaway is an author because he worked for the printer is completely fabricated. Demonstrate Gallaway was the owner of the original ...

Roger M.

PavelTheGreat wrote:
Roger M. wrote:
PavelTheGreat wrote:4) Meaning of word is uncertain, but could very well be nick-name for printer with ink-stain on nose.

There are no words.

Roger M.

Only if we discount Gallaway, and prefer someone like Sanders, does this become a remote possibility. Well it's definitely a possibility then, as Gallaway has about as much chance of being Erdnase and writing EATCT as Charlie Chaplin does. Gallaway is not just a weak candidate, arriving at his name...

Roger M.

So you're taking the "we needed the money" literally then?

Roger M.

It has become well known that the least reliable type of evidence is eye-witness testimony. No argument from me, although that statistic applies to a court of law rather than a magician/mathematician asking a fine artist a question about somebody he may have done some drawings for (thus your use of...

Roger M.

Expertise in the subject area of "human memory" could be a very important part of this discussion, especially if we were going to challenge (or elevate for that matter) the memories of those who are confirmed to be associated with the creation and publication of EATCT. I certainly don't ha...

Roger M.

No, he didn't fit Smith's physical description, or even come close. Smith notes Erdnase as "blondish" , and "not having dark hair or eyes" ... Roterberg has dark hair and a huge dark moustache. Smith also recalls that Erdnase "spoke in good english" , Smith also noted ...

Roger M.

No, he didn't fit Smith's physical description, or even come close. Smith notes Erdnase as "blondish" , and "not having dark hair or eyes" ... Roterberg has dark hair and a huge dark moustache. Smith also recalls that Erdnase "spoke in good english" , Smith also noted t...

Roger M.

Richard Kaufman wrote:Well, Roterberg was German, so there's your "earth nose."

That’s it?
May as well say it’s Kirk Douglas ... if he could be Spartacus he could also be Erdnase.

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