The International Man of Mystery continues to make headlines - now in the NY Times!
https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trend ... d-magazine
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/23/styl ... trick.html
The Mystery of Magic’s Greatest Card Trick
At 94, the magician David Berglas says his renowned effect can’t be taught. Is he telling the truth?
LONDON — In the late 1940s, the British magician David Berglas started refining a trick that came to be known as “the holy grail of card magic.” To this day, nobody is certain how he did it.
Decades into his retirement, he has revealed just about every secret in his long and storied career. This includes the time, in 1954, that he made a grand piano vanish in a London hotel banquet room filled with guests. (Distracted, the audience turned their focus in time to see a pianist, who seemed to be playing the instrument a moment earlier, fall facedown to the floor). But even now, when the subject of Mr. Berglas’s famous effect is raised, he remains as cryptic as ever.
“It’s not a secret I can give to anyone because it’s not a secret as such,” said Mr. Berglas, a formal and intense 94-year-old, at his home in North London. “It’s like asking a musician who can improvise to teach you his improvisation, which of course he can’t.”
Berglas continues to make headlines - NY Times
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Re: Berglas continues to make headlines - NY Times
Just finished reading this on my phone. Interesting article. It also mentions Kaufman's book on Berglas.
Roberto
Roberto
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Re: Berglas continues to make headlines - NY Times
The writer is under the odd impression that "The Berglas Effect" has never been explained and is not explained in my book. There are 75 pages devoted to it.
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Re: Berglas continues to make headlines - NY Times
Perhaps David never revealed the true secret in his book - it was all subterfuge 

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Re: Berglas continues to make headlines - NY Times
Perhaps you've never read the book.
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Re: Berglas continues to make headlines - NY Times
Pride of my place on my shelf
“Is this the real life, is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide no escape from reality“
“Is this the real life, is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide no escape from reality“
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Re: Berglas continues to make headlines - NY Times
Berglas is also featured in Malte Herwig's controversial new book on Kalanag (excerpted for the Genii Cover story). His uncle Alexander Berglas was a member of the German Magic Circle before Jews were excluded from membership in 1936 and David Berglas was hired by Schreiber in late 1960 for a German television show debunking paranormal claims. Herwig gives a description of the Berglas effect as he experienced it at Berglas' home.
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Re: Berglas continues to make headlines - NY Times
David's website is a treasure trove of magic history for those who have not visited - https://www.davidberglas.com/
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Re: Berglas continues to make headlines - NY Times
Richard Kaufman wrote:The writer is under the odd impression that "The Berglas Effect" has never been explained and is not explained in my book. There are 75 pages devoted to it.
That was strange.
And not known for sleight of hand?!!
But it was nice to see the article anyway. I am trying to understand what the hook was for printing it now.
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All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity.
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Re: Berglas continues to make headlines - NY Times
David is not known for sleight of hand WITH CARDS. But he certainly has done plenty of other sleight of hand material.
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Re: RE: Re: Berglas continues to make headlines - NY Times
https://kottke.org/21/05/the-worlds-greatest-card-trick-cant-be-taughtRichard Kaufman wrote:The writer is under the odd impression that "The Berglas Effect" has never been explained and is not explained in my book. There are 75 pages devoted to it.
And now your comment is in an article as well

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Re: RE: Re: Berglas continues to make headlines - NY Times
MarcoTX wrote:https://kottke.org/21/05/the-worlds-greatest-card-trick-cant-be-taughtRichard Kaufman wrote:The writer is under the odd impression that "The Berglas Effect" has never been explained and is not explained in my book. There are 75 pages devoted to it.
And now your comment is in an article as well![]()
Kottke thanks some guy named "bill", who apparently gave him the updated information. Wonder who that could be? <G>
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Re: Berglas continues to make headlines - NY Times
Thanks for a fun read...
My favorite line in the article: "A Buddha-like maestro in Spain, Dani DaOrtiz, knows about 60 [ACAAN Variants]."
My favorite line in the article: "A Buddha-like maestro in Spain, Dani DaOrtiz, knows about 60 [ACAAN Variants]."
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Re: Berglas continues to make headlines - NY Times
If you've already read your free quota of NYT articles, try here.