Al Mann's Glass Box

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Philippe Billot
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Al Mann's Glass Box

Postby Philippe Billot » November 28th, 2021, 7:26 am

Is there an exegete of Al Mann who can give me the publication date of his booklet The Glass Box?

Thank in advance.

Jon Elion
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Re: Al Mann's Glass Box

Postby Jon Elion » November 28th, 2021, 4:44 pm

The copy of the Al Mann manuscript that I have is not dated. The intro says "What follows here is only one of many ideas discussed with Richard Himber in the early 1959 after his release of the Diamond Prediction Chest" in case that is helpful at all.

Philippe Billot
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Re: Al Mann's Glass Box

Postby Philippe Billot » November 28th, 2021, 5:05 pm

Thank you Jon,

I have the booklet and I know that Al Mann began in 1976 to write his numerous manuscripts and when he published his Index X in 1984, there is no mention of The Glass Box.

A priori, he wrote it after 1984 but when... This is ZE question...

Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Al Mann's Glass Box

Postby Jonathan Townsend » November 28th, 2021, 9:03 pm

Look for an item using a glass jar published in 1982
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

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Brad Jeffers
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Re: Al Mann's Glass Box

Postby Brad Jeffers » November 28th, 2021, 9:50 pm

My guess is that it was around November 1986.

I make this guess based on this line from page one of the instructions ...

The two pink billets contain the same message, for example:
"This is to certify that this box was locked and sealed on the 3rd day of November, 1986 and was given for safe keeping to Mr. Smith, committee chairman for safe keeping."

If I were writing such instructions, I think I would most likely use the current year, rather than some random year from the past or future.

Philippe Billot
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Re: Al Mann's Glass Box

Postby Philippe Billot » November 29th, 2021, 3:48 am

Very good Brad. I haven't thought of this possibility.

Thank you very much.

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Spellbinder
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Re: Al Mann's Glass Box

Postby Spellbinder » November 29th, 2021, 10:07 am

Just for your information, Jim Gerrish made a variation of the Glass Box Prediction and it is published in The Wizards' Journal #44
https://www.magicnook.com/WizJ44/wizj44-06-GlassBoxRevisited.htm. It uses five different color notepad papers to increase the number of predictions made to include the roll of a die, the spin of a color wheel, the serial number on a borrowed dollar bill, a card selected from a well-shuffled deck, and the headline taken by use of a spectator's phone of some current event. He also uses cheap folding clear plastic boxes that can be given away as a souvenir and completely sealed with clear transparent tape when brought to the performance by the "chairman" or whomever.

Regarding the date written, Al Mann wrote at the top: "What follows here is only one of many ideas discussed with Richard
Himber in early 1959, after his release of the Diamond Prediction Chest" as previously noted by Jon Elion above. That led Jim to believe that the Glass Box publication was later in 1959 or the early 1960s.
Phineas Spellbinder
The Magic Nook

Philippe Billot
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Re: Al Mann's Glass Box

Postby Philippe Billot » November 30th, 2021, 4:15 pm

Thank for all these informations.


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