Karl Fulves Magazines

Talk about what is being written in other magic publications.
Roger M.
Posts: 1598
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm

Re: Karl Fulves Magazines

Postby Roger M. » June 25th, 2009, 1:53 pm

I honestly don't think Karl Fulves even worries about how accessible his books are.
In his own terms, he writes them and makes them available to those who fulfill his ordering terms, and at that point I postulate that he considers his work done.....and he's ready to move on to the next project.

If, as Richard K. states above, Karl simply wants to be known and remembered for his work, in his own mind it just may not be at all complex......for Karl, it is what it is.

Regardless, his material is so profoundly excellent, and his writing so clearly put to the page, eager readers will jump through hoops to access it.

Sebastien L.
Posts: 114
Joined: March 30th, 2008, 5:36 pm
Location: Canada

Re: Karl Fulves Magazines

Postby Sebastien L. » June 25th, 2009, 1:55 pm

Bob Farmer wrote:In his own way, Fulves has damned the internet and all the scamsters, pirates and thieves who roam there and all those overpriced, dumb one-trick DVDs and self-published books by people who've been in magic for two weeks.


Makes me feel warm inside to think this is how I am thought of.

I'm sure that by not shipping outside of the USA Mr. Fulves is ensuring that none of his materials will ever be shared, after all we know how no true American would ever match your description.

User avatar
Mike P
Posts: 39
Joined: April 28th, 2009, 3:10 pm
Location: Ohio
Contact:

Re: Karl Fulves Magazines

Postby Mike P » June 25th, 2009, 1:56 pm

They used to be.

Value for anything is in the eye of the beholder. There is alot of junk out there and some real gems.
I feel the Fulves material is part of the gems.
If you want it you will get. I waited for many years to get some of the material I have...it was well worth the wait and the price.
Mike

the Larry
Posts: 200
Joined: December 28th, 2008, 7:43 am

Re: Karl Fulves Magazines

Postby the Larry » June 25th, 2009, 2:00 pm

Bob Farmer wrote:In his own way, Fulves has damned the internet and all the scamsters, pirates and thieves who roam there and all those overpriced, dumb one-trick DVDs and self-published books by people who've been in magic for two weeks.


That is one way of seeing it. The other of course is that piracy is increased and you can find quite a good amount of Fulves material on torrents and peer-to-peer websites. I guess damning doesn't work quite that well. It rather fuels those who should be damned.

Joe Mckay
Posts: 2026
Joined: April 13th, 2008, 6:56 am
Favorite Magician: Lubor Fiedler
Location: Durham, England

Re: Karl Fulves Magazines

Postby Joe Mckay » June 25th, 2009, 2:04 pm

It is really sad that the two best outlets for card magic these days are the most hard to get hold of. Karl Fulve's stuff (difficult to get hold of) and Jerry Sadowitz's THE CRIMP (impossible to get hold of)...

Joe

Sebastien L.
Posts: 114
Joined: March 30th, 2008, 5:36 pm
Location: Canada

Re: Karl Fulves Magazines

Postby Sebastien L. » June 25th, 2009, 2:21 pm

Mr. Fulves does what he does for his own reasons. I can deal with that. It just seems that refusing to sell outside the USA would be an inefficient way to prevent "unworthy" magicians from getting their hands on his publications.

At any rate, I can only deplore the situation, as I'm sure the principal concerned has already thought this through, and I simply don't figure in any of his considerations. I'm also equally sure that others, such as Bob Farmer, believe this is for the best. Whether I agree with them or not is completely immaterial (at least in their view).

Roger M.
Posts: 1598
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm

Re: Karl Fulves Magazines

Postby Roger M. » June 25th, 2009, 2:24 pm

Sadowitz and Fulves seem not to be directly concerned about servicing their potential readership.

They don't appear to write and publish in order to sell the maximum number of books and magazines.......they do both appear to write and publish more for the record rather than to maximize sales.

The upside is that the most desirable material from both remains off the radar because most who want it now can't get it now.

Sebastien L.
Posts: 114
Joined: March 30th, 2008, 5:36 pm
Location: Canada

Re: Karl Fulves Magazines

Postby Sebastien L. » June 25th, 2009, 2:48 pm

Your last sentence is pretty funny to me. Considering everything that gets discovered in, say, Marlo's widely available works, or in a myriad of other publications, I don't think limiting the publication of a few booklets is what's going to keep the contents off the radar.

Heck, the owners of my local magic shop had never heard of the Expert at the Card Table. So anyone who makes the argument that what Fulves and Sadowitz are doing is keeping the good stuff out of unworthy hands (read: the hands other than their own) always sounds a bit out of touch to me. Kids these days wouldn't go out and buy Fulves' books even if they were widely available, they much prefer the one trick DVDs. Even if they did buy the books I wouldn't expect much to come of it.

Joe Mckay
Posts: 2026
Joined: April 13th, 2008, 6:56 am
Favorite Magician: Lubor Fiedler
Location: Durham, England

Re: Karl Fulves Magazines

Postby Joe Mckay » June 25th, 2009, 3:00 pm

My take is this. The number of people in the world with an interest in magic is small. The number of those people who go on to study the field and perhpas call themselves a magician is smaller still. The number of magicians who are card-guys is quite small. The number of card-guys who are serious is small. The number of serious card-guys who are big fans of Fulves and Sadowitz is smaller still (most card guys seem to to enthuse over Jennings, Hamman, Cervon, Dingle, Marlo and Vernon. Personally I would put Sadowitz and Fulves along with Walton, Kane and Elmsley in a league above). So - the numbers we are dealing with are very small. And when you compare that to the utter joy it gives to those card guys to be able to access this work it seems a pretty fair compromise to just make it easy to sell for those who want it. I mean I think ultimately card tricks aren't important enough to hide from others as if they were the blueprints for a nuclear bomb. So - why not spread them around? So that the joy of these ideas can be shared. I love card tricks as much as the next card-guy but I still take the whole field with a pinch of salt. We ain't exactly saving lives here...

Joe

Joe Mckay
Posts: 2026
Joined: April 13th, 2008, 6:56 am
Favorite Magician: Lubor Fiedler
Location: Durham, England

Re: Karl Fulves Magazines

Postby Joe Mckay » June 25th, 2009, 3:06 pm

One last thing - it is frustrating for alot of people that they are prepared to pay massivley over the odds to get hold of some of this stuff. The sad thing is that the opportunity to do so only pops up on Ebay once every 3 or 4 months...

Joe

Roger M.
Posts: 1598
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm

Re: Karl Fulves Magazines

Postby Roger M. » June 25th, 2009, 3:52 pm

I think you're giving Karl too much credit if you presume he withholds his books from easy access on purpose or with any real intent put into making them difficult to access.

Equally, he doesn't intentionally withhold from Canadians or any other nationality, he doesn't mail internationally because he doesn't want to (it may simply be too much of a hassle for him).

He does what he likes because he can, and always has.

It's no more complex than that, and I doubt he even thinks about it.

My own goal though, as it was originally, is to get my hands on the Fulves books I want to read. Like many others, I'll pursue that however I have to pursue it.

Sebastien L.
Posts: 114
Joined: March 30th, 2008, 5:36 pm
Location: Canada

Re: Karl Fulves Magazines

Postby Sebastien L. » June 25th, 2009, 3:59 pm

Oh, I have no doubt Karl has his reasons, and I do not assume or infer anything. I am mostly replying to those advancing the argument that his limitations make for better magic and better magicians.

Bob Farmer
Posts: 3308
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Short card above selection.

Re: Karl Fulves Magazines

Postby Bob Farmer » June 25th, 2009, 4:09 pm

Sebastien -- I wasn't accusing you of being a scamster, thief, etc. or was I saying that just because someone wants the Fulves stuff they are a scamster, thief, etc. I was simply lamenting the wide availability of magic secrets due in no small way to the aforementioned scamsters, thieves, etc.

Joe Mckay
Posts: 2026
Joined: April 13th, 2008, 6:56 am
Favorite Magician: Lubor Fiedler
Location: Durham, England

Re: Karl Fulves Magazines

Postby Joe Mckay » June 25th, 2009, 4:10 pm

For what its worth I think the over-flow of magic information is a good thing. Some of the ideas that people come up with these days are light-years ahead of what was going on 30/40 years ago. A quick example - check out the multiple card control using the Pulp Friction principle in GENII magazine last month (by Scott Robinson)... I remember Jerry Andrus used to say that the young magicians of today would fool the pants off of the greats of years gone by. Also - the skill level of some of today's youngsters is incredible (check out Youtube). It may not be to your taste (I don't like showing off skill either), but you can't deny the amount of dedication and practice it requires. For instance, remember when only certain people could do the Cascade Control by Charlie Miller? It was a difficult move that only a few could master. Well, I have seen 14 year old kids doing it perfectly on the internet... Pretty incredible. Look at Dan And Dave Buck - their skill levels are frightening. I could practice till I was a thousand years old and I wouldn't be as skillful as those guys...

Joe

Jeff Pierce Magic
Posts: 670
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Orlando, FL
Contact:

Re: Karl Fulves Magazines

Postby Jeff Pierce Magic » September 6th, 2011, 9:12 am

As of last month Mr. Fulves is no longer taking subscriptions to Prolix.

Jeff


Return to “Other Magic Publications”