Rara Avis by Jack Avis

Rara Avis by Jack Avis
Sixty Years of Magic from the Private Notebooks of Jack Avis!
After Jack's death in 2004, 28 notebooks were discovered among his vast collection of manuscripts, books and other publications that contained his collected thoughts over the past half century. Some original, some of his own handlings of effects of his friends, some sleights, some tips and ideas but all bearing the stamp that earned him a world reputation for simple, baffling, natural magic. This important volume contains much of Jack's original thinking and ideas as well as rare photographs and notes from throughout his sixty years in magic. If you are a serious card person, close-up worker, historian or a magic enthusiast you will want to own this valuable record of the work of a man who devoted every moment of his spare time to the pursuit of magic - and particular card magic - at its highest level and is honored wherever a deck of cards is shuffled.

1st edition 2006 by The Cairn Press; digital edition 2011; original 220 pages; PDF 229 pages.

Table of Contents

Preface
Jack Avis by John Derris
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Chapter One Effects with Cards

Ace Routine Handling
Jack Avis Notes on All Red
Another Call—from Another Place
Random Notes by Jack Avis
Blind Choice
A Bridge Hand
Calculating Cards
The Card Between
Cards to Blanks with Signatures
Tip for Use with a Stacked Deck
A Change of Identity (Identity Crisis)
Coincidence—Again
Thoughts on Vernon's Handling of the Ten Card Trick
Colour Match
A Contrived Location
Court Card Spell
A Little Extra with the Multi—Spell
Diamond Cut Diamond—Variation
A Variation on the Diary Trick
Divination of Thought
A Dotty Location
Double Cross (Cut) Count Down
Double Cross Transpo
Turn and Take Bottom—a use for this
Envelope Prediction
Double Side Deal
Exchanged
Fake Memory Routine—Avis Handling
A Few Steps Further On
Flight Fantastique
Folded Card in Box (Kaps)—An Idea
Follow the Leader
Siva Follows his Leader
Follow the Leader—Again!
The French Reverse
The Fulves Problem
Jack Avis Ideas
Imp Bottle Idea
Hidden Power
The Hot Hand Test
The Houdini Card
Houdini's Unfinished Trick
An Inside Straight
Isaac's Law
The Magic of Jack and Jill
The Jumping Aces
The Jumping Thought
I Knew that Hacker
Lie or Tell the Truth
Routine to Locate the Aces
Locate Four—Locate the One
Tell Me a Lie—Truth will Out
Magic Bullet Effect
"Throw—In" Presentation
The Magic Card
Mental Control—Avis Routine
5x5 Mental Routine, A Handling
M. S. Poker Deal
Mechanical Second Elevator Aces
A Multiple Matching
The Mystery of X (Ten)
The Not So Friendly Giant
Oil and Water Again—Agai—Aga—Ag—A
An Oil and Water Move
Outside In
Perverse Card to Wallet Routine
Tips
The Old Q Card Trick
The "Professional" Cuts the Aces
Right Card—Wrong Colour
Avis Handling for Jennings' "Royal Triumph"
Seven and Eleven Transpo
Shuffled Deck Poker Deal
Poker Demonstration
Simultwins
Siva's Aces
The Avis Multiple Glide
"Skullo" Handling
Table Reverse Location
The Tabled Reverse—Again
Thought Card Transposition
Tunnel Change
2-4-6-8-Find
Undercover Assembly
Who Wants Another Collectors?
No Fake Card in Balloon
Will the Cards Match? Variation
Meeting Jack Birnman
Chapter Two Card Sleights, Subtleties and Other Artifices

An Idea for Adding a Card to the Top of the Deck
Notes on the Bizarre Twist
A One Hand Twist
The Diagonal Twist
To Control a Card to a Known Position
Centre Packet Switch
Centre Double Lift Variation
A Control
Ideas with a "Cutaway Deck"
Demo Deal
Double Flip Change
A Move with the Double Undercut
The Finger Clip Cull
Flip—Up Put Back Count A Utility Move
A Discourse on a Force Procedure
A Routine using the Avis Double Knife Force
Thoughts on my Hindu Force Variation
Ideas for Forcing
A Method for the Cut and Stop Force
Another Force
The Magician Magazine
Illogical False Cut a la Vernon
Use of Key Card with Dribble Selection
A False Cut
Lace Through False Shuffle and Cut
Left Side Double Deal
Avis Handling for the Leipzig Pass
Technique for a Multiple Slip Cut
Some Thoughts on Old Card Routines
A Little Extra with the Multi—Spelling
A Placement Idea with the Master Move
Plot Idea for a Card Trick
Patter Lines
A Presentation
Spectator learns a Trick
A Punch Deal that Isn't
Double Location
Riffle Shuffle Control
Siva's Switch
A Stack
A Switch Move
The Weave and Waterfall Bottom Palm
Table Edge Palm
Zarrow Shuffle Thoughts
A Zarrow Shuffle Setting—up Technique
A Zarrow Shuffle Tip
Historical Items and Magical Facts
Chapter Three Effects without Cards

Count Dracula
The Last Straw
The Magnetic Straw
Message from Hades
Name that Tune
The Ghost Pen
A Tale of Two Slates
Scarab without a Brainwave
My List of Best Trouble-Free 'Workers'
Migratory Coins the "All Fair" Way
Four Coins under Cards—Opening Steal
No Pockets Stand—Up Routine for Silver—Copper—Brass Transpo
Coin Box Idea
Triple Coin Penetration
Strip of Paper Torn in Half
Three Pellet Routine
Three Shell Game
Finger Ring Release (Harvey Rosenthal)
Ribbon and Ring — Avis Notes
Torn and Restored Banknote
Mike Skinner Lecture

word count: 48532 which is equivalent to 194 standard pages of text