Dai Vernon: The Spirit of Magic
A special publication on legendary master, Dai Vernon. This booklet was created for David Ben’s FISM 2022 historical talk on what made Vernon so special.
This richly illustrated, softcover booklet is all things Vernon, and it looks specifically at Vernon’s legacy of influence on the world of magic.
In four essays, David Ben describes why Dai Vernon is the most influential magician, ever. David goes on to distinguish influence from fame, and also maps out magic star connections that make up the “Constellations of Magic” clustered around the mega star, Vernon.
What would Vernon talk about in these lectures? Drawing from his personal collection of notes and ephemera, David Ben shares the historical trail of Vernon’s famous lecture tours, and frames the second half of the booklet.
In addition to the discussion essays, there is hands-on magic, too. In fact, from Vernon himself, in the form of his Illustrated Resumé (Lecture Notes) from 1947.
Find out what it was like to be in the room with Vernon as he lectured in 1947, 1952 and 1976 from the incredibly detailed notations taken from the notebooks of three attendees who sat in those very lectures: Ernest Shattock who attended the lecture in Boston in 1947; P. Howard Lyons in Toronto in 1952; and Dr. Gene Matsuura in Sacramento in 1976. Discover the big and small changes that are made over the decades—and you may be surprised by nuances revealed in the notes, too.
This booklet was produced as part of a special presentation by David Ben at FISM 2022 in Quebec.
Price
$45 plus shipping and handling.
Perfect bound (softcover) booklet: 5.5 x 8.5” (14 x 21.5 cm), 120 pages, 0.5 lbs (0.24 kg). Includes three-page pull-out map; richly and heavily illustrated with both ephemera and illustrations.
Published by Magicana. Essays by David Ben. Lecture notes by Dai Vernon. Notes by Ernest Shattock, P. Howard Lyons and Dr. Gene Matsuura.