Dai Vernon's Ultimate Secrets of Card Magic

Dai Vernon's Ultimate Secrets of Card Magic

This is the fourth and final book in Vernon's famous Inner Secrets of Card Magic series.

Ultimate Secrets of Card Magic is also the largest of the four with 242 pages (3 times more than each of the other books), and many more sleights and routines. We also get the pleasure of three treatises put together by Dai himself: Vernon on the Pass, Vernon on Table Passes, and After Peeking. Other highlights from the book, pieced together by Ganson, are things like the incredible Slow Motion Card Vanish, the often imitated Matched Spellout, Running the Scale, Pre Mathematics, Small Packet Glide, Cold Deck, and work on the Bottom Deal.

One thing that sets this volume apart from the others is the amount of additional effects contributed by other magicians. We see works from Bruce Cervon, Charlie Miller, Fred Caps, Ross Bertram, Larry Jennings, Alex Elmsley, Roy Walton and several others! One might consider this book to be akin to Stars of Magic given the number of stars and exceptionally good material included within.

And please do not forget -- remember, do not forget -- sleights and methods are merely the tools. What you do with them is up to you.
Dai Vernon - Inner Secrets of Card Magic

Where to buy?

You should be able to find Dai Vernon's Ultimate Secrets of Card Magic at Amazon.

Buy at Amazon

This page may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.

Contents of Dai Vernon's Ultimate Secrets of Card Magic

Chapter 1. Starting Right

SECTION ONE - CARD EFFECTS

Chapter 2. Matched Spellout

Chapter 3. The Perfect Circle of Cards

Chapter 4. Secrets

Chapter 5. Do As I Do

Chapter 6. Black and Red Puzzle

Chapter 7. Mental Spell

Chapter 8. Ten Gives Three

Chapter 9. The Magic of Larry Jennings

  • Tell-Tale Aces

Chapter 10. Larreverse

Chapter 11. Gambler's Triumph

Chapter 12. The Changing of the Guard

Chapter 13. Monarchs' Quartette

Chapter 14. Les Cartes Diaconis

Chapter 15. Running the Scale

Chapter 16. Pure Mathematics

Chapter 17. Slow Motion Card Vanish

SECTION TWO - CARD SLEIGHTS AND MOVES

Chapter 18. Vernon on the Pass

  • Standard Pass
  • The Black Pass
  • Location Pass
  • Sprong's Pass
  • Fan Pass Transformation

Chapter 19. Vernon on Table Passes

  • First Method
  • Second Method
  • Mexican Joe's Table Pass
  • Charlie Miller's Table Pass

Chapter 20. After Peeking

  • Pressure Fan
  • Spread Location
  • Shuffle to Top
  • Double Peep Control
  • Three Break Control
  • Multiple Peek Control
  • Transferring the Break
  • Spectator Finds His Own Card
  • Adaption of Greek Break

Chapter 21. One Handed Shuffles

  • Benzon's Shuffle
  • Vernon's Shuffle

Chapter 22. Card Placement

  • Vernon's Placement
  • John McCormick's Penetration

Chapter 23. Handling a Short Card

  • Locating a Short Card
  • The Corner Short
  • Vernon's Method of Handling

Chapter 24. Magic Castle Moves

  • All Around Square Up
  • Jenning's Top Palm
  • Key Card Placement
  • Small Packet Glide
  • Rooklyn Top Palm

Chapter 25. More Useful Sleights & Moves

  • Single Shuffle Control
  • Spreading Six Cards as Five
  • Key Card Location
  • Cold Deck Cut

Chapter 26. Two Sleights by Dr. Elliot

  • Bottom Deal
  • Favourite Break Control

SECTION THREE - FRIENDS OF DAI VERNON

Chapter 27. Magic From Britain

Chapter 28. Magic from Canada

  • Pivot Change by Ross Bertram
  • Bottom Steal & Recovery by Ross Bertram

Chapter 29. Magic from Holland

Chapter 30. Magic from Ireland

  • Vernons Variant by Dai Vernon
  • Emerald Isle Aces by Vernon, Ross, and Lambert
  • Swivelleroo by Hubert Lambert

Chapter 31. Magic from U.S.A.

This book is written by Lewis Ganson, featuring the work of Dai Vernon. Mine is a hardcover copy published in 1967 by Harry Stanley, also printed in 1967 (1st edition) with a total of 242 pages. Photographs by Steve Young and Lewis Ganson. Line Drawings by Dennis Patten. Like the other Inner Secrets books, this one was later re-published by The Supreme Magic Company (1978), and then L&L Publishing (1995). My copy does not have a dust jacket, though I've seen photos of others with one (it's not the prettiest of dust jackets, so I'm not upset =P).