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martydoesmagic Inner circle Essex, UK 1704 Posts 
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So, the Exploring Erdnase Book Club started yesterday. Here's the first post:
Exploring Erdnase: The Bible of Card Magic In this first post, I discuss the book's cover, its title page and the curious triple copyright notice. If you want to take full advantage of the club, I've created a Google Classroom to give the project some structure and provide a place to discuss the book (although you're obviously welcome to do that here as well). I'm not sure how well this will work, but I'm committed to giving it a go for this year's book club. Marty |
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Ray J Inner circle St. Louis, MO 1503 Posts
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Kudos Marty! You are certainly off to a good start. Now, I hope you maintain your interest and the energy required to keep it up! Hopefully you will attract many followers, ones who will contribute, and maintain civility.
It is easy for folks to go a bit overboard in both praise and criticism of the book. The Genii Forum thread is an example of mostly positive commentary but there has been drama as well. Here's to hoping that doesn't happen and taint your project. Wishing you great success! Ray
It's never crowded on the extra mile....
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martydoesmagic Inner circle Essex, UK 1704 Posts
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Hi Ray,
Thanks. I'm determined to see the project through until the bitter end this time around! I'm confident enough in the inherent value of the book that any negativity won't put me off. Dai Vernon was full of praise for The Expert at the Card Table, which is good enough for me. But I agree that the book does appear to polarise opinions. Most people I've spoken to who do not rate the book have never bothered to study the material in it. Marty |
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martydoesmagic Inner circle Essex, UK 1704 Posts
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Quick update: I've decided to abandon my use of Google Classroom and use Substack to provide weekly updates to book club members. You can subscribe using the link below:
Subscribe to Exploring Erdnase My original intention was to create an online course on the book, but I didn't have the time to complete the needed content. This is why I created the Google Classroom. Using it now that the course is a club makes little sense. Marty |
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critter Inner circle Spokane, WA 2653 Posts
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This is all very interesting and I will follow it.
I disagree with the idea that Erdnase is not for beginners. I think it provides an outstanding overview AS A SYSTEM. I think if someone really learned Erdnase, his whole system, and THEN put their own refinements/personality on individual aspects as needed then they'd be doing very well. This project seems a fantastic way to do the first part.
"The fool is one who doesn't know what you have just found out."
~Will Rogers |
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martydoesmagic Inner circle Essex, UK 1704 Posts
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Thanks, critter. I also think a well-motivated beginner would benefit from studying Erdnase. That was one of the reasons for starting this thread and the more recent book club. The explanations are very clear for the most part, but you have to read them several times before you understand the mechanics of the move. I think the archaic language puts a lot of beginners off, which is a shame.
By the way, the next blog post on the book's famous preface is now available: Read Exploring Erdnase: Show Me the Money Marty P.S. If you'd like to receive email updates, please subscribe to the Exploring Erdnase Book Club on Substack. |
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critter Inner circle Spokane, WA 2653 Posts
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I can relate on some level with the dyslexia. I have a transient (comes and goes) language processing disorder and a learning disability. I usually have to re-read things several times to process them. But I love to read and always have so I put the work in.
"The fool is one who doesn't know what you have just found out."
~Will Rogers |
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WalterPlinge Veteran user 357 Posts
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Just a thought.
Maybe I'm getting old (actually, I am), but the following words, to me, don't seem archaic: Pretensions Piety Guile Artifice Post-graduate Vocation Suckers The others you list certainly are, though. Gotta go now. I need to crank up my Model-T and drive to the general store to buy some dry goods. |
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martydoesmagic Inner circle Essex, UK 1704 Posts
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Quote:
On Jan 9, 2023, WalterPlinge wrote: LOL. Very droll, my good man! 
You're right. They're not all old-fashioned. However, I provided a longer list of definitions for the benefit of younger readers, who might not know what they mean. Words like "mealymouthed" and "tyro" are more obscure; those were the ones I was thinking about when I used the word archaic (ironically, an old-fashioned word itself). Thanks for reading the article. I appreciate it. Marty |
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WalterPlinge Veteran user 357 Posts
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No problem.
:) I bought the book almost 10 years ago -- the latest Dover edition -- but I haven't read it. Since it didn't cost much, I wanted to get it out of curiosity. I've never done more than flip through it - so it is still brand-new looking. Flipping through it again, I'm a bit suprised that there are a fair number of illustrations, as well as a chapter on legendermain, and one on card tricks. The book probably deserves more attention from me, but I doubt I'll get into it anytime soon, sadly. |
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martydoesmagic Inner circle Essex, UK 1704 Posts
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I think your experience with the book is a common one. This is why I decided to run the book club. Reading the book, one chapter at a time, over an extended period, makes the text much more accessible.
The illustrations are excellent. They're a lot better than some found in more modern magic books. The artwork is yet another reason why I love the book. Even the tricks at the back, arguably the weakest section, are pretty good if you give them a fair chance. Marty |
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critter Inner circle Spokane, WA 2653 Posts
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Quote:
On Jan 9, 2023, WalterPlinge wrote: The drawing style is a big appeal to me. I find it much easier to tell what's going on with these line drawings than I can with photos.
"The fool is one who doesn't know what you have just found out."
~Will Rogers |
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WalterPlinge Veteran user 357 Posts
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Most of the older books use drawings. Even some published in the last 20 years.
In general, I like pics/drawings from the point of view of the performer. In videos, I sometimes find it confusing when they are taken from the spec's point of view. Sorry to go off topic. But the drawings in Erdase are surprisingly good. I don't see any indication in the latest Dover edition to indicate that they were added anytime after the original publication in 1902. |
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critter Inner circle Spokane, WA 2653 Posts
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I've got a few different editions and the drawings look identical in all of them.
"The fool is one who doesn't know what you have just found out."
~Will Rogers |
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martydoesmagic Inner circle Essex, UK 1704 Posts
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Quote:
On Jan 10, 2023, WalterPlinge wrote: I'm reasonably sure all the Dover editions use M.D. Smith's original drawings "from life". I also find it easier to learn from line drawings from the magician's perspective. Earle Oakes is the only magic-book illustrator I can think of that captured the same accuracy and communicated with a similar simplicity through his drawings. Marty |
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WalterPlinge Veteran user 357 Posts
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Quote:
On Jan 12, 2023, martyjacobs wrote: Yes, the drawings alone make it seem for acessible than I originally thought. I'm just not ready for the book yet. I'm still trying to master a DL after almost 30 years, lol. I got it off ebay, and I think for less than the cover price of $8.95. The local magic store, Martinka's (brick-and-mortar now closed) had it, and the owner Ted was telling me good things about it. I put off buying it for awhile (but believe you me, I bought plenty of stuff that day and others). |
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critter Inner circle Spokane, WA 2653 Posts
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I was reading the Genii thread after following it from your link and someone mentioned that one of the motivations for magic books at that time having drawings instead of photos was that the line drawings were just better suited to the material than photos.
I actually have a really hard time with Henry Hay's big book because I can't follow the photos very well.
"The fool is one who doesn't know what you have just found out."
~Will Rogers |
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WalterPlinge Veteran user 357 Posts
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I have the Signet ppb edition of THE AMATEUR MAGICIAN'S HANDBOOK by Henry Hay, and the big reason I haven't spent much time with it is that it is the size of a typical mass-maket ppb. In addition to the photos being small, you can't lay the book on the table opened without some object holding it open while you try to learn with a deck of cards (or other apparatuses) in hand. I've had the book around 30 years...
At least the Erdnase ppb by Dover is longer and wider. |
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martydoesmagic Inner circle Essex, UK 1704 Posts
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Today's post is now available. In it, I take a look at the book's introduction and discuss what it tells us about the mindset of the professional gambler:
The Mindset of the Professional Gambler I've decided to merge the updates on Substack with the Exploring Erdnase posts on my blog. This means that subscribers on Substack can read all content related to the book club in their email inbox (or via the Substack app). I'll continue to post updates to my blog until the end of the month, at which point I'll publish them only on Substack. All posts are available on exploringerdnase.substack.com, whether you decide to subscribe or not (I would encourage you to subscribe to receive the weekly updates, however). Marty |
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critter Inner circle Spokane, WA 2653 Posts
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Great breakdown. I guess I might have to get with the times and figure out this substack thing. I usually just read things directly on websites.
"The fool is one who doesn't know what you have just found out."
~Will Rogers |
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Posted: Jan 2, 2023 04:16 pm 