Erdnase publishing question

[Colin]

I've fallen deep down the rabbit hole of Erdnase research and am wondering if anyone here knows anything about how or where the first copies of Expert At The Card were sold? I understand that there were ads for the book in The Sphinx starting November 1902 (I think) but I am yet to actually track down any copies of The Sphinx.

Were the books available through mail order or particular magic shops or bookshops? Does anyone know of other spots it was advertised? Any info or tips would be greatly appreciated.

-Colin

 

[krab]

If you are looking for a copy of Sphinx from 1902 http://www.lybrary.com/the-sphinx-p-80.html That goes from March 1902 until March 1953.

EatCT was reviews in the Jan 1945 issue of Genii.

Here is a list of editions taken from Genii.

1902 First Edition Self-published, HB, green cloth

Frederick J. Drake & Co.
1905 Drake Hardback (HB) Pictorial Green Cloth
1905 Drake HB, Embossed Plum Cloth
1905 Drake HB, Blue Pictorial Cloth
~1918 Drake HB, embossed blue cloth
~1918 Drake Paperback (pb), green wraps, KH cover
~1918 Drake pb, green wraps, KH without pips cover
~1918 Drake pb, grey wraps, KH without pips cover, 178 pages
1934 Drake pb, orange wraps, KH cover
1937 Drake pb, yellow wraps, KH cover

Frost Publishing Co.
~? pb 205 pages, KH cover with dark blue titles
~? pb 205 pages, KH cover with black titles
~? pb, 205 pages, yellow wraps, KH cover

Charles T. Powner Co.
~1944 Fleming HB
~1944 Fleming HB (Includes Hoffman commentary)
1944 pb, 205 pages
1945 pb
1946 pb, 206 pages
1949 pb
1953 pb
1958 pb, 205 pages
1963 pb, 205 pages
1968 pb, 205 pages
1975 Powner perfect bound / The Charles T. Powner Co.

Wehman
1953 pb, 205 pages

Magic Inc.
? - Comb bound. Title page is facsimile of 1st edition title page.

KC Card Company
? - KC Card Company edition (Chicago)
1946 Card Secrets Exposed/ KC Card Company

Gambler's Book Club
The Gambler's Book Club published various editions (which would have been after 1964).
? - GBC Comb Bound, white with yellow cover
? - GBC Comb Bound, blue cardstock cover with Bee design
? - GBC Comb Bound, no price on cover, red cover with Bee design (GBC address includes ZIP code, so it is post 1963)
? GBC perfect bound, price 2.50, red cover with Bee design
? GBC perfect bound, price 3.50, red cover with Bee design
? Hardback GBC edition / Gambler's Book Club

Conjuring Arts
2007 pb The Bible editon The Conjuring Arts Research Center - Pocket-size with an all new typeset and numbered lines for reference sleights via the Bible verse method. Printed using the same paper as a bible, gilt edges, a ribbon place holder and bound in soft leatherette. There are three color variations, green, red and black in order of availability.
2010 Indestructible Erdnase - pocket sized edition printed on waterproof, tear resistant paper with a sewn binding by the Conjuring Arts Research Center.

Other
1945 Fireside Publications, Toronto, Canada. (Same cover as KC Card Company edition/Chicago)
1980 Coles SB / Canada
1984 Casino Press SB/Casino Press, New York
1995 Dover SB
2002 Facsimile Edition (unknown publisher) distributed by Michael Canick Booksellers. Gold stamped cover, hard bound
2008 Pocket Expert at the Card Table from Houdini.com - The booklet consisting of 218 pages and measuring only 6 x 3.5 inches with space for the readers notes.
2008 The Erdnase Scroll by Miracle Factory - The book in scroll form with a handwritten calligraphy font on ivory parchment paper, maple-tone wood ornaments, suede tie cord, and a velour protective drawstring bag. Also includes Todd Karr's extensive research on Erdnase's identity.
2010 The Expert At The Card Table - The Classic Treatise On Card Manipulation, Publishers: Obscure Press, Hardback edition, Dover Edition text, 144 pages, 8.6X 5.6 [Print on Demand]
2010 - Softcover reprint facsimile of the 1902 first edition by anonymous. 7x4 inches 206 pages. Printed for a gift for friends with leftovers sold for a limited sale.[1]

Annotated Editions
1944 Card Mastery, HBDJ, Circle Magic Shop by Michael MacDougall's Card Mastery (contains the complete text of Expert)
1975 Card Mastery, Tannens, pb (Back Cover price: $2.50)
1975 Card Mastery, D. Robbins, pb
1984 Revelations / Magical Publications - contains thoughts from Dai Vernon.
1991 The Annotated Erdnase/ Magical Publications by Darwin Ortiz. Contains notes, annotations, photographs, citations and references. Also contains two appendices: "New Moves" and "The Search For Erdnase" by Martin Gardner.
2007 - Marlo on Erdnase, Jon Racherbaumer (editor) - A compilation of Ed Marlo's writings, both published and unpublished. This book is a preliminary effort to show how an annotation of Erdnase by Marlo might look like. As it stands, it is a partial, supplemental work.
2008 Revelation, Magical Publications, HBDJ - An update to the 1984 version that contains 160 long-lost photographs of Dai Vernon’s hands that were taken in 1961 specifically to illustrate this manuscript. Plus more than 100 pages of added material.
2010 The Erdnase Journal - a notebook in the format of a reproduction of the original 1902 publication, with just the 101 drawings by M.D. Smith in their respective positions.

Electronic Editions
2011 The Expert at the Card Table [Kindle Edition], edited by Marty Demarest - this Erdnaseum Edition preserves all the quirks of the 1902 First Edition text featuring a fully functional Table of Contents; replicas of the original Contents pages, copyright page, and title page; all 101 original illustrations, remastered and undoctored; a new Foreword and Errata section detailing errors of description.

More information can be found

http://www.everythingerdnase.com/exhibit/
http://www.erdnase.com/editions/index.html

 

[Colin]

Thanks Karb I hadn't checked the lybrary for Sphinx that is great.

everythingerdnase.com is a great site, Ijust finished reading Erdnase Unmasked that Magicana published in conjunction with the exhibit which was a great read. I've just started The Man Who Was Erdnase by Whaley about Milton Franklin Andrews who, even if he wasn't Erdnase, was quite an interesting character.

I haven't poked around Genii much yet. I tracked down a copy of the September 2011 issue that featured a cover article about a new theory on who he was but haven't read it yet and have not venture on to their message board. I've heard that there is a huge thread there.

Thanks again for the lybrary link, excited to read those old issues.

 

[krab]

There is a long thread over there. Genii is one of the best $60 you can spend. You get the entire run of the magazine on their website as well as a year of the print issue. I have Sphinx Tops and The Linking Ring as digital. Much easier to find what I want with ctrl F.