#3 Coins, Chips & Buttons author
(22nd December 1888 - 12th May 1955)
Born in Dublin, Ireland. Stage name of Victor Michael Farrelly. His parents were Scots. Learned as student of David Devant. Expert pro cardman and close-up magician. Probably invented the close-up case (years before 1939). Retired in 1939.
For more information see Paul Gordon's Victor Farelli: A Magical Memoir.
Coauthors: Ted Annemann, John Ramsay
Novel experiments with borrowed cards.
Excerpt from the foreword by Edward Bagshawe:
Although Mr. Farelli has written comparatively little on conjuring—probably under 100,000 words—it may safely be said that his name has become known to magicians all over the English-speaking world. This can be attributed to the exceptional value of the material he has contributed to Magical Literature, and also to the thorough practicability of the effects and methods he has dealt with.
In the present book he has devoted himself to the explanation of effects, all of which can be performed with a borrowed pack,...
A classic routine explained in detail with almost 50 photographs.
Excerpt from the preface by John Ramsay:
It is now over fifty years since I started to experiment with the Cap and Pence trick, and I have worked out several methods of using the standard apparatus.
The present routine, lucidly and minutely explained by Victor Farelli, is not the result of a "brain wave" it was gradually evolved by a process of trial and error, and I trust that the reader will decide to study it thoroughly and that he will add it to his programme.
For the last thirty years, or more, it has been one...
A subtle system for card workers. Four card miracles.
Excerpt from the introduction:
In the Winter of 1928, or early in the following Spring, Messrs. Bagshawe & Co. issued a catalogue entitled "New Magic," in which an item called "Card Control" appeared. Briefly, the effect was that any card (not forced) could be taken from a pack - if desired, in the performer's absence - and the performer was able always to locate in the pack a card of the same VALUE and a card of the same SUIT, as that chosen.
Being struck by the novelty of the effect I wrote to Mr. Bagshawe, requesting him to send...
Excerpt from the foreword:
Unless I am mistaken, the routine explained in this modest little volume is the first sleight of hand trick I learned. I was then at school - over sixty years ago - and as I have been performing it constantly ever since, I have had, obviously, a lot of practice!
Although I have always done the trick fairly well, I have added, quite recently, a number of improvements which make it, I think, a routine not unworthy of the attention of any close-work magician.
Broadly speaking, it is similar in effect to the Chinese Marble Trick described by Edwin Sachs in...
This copy was Victor Farelli's own copy of Annemann's 202 Methods of Forcing and features Farelli's handwritten notes. Also included is a tipped-in sheet: The Master's Touch by Annemann with a handwritten dedication by Annemann dated 4-6-29. This makes it a unique association copy.
Stapled booklet in good condition. For details on the contents see the digital edition.
1st edition 1931, 68 pages; digital edition 2018, 73 pages.
An original paper tearing trick described in the minutest detail.
Over a decade ago, THE WORLD'S FAIR offered a prize for the best list of really outstanding magical effects. The winner of the competition was Mr. Charles Harrison ("Rajah Khan") who, although he mentioned only nine items ... some of them being big illusions like Sawing Through a Woman and the Substitution Trunk ... included John Ramsay's Paper Tearing Trick in his List. - The World's Fair, 24th December 1938
1st edition 1949, 21 pages. PDF...
The cleanest method of passing three freely selected cards from one packet to another, with a borrowed pack and without preparation and a convincing mental effect. Including bibliographical and historical notes on the thirty card trick and a treatise on false counting.
"... a fairly brilliant effect, executed with borrowed cards, will prove ten times more convincing to a modern audience than the most elaborate and astounding feat imaginable, performed with a pack belonging to the conjurer himself..." - Farelli's Card Magic (Chapter VIII.)
"... The conditions under which I constantly perform, impromptu, and...
In this ebook a detailed explanation of Nate Leipzig's original method of performing the Card Stab will be found.
From the foreword:
In Chapter III in Down's Art of Magic, the editor, John N. Hilliard, describes a similar trick, but it is not credited to Leipzig, and it is vastly more complicated and difficult than his.
In the hands of the Card Master, the effect was really marvelous as all "old timers" who have seen him perform the routine will agree. Consequently, it is with pleasure that we put it on record, and we do so in the hope that it will become popular in all countries of Anglo-Saxon...
The performer borrows a pack of cards, which, if desired, may be thoroughly shuffled either by the lender or by another spectator. Without arranging the cards in any special order, and without "sighting" any of them, the magician deals four packets, of five cards each, face down on the table. The entire procedure is exactly as if a game of poker or nap were about to be played.
Any member of the audience selects one of the four hands. No force, direct or indirect, is employed. The three packets not chosen are returned to the pack. The person holding the selected hand is requested to choose...
This is Victor Farelli's answer to: "Can you tell fortunes?"
As magician you will occasionally encounter this question. Farelli describes and teaches a strong effect that can be done with a borrowed deck of cards. At the end Farelli includes some practical advice on fortune telling.
Briefly, the effect is as follows. Having been requested by a lady in the company to tell her her fortune, the magician asks her to give him the date and the month (not the year - never ask the age of a woman!) of her birth. Pretending to make some intricate calculations, he informs the sitter that her "lucky"...
John Ramsay was called "The Magician's Magician" because even for those in the know he could create miracles. He consistently fooled his peers with his incredible skill, misdirection and unique thinking. Here are a few quotes about him:
"... We are not given to uncritical boosts.... But it is difficult to write with moderation of the work of Johnnie Ramsay. His sleight of hand is unexcelled, perhaps even unequalled. Performers who know all there is to know about the Cups and Balls are not merely puzzled, but utterly baffled by Ramsay's presentation. His Cap and Pence is a masterpiece of...
A Practical Treatise on Coin Sleights and Effects with 54 explanatory photographs and diagrams.
Farelli was regarded by his fellow magicians as "beyond all other writers on conjuring in that he sought not only to explain the 'how-to' in minute detail, down to the last crook of the little finger, but he also threw in a thousand asides—the origin of the trick, a bibliography, alternative props or moves the performer might use, a quote from David Devant, the psychology behind the feat, audience reaction to it, and tips on practicing" (Robert Lund). Contains a select bibliography of coin magic.
Paul Fleming wrote: ...
Unavailable for 70 years - not anymore
A practical treatise on little-known card sleights, including numerous new card problems.
"You already know it, of course, but I would be amiss if I did not state for the record that putting Farelli parts I & II into standard format, transforming it, in the process, from 50 pages into 140, much improves it as a reference and it now looks really great. Thanks for a job well done." - 'M'
This is an exceptional book on card moves and tricks. A publication that has been long forgotten. It is filled with notes and advice by Victor Farelli - a professional...
This is the same ebook as 202 Methods of Forcing except this one additionally includes the personal notes of Victor Farelli.
Farelli's notes can roughly be categorized in three groups. One is attribution where he writes the inventor's name, or at least the one he thought originated this particular force. The second group is quality, where he writes attributes like 'very good', 'ingenious' etc. And the third group are extensions, variations or entirely new forces. Some of these entries are even dated and could be of particular interest to historians.
Although I think these notes are quite interesting, please...