Rara Avis by Jack Avis

Sixty Years of Magic from the Private Notebooks of Jack Avis!

After Jack's death in 2004, 28 notebooks were discovered among his vast collection of manuscripts, books and other publications that contained his collected thoughts over the past half century. Some original, some of his own handlings of effects of his friends, some sleights, some tips and ideas but all bearing the stamp that earned him a world reputation for simple, baffling, natural magic. This important volume contains much of Jack's original thinking and ideas as well as rare photographs and notes from throughout his sixty years in magic. If you are a serious card person, close-up worker, historian or a magic enthusiast you will want to own this valuable record of the work of a man who devoted every moment of his spare time to the pursuit of magic - and particular card magic - at its highest level and is honored wherever a deck of cards is shuffled.

1st edition 2006 by The Cairn Press; digital edition 2011; original 220 pages; PDF 229 pages.

Table of Contents

10. Preface
11. Jack Avis by John Derris
12. Introduction
13. Acknowledgements

    Chapter One Effects with Cards

15. Ace Routine Handling
17. Jack Avis Notes on All Red
19. Another Call-from Another Place
21. Random Notes by Jack Avis
22. Blind Choice
25. A Bridge Hand
26. Calculating Cards
28. The Card Between
29. Cards to Blanks with Signatures
31. Tip for Use with a Stacked Deck
32. A Change of Identity (Identity Crisis)
34. Coincidence-Again
36. Thoughts on Vernon's Handling of the Ten Card Trick
37. Colour Match
38. A Contrived Location
40. Court Card Spell
42. A Little Extra with the Multi-Spell
43. Diamond Cut Diamond-Variation
44. A Variation on the Diary Trick
45. Divination of Thought
46. A Dotty Location
47. Double Cross (Cut) Count Down
48. Double Cross Transpo
50. Turn and Take Bottom-a use for this
51. Envelope Prediction
52. Double Side Deal
53. Exchanged
54. Fake Memory Routine-Avis Handling
55. A Few Steps Further On
57. Flight Fantastique
61. Folded Card in Box (Kaps)-An Idea
62. Follow the Leader
63. Siva Follows his Leader
65. Follow the Leader-Again!
66. The French Reverse
67. The Fulves Problem
70. Jack Avis Ideas
71. Imp Bottle Idea
72. Hidden Power
73. The Hot Hand Test
74. The Houdini Card
76. Houdini's Unfinished Trick
78. An Inside Straight
79. Isaac's Law
81. The Magic of Jack and Jill
82. The Jumping Aces
83. The Jumping Thought
84. I Knew that Hacker
85. Lie or Tell the Truth
87. Routine to Locate the Aces
89. Locate Four-Locate the One
90. Tell Me a Lie-Truth will Out
91. Magic Bullet Effect
92. "Throw-In" Presentation
93. The Magic Card
94. Mental Control-Avis Routine
96. 5x5 Mental Routine, A Handling
97. M. S. Poker Deal
98. Mechanical Second Elevator Aces
99. A Multiple Matching
100. The Mystery of X (Ten)
102. The Not So Friendly Giant
104. Oil and Water Again-Agai-Aga-Ag-A
105. An Oil and Water Move
106. Outside In
108. Perverse Card to Wallet Routine
109. Tips
110. The Old Q Card Trick
111. The "Professional" Cuts the Aces
112. Right Card-Wrong Colour
115. Avis Handling for Jennings' "Royal Triumph"
116. Seven and Eleven Transpo
117. Shuffled Deck Poker Deal
118. Poker Demonstration
119. Simultwins
121. Siva's Aces
123. The Avis Multiple Glide
124. "Skullo" Handling
125. Table Reverse Location
126. The Tabled Reverse-Again
127. Thought Card Transposition
128. Tunnel Change
129. 2-4-6-8-Find
131. Undercover Assembly
133. Who Wants Another Collectors?
134. No Fake Card in Balloon
135. Will the Cards Match? Variation
136. Meeting Jack Birnman

     Chapter Two Card Sleights, Subtleties and Other Artifices

139. An Idea for Adding a Card to the Top of the Deck
141. Notes on the Bizarre Twist
142. A One Hand Twist
143. The Diagonal Twist
144. To Control a Card to a Known Position
145. Centre Packet Switch
146. Centre Double Lift Variation
147. A Control
148. Ideas with a "Cutaway Deck"
149. Demo Deal
150. Double Flip Change
152. A Move with the Double Undercut
153. The Finger Clip Cull
155. Flip-Up Put Back Count A Utility Move
158. A Discourse on a Force Procedure
159. A Routine using the Avis Double Knife Force
161. Thoughts on my Hindu Force Variation
162. Ideas for Forcing
163. A Method for the Cut and Stop Force
164. Another Force
165. The Magician Magazine
167. Illogical False Cut a la Vernon
168. Use of Key Card with Dribble Selection
169. A False Cut
170. Lace Through False Shuffle and Cut
171. Left Side Double Deal
172. Avis Handling for the Leipzig Pass
173. Technique for a Multiple Slip Cut
174. Some Thoughts on Old Card Routines
175. A Little Extra with the Multi-Spelling
176. A Placement Idea with the Master Move
178. Plot Idea for a Card Trick
179. Patter Lines
180. A Presentation
181. Spectator learns a Trick
182. A Punch Deal that Isn't
184. Double Location
185. Riffle Shuffle Control
186. Siva's Switch
187. A Stack
188. A Switch Move
189. The Weave and Waterfall Bottom Palm
190. Table Edge Palm
191. Zarrow Shuffle Thoughts
192. A Zarrow Shuffle Setting-up Technique
193. A Zarrow Shuffle Tip
195. Historical Items and Magical Facts

     Chapter Three Effects without Cards

197. Count Dracula
198. The Last Straw
199. The Magnetic Straw
200. Message from Hades
202. Name that Tune
203. The Ghost Pen
204. A Tale of Two Slates
206. Scarab without a Brainwave
207. My List of Best Trouble-Free 'Workers'
208. Migratory Coins the "All Fair" Way
210. Four Coins under Cards-Opening Steal
211. No Pockets Stand-Up Routine for Silver-Copper-Brass Transpo
213. Coin Box Idea
214. Triple Coin Penetration
217. Strip of Paper Torn in Half
218. Three Pellet Routine
219. Three Shell Game
220. Finger Ring Release (Harvey Rosenthal)
221. Ribbon and Ring - Avis Notes
222. Torn and Restored Banknote
225. Mike Skinner Lecture

word count: 48532 which is equivalent to 194 standard pages of text