Minch, Stephen: John Carney's Carneycopia
©1991 Louis Falanga, L&L Publishing
Hardcover, no dj, 266 pages

Comments: Highly recommended. Excellent book.

Contents:

iv Acknowledgments

v Contents

vii Introductory Encomia by Michael Skinner, Mike Caveney, Stephen Minch

xi Secret Philosophy: John Carney's approach to the performance of magic. Learning details, magic as art, creativity, state of the art, the shape of magic, misdirection. Excellent.
3 Current Classic: A sponge ball routine using two sponge balls
11 Predictable Surprise: A card prediction is written on a napkin. A card is chosen, and inserted half-way into the deck. The napkin prediction matches the selection. Next, the card is pushed into the deck, and the deck riffled at the napkin. The napkin flutters, and the selected card is now found under the napkin.
15 Straggler: A card is freely selected and returned to the deck. The deck is wrapped in a napkin. One card penetrates the napkin: wrong card. Then another, then the entire deck except for one card: the selection.
19 Final Trace: Card is selected and returned to the deck, which is wrapped in a napkin. The napkin is rolled into a ball, and the magician states the deck is still inside. The napkin ball is burnt, and the ashes are rubbed on the forearm, to reveal the selected card.
25 Soft Glass: a half dollar penetrates a glass multiple times
33 Chill Pack: the production of a pack of cards
36 Poor Man's Card Manipulation: Three cards vanish and appear at the fingertips: for close up.
43 Ethereal Pack: A selected card is supposed to come to the top of the deck, but keeps turning out to be the Joker. Finally the Joker is slapped to the deck, the deck vanishes, and only the selected card remains.
50 Streamlined Cylinder and Coins: Four coins vanish from the hands, to appear inside a previously shown cylinder with a cork inside. Cork is placed in the hand, and the cylinder back on the coins. The cork changes into the coins, and the cork appears under the cylinder
65 Side Pocket Transpo: 2 card transposition to the pocket
71 Trans-Essense: a clean, pure 2 card transposition
74 Inscrutable: Jokers keep turning up in the deck, then change into Aces
83 Half Dollars in the Mist: Two coins vanish and reappear in the hands. No gimmicks.
89 Versa Switch: Add or switch cards in a packet. Natural.
94 Kings and Aces Change Places: Aces placed on table change places with kings in the hands. Only 8 cards, no gimmicks.
98 Fruit Cup: A single cup and ball routine combined with Bill in the Lemon. The corner of a bill is torn, and the bill is crumpled into a ball and used with a coffee cup. A surprise load is discovered of a lemon, which when cut open reveals the bill.
107 Natural Selection: selected card is snatched out of the air from the tossed pack. No palm.
111 Australian Aces: Four cards selected and placed face up on table. Cards are dealt in front of each, the number corresponding to the value of the face up card. The face card of each pile is an Ace.
115 Wired: Number pre-written on a stapled card matches change in spectator's pocket
119 Bull Session: a Sympathetic cards routine
128 Suicide Match: With a wave of the hand, a matchbox opens and a single match slithers out. Almost impromptu
133 Seconds on Jack Sandwich: A selected card vanishes from deck to become sandwiched between two tabled jokers. Next, the jokers are tossed through the cards as they are cascaded to the table, and the selection is again sandwiched between them.
141 The Logical Bill Trick: Three half dollars emerge from a bill, then the bill changes into a hundred.
152 The Slide to Home Prediction: Cards are dealt until spectator says to stop, card matches prediction
156 The Yenrac Packet Switch: Packet switch
159 To the Sticking Point: Coins Through Table, no shell
164 Triumph Rip-Off: Face up/face down mixed up deck is instantly righted, with the exception of the selected card
169 Bullet Train: Four Aces Up the Sleeves, the last out to the other hand
176 Quarter Spin: Borrowed Quarter in and out of Perrier Bottle twice
186 Upside Down: Novel color change: 9 of Hearts transforms into 6 of Hearts
190 Transplant: Four of Diamonds placed on table. Three of Diamonds found, pip picked off (making it a two) and placed on the Four, making it a Five
194 Slick Pip: Two of spades visually changes to a Three.
200 A Polite Penetration: An impromptu-feel Cap and Pence routine, based on Scotty York's Modernized Cap and Pence
208 Tenkai-Esque: A Center Steal Handling
212 Hammanesque: A False Spread Display
215 Slow Fade to Red: A packet is removed from a blue-backed deck. One by one, the backs are changed to red. Then the entire pack becomes red. Uses Hammanesque display.
222 Hot Slot: Using the hand as a slot machine, a nickel and quarter vanish. When the half is played, a cascade of coins appears.
229 Sanverted: Four Ace Trick: Red aces keep jumping to top of 4 card packet. One Ace is placed to table, and single red Ace does same thing. Second Ace is tabled, and Black and Red Aces change places.
234 Oil on Troubled Waters: Performed with six cards clearly mixed face up. Surprise finish.
241 Calligraphic Cash: Burnt bill to pen
250 Rubber Detective: Card is selected and returned to deck. Deck is wrapped in rubber band. Band is snapped and vanishes. Cards are removed, and band is found around half the deck. Again it is snapped and vanishes, to be found wrapped around the selected card!
254 Everywhere, Nowhere, and on Your Face: Card is selected and returned to deck. Several attempts at finding the card fail, resulting in three cards on the table. Magician notes that the cards are similar to the selection, and the cards turn into the selection. When asked to select one, they all return to being indifferent cards, and the selection if found on the magician's forehead.
259 The Thirteenth Victim: Comedy "bullet catching" routine. Three bullets vanish and appear in hand puppets mouth. One bullet explodes and is caught in magician's teeth.