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{{Wikipedia}}
{{Infobox person
Dai Vernon (11 June 1894 – August 21, 1992) was a Canadian magician. His expert sleight-of-hand technique and extensive knowledge garnered him universal respect among fellow magicians and the nickname of The Professor. His influence was considerable in the magic world with his generous mentoring to a number of famous magicians. He lived out his last years at the [[Magic Castle]].{{Youtube Thumb|9JXILIWELt8}}
| image                    = Genii_1966_September.jpg
| image_size                =
| alt                      =
| caption                  = On cover of [[Genii 1966 September]]
| birth_name                = David Frederick Wingfield Verner
| birth_day                = June 11,
| birth_year                = 1894
| birth_place              = Ottawa,Canada
| death_day                = August 21,
| death_year                = 1992
| death_place              =
| resting_place            =
| resting_place_coordinates = 
| nationality              = Canadian
| known_for                =
| notable works            =
| flourished                =
| awards                    =
| box_width                =
| misc                      =
}}
'''Dai Vernon''' (b.1894–d.1992) was a Canadian magician who's expert sleight-of-hand technique and extensive knowledge garnered him universal respect among fellow magicians and the nickname of The Professor. His influence was considerable in the magic world with his generous mentoring to a number of famous magicians. He lived out his last years at the [[Magic Castle]].


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Due to his extraordinary skill at sleight of hand, Dai Vernon is affectionately called The Professor. [[Harry Houdini]] (who in his early years billed himself as "The King of Kards") often boasted that if he saw a card trick performed three times in a row he would be able to figure it out. Vernon then showed Houdini a trick, where he removed the top card of the deck and placed it in the middle, and then turned over the top card to again reveal the original card. Houdini watched Vernon do the trick seven times, each time insisting that Vernon "do it again". Finally Houdini's wife, and Vernon's friends said, "Face it Houdini, you're fooled." For years afterward, Vernon used the title "The Man Who Fooled Houdini" in his advertisements.
Due to his extraordinary skill at sleight of hand, Dai Vernon is affectionately called The Professor. [[Harry Houdini]] (who in his early years billed himself as "The King of Cards") often boasted that if he saw a card trick performed three times in a row he would be able to figure it out. Vernon then showed Houdini a trick, where he removed the top card of the deck and placed it in the middle, and then turned over the top card to again reveal the original card. Houdini watched Vernon do the trick seven times, each time insisting that Vernon "do it again". Finally Houdini's wife, and Vernon's friends said, "Face it Houdini, you're fooled." For years afterward, Vernon used the title "The Man Who Fooled Houdini" in his advertisements.{{Youtube Thumb|9JXILIWELt8}}


Vernon first fell in love with magic when he was eight years old after his father took him to see a magic show. The first real magic book he ever owned was an early edition of perhaps the most famous card book of them all, "[[Expert at the Card Table]]", by S. W. [[Erdnase]]. By the time he was 13 he had completely memorized the contents of the book. He also had a famous encounter with another up-and-coming young magician from his town who asked Vernon, "What kind of magic do you do?" Vernon responded by asking the boy to name a card. Upon pulling a pack of cards from his pocket, Vernon turned over the top card of the deck to reveal the named card and replied to the speechless boy, "That's the kind of magic I do. What kind of magic do you do?"
Vernon first fell in love with magic when he was eight years old after his father took him to see a magic show. The first real magic book he ever owned was an early edition of perhaps the most famous card book of them all, "[[Expert at the Card Table]]", by S. W. [[Erdnase]]. By the time he was 13 he had completely memorized the contents of the book. He also had a famous encounter with another up-and-coming young magician from his town who asked Vernon, "What kind of magic do you do?" Vernon responded by asking the boy to name a card. Upon pulling a pack of cards from his pocket, Vernon turned over the top card of the deck to reveal the named card and replied to the speechless boy, "That's the kind of magic I do. What kind of magic do you do?"[[File:GeniiCoverV27N8.jpg|thumb|left|cover of Genii (1963)]]


Vernon made his home in the magic circle in New York, which was basically the back of an old magic shop, and had perhaps the best and most famous card magicians in the world at the time as its residents. It was here that the extremely famous incident involving [[Walter Scott]] occurred. In 1930, Walter Scott, then an unknown card hustler, was brought in to do a demonstration. After Scott was blindfolded, one of the men watching shuffled and cut a pack of cards and handed it to Scott. The blindfolded man proceeded to deal out six hands of five-card draw poker, and in his hand were four aces and a king. None of the magicians present saw how it had been done, earning Scott the nickname "The Phantom of the Card table", and many believed that his skills rivaled that of Dai Vernon. However the only magician not present that night was Dai Vernon. More information on this and other magicians can be found in The Phantoms of the Card Table by [[David Britland]].
Vernon made his home in the magic circle in New York, which was basically the back of an old magic shop, and had perhaps the best and most famous card magicians in the world at the time as its residents. It was here that the extremely famous incident involving [[Walter Scott]] occurred. In 1930, Walter Scott, then an unknown card hustler, was brought in to do a demonstration. After Scott was blindfolded, one of the men watching shuffled and cut a pack of cards and handed it to Scott. The blindfolded man proceeded to deal out six hands of five-card draw poker, and in his hand were four aces and a king. None of the magicians present saw how it had been done, earning Scott the nickname "The Phantom of the Card table", and many believed that his skills rivaled that of Dai Vernon. However the only magician not present that night was Dai Vernon. More information on this and other magicians can be found in The [[Phantoms of the Card Table]] by [[David Britland]].


Dai Vernon spent most of his life traveling all over the United States of America looking for card cheats and anyone who might know anything about sleight of hand with cards. He was famously under-credited for much of the work published in [[Jean Hugard]] and [[Frederick Braue]]'s [[Expert Card Technique]], though a later edition included an extra chapter which acknowledges Dai Vernon's contributions. In fact, a huge portion of the sleight of hand had been discovered by Vernon over years of searching.
Dai Vernon spent most of his life traveling all over the United States of America looking for card cheats and anyone who might know anything about sleight of hand with cards. He was famously under-credited for much of the work published in [[Jean Hugard]] and [[Frederick Braue]]'s [[Expert Card Technique]], though a later edition included an extra chapter which acknowledges Dai Vernon's contributions. In fact, a huge portion of the sleight of hand had been discovered by Vernon over years of searching.
Line 14: Line 35:


Vernon spent the last thirty years of his life as Magician-in-Residence at The Magic Castle in Los Angeles, California. There he mentored numerous well-known magicians including [[Ricky Jay]], [[Persi Diaconis]], [[Doug Henning]], [[Bruce Cervon]], [[Larry Jennings]], [[Chuck Fayne]], [[Max Maven]], [[Michael Ammar]] and [[John Carney]]. All mentioned have become some of the best close up magicians in the world.
Vernon spent the last thirty years of his life as Magician-in-Residence at The Magic Castle in Los Angeles, California. There he mentored numerous well-known magicians including [[Ricky Jay]], [[Persi Diaconis]], [[Doug Henning]], [[Bruce Cervon]], [[Larry Jennings]], [[Chuck Fayne]], [[Max Maven]], [[Michael Ammar]] and [[John Carney]]. All mentioned have become some of the best close up magicians in the world.
 
== Awards and honors ==
* "Master Fellowship" award from the [[Academy of Magical Arts]] (1968)
 
== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==
* [[$20 Manuscript]] (Ten Card Problems) (1932). Republished in [[Early Vernon]].
* [[$20 Manuscript]] (Ten Card Problems) (1932). Republished in [[Early Vernon]].
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* [[Dai Vernon's More Inner Secrets of Card Magic]] by [[Lewis Ganson]] (1960). Republished as part of the [[Inner Card Trilogy]]
* [[Dai Vernon's More Inner Secrets of Card Magic]] by [[Lewis Ganson]] (1960). Republished as part of the [[Inner Card Trilogy]]
* [[Dai Vernon's Further Secrets of Card Magic]] by [[Lewis Ganson]] (1961). Republished as part of the [[Inner Card Trilogy]].
* [[Dai Vernon's Further Secrets of Card Magic]] by [[Lewis Ganson]] (1961). Republished as part of the [[Inner Card Trilogy]].
* [[Malini and His Magic]] by Dai Vernon (1961).
* [[Malini and His Magic]] by Dai Vernon (1962).
* [[Dai Vernon's Tribute to Nate Leipzig]] by [[Lewis Ganson]] (1963).
* [[Dai Vernon's Tribute to Nate Leipzig]] by [[Lewis Ganson]] (1963).
* [[Dai Vernon's Ultimate Secrets of Card Magic]] by [[Lewis Ganson]] (1967).
* [[Dai Vernon's Ultimate Secrets of Card Magic]] by [[Lewis Ganson]] (1967).
* [[Symphony of the Rings]] by [[Lewis Ganson]] (1958).
* [[Dai Vernon's Symphony of the Rings]] by [[Lewis Ganson]] (1958).
* [[Revelations]] by Dai Vernon (1984).
* [[Revelations]] by Dai Vernon (1984).
* [[The Lost Inner Secrets]] by [[Stephen Minch]] (1987).
* [[The Vernon Chronicles, Vol. 1: The Lost Inner Secrets]] by [[Stephen Minch]] (1987).
* [[More Inner Secrets]] by Stephen Minch (1988).
* [[The Vernon Chronicles, Vol. 2: More Lost Inner Secrets]] by Stephen Minch (1988).
* [[Further Inner Secrets]] by Stephen Minch (1989).
* [[The Vernon Chronicles, Vol. 3: Further Lost Inner Secrets]] by Stephen Minch (1989).
* [[Vernon Touch]] (2006).
* [[Vernon Touch]] (2006).
* [[Revelation]] by Dai Vernon (2008).
* [[Revelation]] by Dai Vernon (2008).


[[Category:Biographies|Vernon, Dai]]
{{References}}
[[Category:Canadian magicians|Vernon]]
{{Wikipedia}}
[[Category:Professional magicians|Vernon]]
 
* Cover [[New Phoenix]] 1954 July
* Cover [[The Gen]] 1955 May
* Cover [[The Gen]] 1956 November
* Cover [[The Gen]] 1958 June
* Cover [[Genii 1963 April]]
* Cover [[Genii 1966 September]]
* Cover [[The Gen]] 1970 May
* Cover [[Genii 1974 April]] with Slydini and Bill Bixby
* Cover [[Genii 1984 May]]
* Cover [[Genii 1989 May]]
* Cover [[New Tops]] 1992 October
* Cover [[Genii 2001 December]]
* Cover [[Genii 2006 June]]
* Cover [[Genii 2008 August]]
* Obit [[Genii 1992 October]]
* http://magicpostcards.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/dai-vernon/
[[Category:Biographies]]
[[Category:Canadian magicians]]
[[Category:Professional magicians]]
[[Category:Featured Article]]
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon}}
[[de:Dai Vernon]]

Latest revision as of 07:04, 24 April 2024

Dai Vernon

On cover of Genii 1966 September
BornDavid Frederick Wingfield Verner
June 11, 1894
Ottawa,Canada
DiedAugust 21, 1992 (age 98)
NationalityCanadian
CategoriesBooks by Dai Vernon

Dai Vernon (b.1894–d.1992) was a Canadian magician who's expert sleight-of-hand technique and extensive knowledge garnered him universal respect among fellow magicians and the nickname of The Professor. His influence was considerable in the magic world with his generous mentoring to a number of famous magicians. He lived out his last years at the Magic Castle.

Biography

Due to his extraordinary skill at sleight of hand, Dai Vernon is affectionately called The Professor. Harry Houdini (who in his early years billed himself as "The King of Cards") often boasted that if he saw a card trick performed three times in a row he would be able to figure it out. Vernon then showed Houdini a trick, where he removed the top card of the deck and placed it in the middle, and then turned over the top card to again reveal the original card. Houdini watched Vernon do the trick seven times, each time insisting that Vernon "do it again". Finally Houdini's wife, and Vernon's friends said, "Face it Houdini, you're fooled." For years afterward, Vernon used the title "The Man Who Fooled Houdini" in his advertisements.

Vernon first fell in love with magic when he was eight years old after his father took him to see a magic show. The first real magic book he ever owned was an early edition of perhaps the most famous card book of them all, "Expert at the Card Table", by S. W. Erdnase. By the time he was 13 he had completely memorized the contents of the book. He also had a famous encounter with another up-and-coming young magician from his town who asked Vernon, "What kind of magic do you do?" Vernon responded by asking the boy to name a card. Upon pulling a pack of cards from his pocket, Vernon turned over the top card of the deck to reveal the named card and replied to the speechless boy, "That's the kind of magic I do. What kind of magic do you do?"

cover of Genii (1963)

Vernon made his home in the magic circle in New York, which was basically the back of an old magic shop, and had perhaps the best and most famous card magicians in the world at the time as its residents. It was here that the extremely famous incident involving Walter Scott occurred. In 1930, Walter Scott, then an unknown card hustler, was brought in to do a demonstration. After Scott was blindfolded, one of the men watching shuffled and cut a pack of cards and handed it to Scott. The blindfolded man proceeded to deal out six hands of five-card draw poker, and in his hand were four aces and a king. None of the magicians present saw how it had been done, earning Scott the nickname "The Phantom of the Card table", and many believed that his skills rivaled that of Dai Vernon. However the only magician not present that night was Dai Vernon. More information on this and other magicians can be found in The Phantoms of the Card Table by David Britland.

Dai Vernon spent most of his life traveling all over the United States of America looking for card cheats and anyone who might know anything about sleight of hand with cards. He was famously under-credited for much of the work published in Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue's Expert Card Technique, though a later edition included an extra chapter which acknowledges Dai Vernon's contributions. In fact, a huge portion of the sleight of hand had been discovered by Vernon over years of searching.

Vernon was perhaps the most skillful sleight of hand artist that ever lived and, with Ed Marlo, possibly the most influential card magician of the 20th century. Among magicians, he is credited with inventing or improving many standard close-up effects with cards, coins, and other small items. The "standard" Cups and balls routine is his, and his 6-ring "Symphony of the Rings" remains one of the most popular Chinese linking rings routines in use to this day.

Vernon spent the last thirty years of his life as Magician-in-Residence at The Magic Castle in Los Angeles, California. There he mentored numerous well-known magicians including Ricky Jay, Persi Diaconis, Doug Henning, Bruce Cervon, Larry Jennings, Chuck Fayne, Max Maven, Michael Ammar and John Carney. All mentioned have become some of the best close up magicians in the world.

Awards and honors

Bibliography

References

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