Karl Fulves

Karl Fulves
Born	Carl A. Fulves July 27, 1938 New Rochelle, NY
Died	February 16, 2023 (age 84) Hackensack, New Jersey
Categories	Books by Karl Fulves

Karl Fulves (b.1938-d.2023) taught thousands of beginners, young and old, to perform remarkable feats of sleight of hand through the books he has published (as Gutenberg Press), especially with his "Self-Working" series he did for the general public, published by Dover Books.

Biography

Fulves (pronounced full-ves) lived in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and was a private person who repeatedly turned down all requests for interviews. There is not much known about him other than his incredible output of magic literature.

Karl Fulves was married to his wife Jean with whom he had three children.

One of the most prolific writing magician of the 20th century, Matthew Field gave a detailed presentation on the "Collector's Day" in London in 2012, listing almost all publications.

Fulves used over 30 different pen names throughout his works, especially in magazines, which have included: Ralph Gironda, Robert Hess, Fred Lessor, Glen Kehler, Gray Leese, Peter Alexis, Francis J. Baker, Alan Brown, Ben Christopher, B. Jordan.

Awards

• Literary Fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts.

Force Books

Fulves wrote a science fiction book, published in paperback in 1976 called "Aftermath: Stories From the Rigel War", which he also created as a Force Book. There were two versions of this science fiction book. The first was a typed manuscript offered for a limited time, the second is the paperback version.

Fulves produced another force book for magician Sam Schwartz called "Astrology, The Hidden Force, sometimes called Incredi-book" (1983). Released as a hardback set, it was dedicated to astrology, and used branching anagrams. It came with two books with different covers, one a black cover, the other a red cover.

Periodicals

Karl Fulves took over The New Phoenix magazine from Don Tanner. He published three more issues and then at issue 400 in October 1965 stated "The bird will be fondly laid to rest." He then started a new magazine called The Pallbearers Review which continued until 1975.

He also started another periodical called Epilogue from 1967 until 1976.

In 1970, Joseph K. Schmidt submitted to Fulves a rope trick complete with illustrations. The contribution was published in Volume 5, Issue #10 of Pallbearers. Fulves was very impressed with Schmidt's artistic abilities and, coincidentally, was looking for an artist to illustrate some of the lengthier routines. He asked Schmidt to illustrate an effect called Canterbury Cups and Schmidt agreed. Fulves and Schmidt's relationship grew and it continues to this day. Fulves was the first person to refer to Schmidt as an "artist". Schmidt has illustrated over 75 books, manuscripts and booklets for Fulves, including Swindle Sheet, Cheat Sheet. Rigmarole, and Verbatim.

Shortly after concluding Pallbearers and Epilogue he announced the birth of a new periodical, The Chronicles Limited to 36 issues, The Chronicles took from 1978 to 1988 to complete, and during those ten years, some of the finest close-up magic of the period was explained in its pages.

Fulves published many more periodicals over the years including Charlatan, Underworld, Fine Print, Interlocutor, and Midnight Magic Monthly.

Midnight Magic Monthly (15 issues, only one complete file is known to exist) was a periodical by Karl Fulves that ran from 1959 until 1960. According to Karl Fulves who writes in the index,"The first thirteen issues were written in order and the Fall and Winter Extra's followed." The index was last to follow. It should be noted that the original title was "Midnight Magic Magazine" and the first seven issues are named as such. Beginning with issue eight, the "Midnight Magic Monthly" title began.

List of periodicals published by Karl Fulves.

Alfredson/Daily ... Fernandes number, title, year of publication and number of issues in a complete file:

• 4850...Midnight Magic Monthly 1959-1960 13+2 issues
• 3262...Lamplighter (with Jim Sarles) 1963-1964(?) 7(?) issues
• 5510...Pallbearers Review original series ?-1965 22 issues
• 5515...Pallbearers Review 1965-1975 120 issues
• 5180...New Phoenix 1965 4 issues 397-400
• 2130...Epilogue 1967-1975 25 issues
• 2955...Interlocutor 1975-1988 52 issues
• 1580...Chronicles 1978-1988 36 issues
• 5335...Notebooks no information available
• 6055...S-C Contemporary Money Magic 1985 7 issues
• 15505..Charlatan 1999 - 2003 10 issues
• 15550..Cheat Sheet 1990-1992 10 issues
• 19657..Discoverie 1999 - 2003 10 issues
• 65703..Swindle Sheet 1990-1992 10 issues
• 29505..Interim Report 1993 1 issue
• 58955..Rigmarole 1993-1994 10 issues
• 69800..Verbatim 1993-1994 10 issues
• 69206..Underworld 1995-1999 10 issues
• 22102..Fine Print The 1995-1999 10 issues
• 32627..Latter Day Secrets 1999 - 2003 10 issues
• XXXXX..Off The Books 2000-2003 10 issues

• XXXXX..Prolix 2006-2013 10 issues to date
• XXXXX..Xtra Credit 2006-2013 10 issues to date
• XXXXX..The Lowdown 2016-? (10 issues plus 10 supplements expected)

Fulves has announced in the final issue of Prolix that there will be a new periodical issued with an estimated 20 pages per issue. This new periodical is called The Lowdown. There will be 10 issues plus 10 supplements. The material was written in 2013, printed in 2015, and began being distributed in 2016.

Publications

Most of the titles are published by himself under his own name or Gutenberg Press

Title	Date	Pages
13 Prophets	1996	60
28 Card Tricks	1991	64
A History of the Brainwave Principle	1983	100
Ace Machine	1963	6
A Die of Another Color- Martin Gardner	1995	40
After Jordan	1983	12
And a Packet of Cards	1989	60
Animation (Workshop #1)	1979	12
Big Book of Magic Tricks (reprint of The Magic Book)	1994	196
Binary Count Notes	1969	?
Blocking Off		?
Bob Hummer's Collected Secrets	1980	106
Bob Ostin's New Submarine Card	1983	40
Calculator Tricks	1998	130
Card Counting	1982	48
Card Under Glass	1979	24
Cards #1 Four-card Brainwave	1978	20
Cards #2 51 Faces North	1978	24
Cards #3 Interlock	1980	72
Cards #4 Side Steal	1981	60
Cards #5 The Multiple Shift	1989	48
Charles Jordan's Best Card Tricks	1992	252
Charles T. Jordan Collected Tricks	1975	315
Clockwork: Approaches to Card Counting	2005	75
Close-up Mental Magic	1974	55
Color Capture	1986	30
Color Quick	1980	50
Combo	1998	55
Combo II	2005	125
Command Colors	1997	22
Contemporary Handkerchief Magic, part 1	1987	30
Contemporary Handkerchief Magic, part 2	1987	28
Contemporary Rope Magic, part 1	1986	28
Contemporary Rope Magic, part 2	1986	28
Contemporary Rope Magic, part 3	1986	28
Confessions of a Psychic by Uriah Fuller (pen name of Martin Gardner)	1975	37
Covenant	1987	29
Crooked Tales	1994	129
Cryptology	1979	24
Curioser	1980	61
Deceptive Practices	1992	83
Day for Any Date- Sam Schwartz	1997	43
Deceptive Practices, Supplement	1992	28
Downs on Malini		11
NSOM : Dr Ken Krenzel's Incredible Card Tunnel	1975	6
Easy to do card tricks for children	1989	47
Easy to do magic tricks for children	1974	90
Ellis Stanyon's Best Card Tricks	1999	313
Epilogue	1993	312
Faro and Riffle Technique	1976	90
Faro and Riffle Technique- original xerox copy will be signed	1969	46
Faro and Riffle Technique; Supplement 1	1970	10
Faro and Riffle Technique; Supplement 2	1970	?
Faro and Riffle Technique; Supplement 3	1970	?
Faro Possibilities	1967	36
Four Color Problems	1979	24
Fourcast	1981	36
Fr. Cyprian's TV Card Rise	1982	40
Further Confessions of a Psychic by Uriah Fuller (pen name of Martin Gardner)	1980	69
Gambler's Third Lesson	1979	16
Gene Finnell's Card Magic	1973	76
Hardcore Aces	1983	12
Hocus Poker	1982	32
Hofzinser's Card Tricks	2002	148
Hofzinser Notebook	2003	87
Impromptu Holdouts	1977	50
Impromptu Openers	1979	8
Labyrinth	1980	7
Magic with Cards and Cases No. 2: Inner Sanctum	1979	48
Magic with Cards and Cases No. 1: Jack in the Box	1979	24
Jacob Daley's Notebooks (transcr. Csuri)1st ed. HB no pagination	1975	194
Jacob Daley's Notebooks (transcr. Csuri)HB with pagination	1975	194
Jacob Daley's Notebooks (transcr. Csuri)comb bound	1975	194
Kaleidoscope	1989	50
Kannibal Kards	1975	8
NSOM : Karl Fulves Technicolor Cards	1974	6
The Magic Book	1977	195
Methods with Cards, Part 1	1975	80
Methods with Cards, Part 2	1975	80
Methods with Cards, Part 3	1975	80
Mexican Monte	1972	32
Milennium Aces	1981	92
Money Moves	1989	34
More Self-Working Card Tricks	1984	136
Mutus Nomen	1988	82
Neale's Trapdoor Card	1983	12
New Card Rises	1996	62
Notes from the Underground	1973	61
Nyria Effect	1979	24
Octet	1981	76
Origins	1981	56
Packet Switches (Part One)	1973	56
Packet Switches (Part Two)	1973	56
Packet Switches (Part Three)	1977	76
Packet Switches (Part Four)	1977	72
Packet Switches (Part Five)	1977	70
The Pallbearers Review, Volume 1-4	1993	290
The Pallbearers Review, Volume 5-8	1993	390
The Pallbearers Review, Volume 9-12	1993	380
Parallel Lines	1980	40
Principles of Riffle Shuffle Set-ups	1968	30
Prototype	1989	50
Punch out Puzzle Kit	1982	24
Quick Card Tricks	1989	50
Riffle Shuffle Control	1979	23
Riffle Shuffle Controls Part Two: Blocking Off	1996	206
Riffle Shuffle Methods	1987	49
Riffle Shuffle Set-ups I	1973	98
Riffle Shuffle Set-ups II	1976	98
Riffle Shuffle Technique Preliminaries, Notes, Problems	1971	22
Riffle Shuffle Technique Preliminary Notes, part 1	1972	22
Riffle Shuffle Technique, part 1	1973	12
Riffle Shuffle Technique Preliminary Notes, part 2	1973	60
Riffle Shuffle Technique, part 2	1975	12
Riffle Shuffle Technique, part 3	1984	92
Secret Session, part one	1987	29
Secret Session, part two	1987	28
Secret Session, part three	1987	28
Self-Working Card Tricks	1976	113
Self-Working Close-up Card Magic	1995	120
Self-Working Coin Magic	1989	136
Self-Working Handkerchief Magic	1989	184
Self-Working Mental Magic	1979	121
Self-Working Number Magic	1982	145
Self-Working Paper Magic	1985	147
Self-Working Rope Magic	1990	148
Self-Working Table Magic	1981	122
Setting up Exercises	1995	111
Shape Changers	1979	44
Shuffle off	1983	12
Six Impromptu Card Tricks	1982	48
Swindle & Cheat - a collection of nontransitive games	1991	71
Teleportation Notes	1969	8
Teleportation Notes	1979	24
The Best of Slydini ... and More, vol 1 (text)	1976	108
The Best of Slydini ... and More, vol 2 (photos)	1976	126
The Book of Numbers	1971	47
The Book of Numbers, Supplementary Notes	1971	19
The Children's Magic Kit	1980	16+16
The Magic of Slydini and More, vol 1 (text)	1976	108
The Magic of Slydini and More, vol 2 (photos)	1976	126
The Magic Thrust	2001	46
The Magical World of Slydini, vol 1 (text)	1979	101
The Magical World of Slydini, vol 2 (photos)	1979	176
The Noir Test	1998	26
The Return Trip	1986	39
The Shamrock Code & the Parallel Principle	1979	48
Topological False Count (Workshop #2)	1979	18
Transpo Trix	1978	80
Trick with Dice	1970	26
Under Tension Tricks With Rubber-Banded Decks	2004	101
Vampire Chronicles	1997	92
Vampire Papers	1997	45
When Psychics Play Poker	2004	63
Wireless II	1982	48
Word Play	2007	71
Worknotes on Brainwave	1983	20

Contributions

New Stars of Magic manuscripts

Fulves also wrote the text for a number of the New Stars of Magic manuscripts, including Chris Capehart's 3-Ring Routine, Joe de Stefano's Chinatown Poker, Max Londono's Eternal String, Metalogic (Fred Baumann) and David Roth Okito Box routine.

Abra magazine

Contributions to Abra (from Andi Gladwin's post on the Clog):

• A Hofzinser Variation - 1st March, 1969. Volume 47, Number 1205. Page 140

A variant of Hofzinser’s Remeber & Forget effect. In this handling three people each select a card. The first person is then asked to pick another card and decide which of the two they’d like to keep. They then hand their discard to the next participant, who decides whether to keep that or his first selection. That discard is passed to the next person, who is asked to make the same decision. Karl then names all three selections. While the effect is certainly simple in method I’m considering adding it to my repertoire as I’m sure that it would absolutely fry any audience.

• Think-A-Card - 16th March, 1974. Volume 57, Number 1468. Page 210

Instructions for how to make a pretty detailed gimmicked deck. It’s similar to the Ultra Mental deck, but with the cards separated at the start. This allows you to place a odd-backed card into the deck (without anyone seeing its face) and have someone think of one of the cards from a spread. Then, you show that the named card is actually the odd-backed card.

• Kings Row - 30th March, 1974. Volume 57, Number 1470. Page 261

A basic Sandwich routine using two black Kings. Fulves also suggests a challenge to the reader that you might like to experiment with: “As a problem the reader may wish to solve, this basic effect can be elaborated upon as follows: the red Kings and the black Kings are shown separately. One of two chosen cards ends up between the red Kings. The other chosen card then ends up between the black Kings.”

• That’s Odd - 27th April, 1974. Volume 57, Number 1474. Page 330

An fun transposition routine where someone on your left is given two odd value cards and someone on your right two even value cards. The two odd cards are placed into the card box and are caused to transpose with the even cards. When the participants check the card box for extra cards they just find the words, “That’s odd” written on the case!

• Restoration - 22nd June, 1974. Volume 57, Number 1482. Page 490

A weird and original effect using two borrowed playing cards and two clear plastic sheets. A card, say the Four of Spades is cut into quarters and placed on top of one of the plastic sheets. Another card, say the Seven of Spades, is placed on top of the quarters and then the other plastic sheet is placed on top of that. The condition of the cards is then caused to swap: so the Seven of Spades is now the cut card and the four is shown to be completed restored.

References

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