A History of the Brainwave Principle

1983
Written by Karl Fulves
Work of Karl Fulves
100 pages (Spiralbound), published by Selfpublished
Illustrated with drawings by Joseph K. Schmidt
Language: English
60 entries
This publication has been reviewed by
Cover photograph
Creators Title Comments & References Page Categories
Karl Fulves Introduction
1
Karl Fulves The Svengali Principle citing Cremer's "Hanky Panky" (1872), Robert-Houdin's "Card Sharpers" and many more sources
 		3
Ellsworth Lyman A Color Changing Trick asymmetric stripper-type preparation, when riffling through the deck the cards are either all red or black, see also p. 58
Related toAlso published here
  • The Sphinx, November 1907
 4
Burling Hull The Mene Tekel Deck reproduced ad from 1908 as "The Devil's Pass"
 		5
Karl Fulves The Svengali Principle explaining the principle, with reproduced ad by Burling Hull from 1909
  • short ends
  • short corners
  • scallop shorts (& combined cuts)
  • roughed Svengali deck
 		10
Hull vs. Leroy Burling Hull complaining about W. D. Leroy's imitated products in 1910
 		12
Dr. Ford Rogers Ever Ready Forcing Pack Svengali deck, pairs glued together at one end, 1913
 		13
Chung Ling Soo No-Gaff Svengali Deck outjogging every other card a bit, then riffling through the deck and show them all red or black, see also p. 11
Also published here
  • Goldston's Magazine of Magic, July 1915
 14
Charles T. Jordan Speaking of Pink Elephants ad from 1916 with color changing deck, glued pairs, later 1919 variation with glued pairs and also normal cards in between like in Menetekel, also with spelling and across phase
Related to 15
Karl Fulves Roughing Fluid history of its development
 		17
The Slick Ace Run Up stacking the Aces from a shuffled deck, brief
 		18
Max Holden The Master Card slick card as key card, reproducing ad from 1924
Related to 19
T. Nelson Downs Reverse No. 6 waxed pair, from Downs-McGuire letters
 		19
Dr. Ford Rogers Two-Deck Slick Cards using decks with different finishes
Related toAlso published here
  • "Tricks with Prepared Cards" (Donald Holmes, 1913)
 20
Karl Fulves, Dai Vernon Faro Boxes on gaffed faro boxes and using rough-smooth cards
  • The Richard Buffum Tapes
  • The Faro Box
  • Sand Tell
  • Needle Tell
  • The Two-Card Box
  • Faro Box Technique
  • The Two-Card Box
  • Second Dealing Boxes
 		21
Karl Fulves Impromptu Faro Box red black betting game
 		29
Karl Fulves The Brainwave Principle history of its development, starting in 1921 ("Edward Bagshawe's Reverse Deck may have been the first Brainwave deck.")
 		34
Edward Bagshawe The Optica Deck pairs held together with cut-outs and raised parts, all backs can be shown either blue or red, and face cards change to all the same
  • The Optica Technique
with reproduction of ad and original instructions, 1928
Variations 35
Eric F. Impey Perfectos half-waxed pairs, back card is force card
Also published here 42
Eric F. Impey Mysto, The Masterpiece thought-of card vanishes, thirteen half-waxed pairs in deck, also as named vanish
VariationsAlso published here 42
Judson S. Brown A Super-Reverse Problem named card is reversed in deck
Inspired byAlso published here
  • The Sphinx, March 1929
 44
Robertson Keene Thought Cards Across
Inspired byAlso published here
  • Magician Monthly, June 1930
 45
Walter Scott Walter's own original Formula and Method for "Slick Ace" from a letter by Eddie McGuire to Dai Vernon
 		47
Theodore Annemann Remote Control reprint of original instructions, red/blue double backer, see only p. 45 for effect description by Max Holden from July 1929 Sphinx
 		50
Orville Wayne Meyer Remote Control Improved reprint of original instructions, odd-backed unknown card signed on back is chosen from face
Also published here 52
John H. Keller Long-Short Menetekel Deck
Also published here
  • "Ten Card Tricks" (John Keller, 1932)
 54
Al Baker Color Flight brief
 		54
Reinhard Müller Brainwave in Europe Bartl's Geistino, credit information
 		55
Ralph W. Hull Cosmic Ray Deck Svengali principle with triplets instead of pairs, center card of each three-card-group reversed, 1934
 		56
Ralph W. Hull Magnetic Mental Control spectator names card he sees in deck, it is only odd-backed card, twenty-six pairs, 1934
 		57
Ed Balducci, Frank Mireider The Auto Mazo Deck 1934, see also p. 63 for comment by Ralph W. Hull
  • #1 Thought of Card Reversed
  • #2 Alternate Reverse Trick
  • #3 Selected Card Found Reversed
  • #4 Selected Card Transferred from One Half of Pack to Another
  • #5 Three Card Monte
  • #6 The Vanishing Aces
Variations 58
Ralph W. Hull Pegasus Deck twenty-six pairs, 1935, see also p. 94
 		62
Nelson Hahne The Blue Intruder named card is only odd-backed card, stack and sticky card, brief, 1935
Also published here
  • Smart Magic (Ralph Hull, Nelson Hahne)
 62
Al Baker Super-Superprediction person names card which magician has transfered to another deck, roughed, 1936
Also published here 63
Al Baker Effects 1, 2, 3 invisible deck, named card is reversed by performer
 		64
Joe Berg The Ultra Mental Deck see also p. 86
  • named card that is seen is reversed
  • freely chosen card put reversed in deck, matching three-of-a-kind turns over
Inspired by 66
Karl Fulves Discussion of Vernon's "Brain Wave Deck" see also p. 78
Related to 68
Dai Vernon Mental Choice reprint of instructions, 1939
  • odd-backed card placed in deck, it turns out to be named card
  • freely thought-of card is reversed by performer behind back
 		71
Karl Fulves The Super Roughing Principle partial rough smooth, credit information
 		74
Dr. Lazlo Rothbart Coloroto four-of-a-kind changes front and back with partial rough-smooth, see also p. 89 for comment by John Crimmins
Also published here 74
G. C. R. Teale The Reversing Aces Aces in packet between Twos and Threes, they turn over and back, strips on cards to mechanically hold them together during fanning actions
Also published here
  • The Sphinx, May 1939
 76
Al Baker Roughing It comments
Also published here 79
Al Baker Number Force with cards, waxed or roughed
 		80
Dai Vernon, Sam Leo Horowitz Mental Control red-backed card cut into blue deck, spectator names correct one
Also published here 80
John J. Crimmins Jr. On Brainwave reprinted from footnote in Practical Mental Effects, p. 279, with comment by Karl Fulves
 		83
Edward Bagshawe Bewilda Deck cards held together in pairs with wires on corner, see also p. 77
 		84
Dariel Fitzkee The Trick Brain viewing the Brainwave deck as an open index system
Also published here
  • The Trick Brain, chapter 24
 85
Ramee Sami Conjuror's Magazine Column story about Brainwave, Dai Vernon, Paul Fox
Also published here
  • The Conjuror's Magazine, July 1946, Vol. 2 No. 7
 87
Judge E. H. C. Wethered On the Rough Smooth Principle partial roughing
 		88
Franklin V. Taylor The Invisible Deck idea of pantomime routine with an invisible deck
Related to 90
J. B. Bobo Make Believe pantomime routine with an invisible deck, crediting Taylor and Marechal
Related to 90
Jesse Demaline Super Brainwave Pack long-short brainwave deck
Related to
  • The Gen, November 1954
 91
Karl Fulves On Four-Card Brainwave credit information
 		92
Dai Vernon Four Card Brainwave 1955
Also published here 92
Dai Vernon, Sam Leo Horowitz The Vernon-Horowitz Method red/blue double backer
Also published here 93
Dai Vernon 4-as-4 Brainwave using 4-as-4 count, method guess
 		94
Paul Marcus, Fred Lowe George from 1969
 		94
Fred Lowe Super Brainwave Deck only effect description
 		95
Karl Fulves Summary
96
Dai Vernon, Patrick Page From the End of my Cigar - Excerpt interview with Vernon about the brainwave deck, 1977
 		97
Data entered by Denis Behr, September 2018.