Napkin Trilogy

Currently John Carney is probably the best exemplar of the Vernon school of magic. He has learned the best lessons from the best people and augmented them with his own exceptional skill, creativity, and insight. It is quite likely, when watching one of Mr. Carney’s performances, to witness feats from Sachs’ Sleight of Hand, Erdnase, Dai Vernon, Max Malini, Al Baker, John Ramsay, and others done to absolute perfection, with peerless sleight of hand, flawless misdirection, and with every item crafted and developed to fit his own particular performing character. When you watch a number of the Professor’s students, you may find that they missed many of his best lessons or failed to apply them. Mr. Carney is not one of those people. Mr. Carney, in addition to his exceptional abilities, is also one of magic’s greatest teachers and theorists, and his books are absolute must reads. He has also generously supplemented these texts with his excellent video offerings wherein you will not just get a superb example of magic done in a natural manner but also thorough lessons in misdirection and theory, as Mr. Carney never fails to emphasize the truly important elements in his explanations.