Michael Perovich - The Vernon Companion

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This book is an absolutely mint condition !!!!


The Vernon Companion is a book by Michael A. Perovich about the twenty-plus years he spent going to The Magic Castle and learning from Dai Vernon. It was published in 2014 by Hermetic Press with a limited run of only 600 copies.


The Vernon Companion – Review


Published on December 16th, 2014

Written by: Andrew Pinard


It has been many years since I have sat down and read a magic book from cover to cover in only a few days, but it just happened with Michael Perovich’s The Vernon Companion. The book arrived Saturday, I began reading that evening and finished the book this morning (Tuesday). I read it in fifty- to sixty-page binges and then finished with a push. My previous post documented my thoughts on design, organization and writing style, but I would like to follow up with comments on the content in the last section of the book.


In addition to the line art illustrations throughout the book (by Colin Fleming), there are eight pages of color photographs (11 images in total) that range from childhood images of Vernon and his brother Charles, to images of Vernon’s father and uncle, and then images of Vernon with contemporaries. The selection of images is interesting in that the early ones don’t necessarily connect with any particular stories and the latter ones are candid shots that reflect some characters in the stories. It seems to me that I have not seen any of these images before.


Back to the written content. About halfway through the book is a collection of stories and observations from friends of Vernon. Most of these are “related by” in that they are in Perovich’s voice, but a few are in the contributor’s words. I really enjoy Perovich’s writing style and, thankfully, the contributor voices mesh pretty well. There are additional stories “related by” others in other chapters as well and Perovich has done a wonderful job of tying them in where they best fit the discussion at hand.


Looking back, Perovich has done a wonderful job of introducing the reader to aspects of Vernon (and early Magic Castle culture) that have not really been articulated in other sources. I admire the thoughtfulness of the approach as it is crafted to engage the reader in such a way that keeps the interest level high. A list of the chapter titles gives an idea of the approach: Introducing the Professor, The Grandfather Stories, Vernon and Company, Commentary, Observations, The Professor Himself, Stories and Observations by his Friends, The Raconteur, and The Urban Legends.


The final sixty-four pages consist of a series of appendices and an index that detail the physical experience of The Magic Castle as it was in the 1970s (I would have loved to see a floor plan and some photographs); an encapsulated history of Vernon described by the decade (this is a remarkably concise, while thorough overview of Vernon’s life); a chapter on “Vernon’s World” – those people (patrons, gamblers, magicians, etc.) who influenced him; a glossary of the “Magicians of The Magic Castle” (circa 1970-1980) who were significant parties in the culture enabled by The Magic Castle (founders and “family”). The book concludes with an Index of Names for easy reference (something we see too little of these days in magic books).


If I had to boil a characterization of this book down to one word, I would say, “Lore.” The author has provided a wonderful gift to the magic world – he has provided a glimpse into the people and culture surrounding Vernon which was enabled by The Magic Castle, its founders and habitués. While not a teaching book, there are many lessons to be learned. For those of us who never met Vernon and have never been to The Magic Castle, this book is the finest way to experience a time gone by: through the eyes of thoughtful observer and participant.


I truly enjoyed the ride and it gave me an appreciation for a place and time that have influenced (and will continue to influence) magicians for years to come…


Thanks to Micheal Perovich for sharing this with the world.

Comments: Illustrations by Colin Fleming. "Stories and Observations on the Life of Dai Vernon and the Magic Castle"

Contents (from book ToC):

xi Introduction
xv Acknowledgments

1 Chapter One Introducing The Professor
3 A Tentative First Mooting
9 Laughter In The Library
15 Hadjikhani
21 Ihe Professor Lights A Cigar
23 Day Or Die
27 Death And Taxes

31 Chapter Two The Grandfather Stories
33 Perspective From Another Era
37 The Coat In The Window
41 Walking Through Georgia
45 A Girl With Personality
47 Stress Reduction

51 Chapter Three Vernon And Company
53 Blackstone And The Chocolate Doughnut
55 Publicity By The Yard
57 Tales Of Finneran
61 Slydini Comes To Town
65 Battle Of The Bears
69 Germain Sends A Package
73 Heirs Apparent
79 Ron Wilson
83 Canada Jack
87 Charlie Miller
89 Senator Crandall
95 Glenn Falkenstein
103 Jules And The Elephant
107 Tony Giorgio

113 Chapter Four: Commentary
115 Opening A New Deck
117 Erdnase 101
121 A Matter Of Proportion
123 Listen, I'11 Tell You About Houdini

127 Chapter Five: Observations
129 Something Slimy In The Air
131 Vanished Into The Ether
133 You Either Have It Or You Don't
137 Motorcar Madness
141 Always Get A Good Sleep
145 Dai, You Look Pale
149 Rapt Attention

153 Chapter Six: The Professor Himself
155 Vernon Close Up
161 Vernon On Platform And Stage
165 Audio/Visual Vernon
171 Hands
179 Quoting The Quotable

183 Chapter Seven: Stories And Observations By His Friends
185 Recollections (As Related By Jeff Altman)
189 Bennie Roth (As Related By Brad Berlin)
193 Tire Inventors (As Related By Brad Berlin)
197 The Effect Is The Thing (As Related By Marc Caplan)
201 Memories Of Faucett Ross (As Recalled By John Carney)
215 Split It Down The Middle (As Related By Bruce Cervon)
217 Laughter And Applause (As Related By Bruce Cervon)
221 Tire Professor And Me (By Midrael Close)
225 How To Pick Up Women (As Related By Bill Goodwin)
227 Dry Hands (As Related By Ray Grismer)
229 Out Of Tire Night (As Related By Larry Jennings)
233 Carom Capers (By Martin Lewis)
237 A Bump In The Night (By Earl Nelson)
239 Sporting Skullduggery In Cuba (As Related By Gary Plants)
239 Babe Ruth And The Phantom Spade
241 Jack Johnson And The Dented Jockstrap
243 Closing The Iron Door On Houdini (As Related By David Roth)
247 Behind The Counter At Gamages (As Related By Roy Walton)
249 The Professor And The List (By Max Maven)

251 Chapter Eight: The Raconteur
253 You Never Met John Barrymore, Did You?
255 Ardo
257 Alfred Benzon
259 The Black Museum
261 The Head In The Trench
265 Pickpocket Potpourri
265 – Class Camion
266 – Shakespearean Suspect
266 – Whetstone For A Wire
266 – Nada Mas
267 – Dinner For Pops And A Cure For Insomnia
269 How To Tish A Broad

271 Chapter Nine: The Urban Legends
273 Hie Mischievous Monkey
277 Francis And The Beans (As Related By Cervon, Lewis And Wilson)
279 Vernon And The Long Count
285 Joe And The Robbers
287 A Nose For Erdnase
291 She Only Drove It On Friday Nights

297 Epilogue

299 Appendix A: Setting The Stage

303 Appendix B: Dai Vernon Decade By Decade
303 The Early Years
307 The Roaring Twenties
308 The Depression Years
310 The War Years
312 The Fifties
313 The Sixties
315 The Seventies
316 The Eighties

319 Appendix C: Vernon's World
319 The Heritage Magicians
321 Dai Vernon's Magic Mentors
322 Wily Wits
324 Gamblers And Gambling Experts
325 The Gamblers
329 Reformed Gamblers
330 Purveyors Of The Gambling Expose
330 Contemporary Magicians With A Personal Connection To Vernon
333 Frances Rockefeller King
334 Magicians From Across Tire Ponds

337 Appendix D: Magicians Of The Magic Castle (C. 1970-1980)
337 The Larsens And The California Core
340 The Castle Old-Timers
342 Frequent Visitors
343 All-Knowing Hosts
343 The Sleight-Of-Handsters
343 – In A Class By Themselves
344 – The Young Lions
345 – The Gang
348 Patrons Admirers And Celebrities
349 Castle Regulars

355 Index Of Names