We start the issue with the ninth installment of Mitsunobu Matsuyama’s “An Investigation into Magic in Japan” as he looks at the Japanese magician K.T. Kuma, popularizer of the Kuma Tubes.

This is followed by another excellent translation by the esteemed Lori Pieper of a little-known book about the Eighteenth Century world of gamblers and cheaters. L’antidote ou le contrepoison des chevaliers d’industrie, ou joueurs de profession (The antidote or counterpoison against the knights of industry, or professional gamblers), first published in 1768, features 25 letters and documents detailing techniques used by many swindlers in the game of Faro. These include: rough and smooth, trimmed cards, using paper grain bias to distinguish certain cards (perhaps they would have visited our store?), second dealing, the palm, the pass, lapping, and magicians’ methods for transforming cards. This article also features an introduction by games expert Thierry Depaulis.

We round out the issue with “Furthermore…,” which features input on the The Butterfly Trick from Bill Mullins and Mitsunobu Matsuyama as well as comments from P.G. Varola, Max Maven, and David Ben with regard to the Jean Hugard – Orville Meyer correspondence published in the previous issue of the journal.

If you are not a member, or your subscription is not up to date, please join or renew now to make sure you do not miss this exciting issue. Each issue is printed in a limited run with no plans to reprint!