Artifice, Ruse & Erdnase by Hurt Mcdermott

"Frankly, I find your approach the most careful and cautious of all that have been published." - Bart Whaley

"Hurt's book is very good writing on a subject I care about. I enjoyed it tremendously and learned a great deal in the process. I think you will, too." - Richard Hatch

In 1902 under the pseudonym S.W. Erdnase and the title Artifice, Ruse and Subterfuge at the Card Table a book on sleight-of-hand with cards was published. This book became the bible for card magicians. To this date it remains arguably the single most important book on sleight-of-hand card magic. Some of the most respected masters of card magic, like the late Dai Vernon, have repeatedly pointed to Erdnase as their guide. The book has been reprinted and annotated several times over the past decades. However, despite the importance and standing the book has achieved, the author has never been identified. Many scholars, experts of magic and gambling, as well as historians and scientists have tried to identify who is hiding behind the Erdnase pseudonym. For instance the Scientitic American puzzle editor and dean of science and math populizers, Martin Gardner, spent many years searching for Erdnase's true identity. Several candidates have been suggested and portrayed as Erdnase, but to this date the identification remains controversial.

This book by Hurt McDermott collects, evaluates, interprets and extends the facts and findings concerning the major Erdnase candidates proposed up to 2012. (For subsequent developments see The Hunt for Erdnase: and the path to Edward Gallaway by Chris Wasshuber). They are carefully weighed against each other. Although through this work McDermott shows how he has formed his opinion of the most likely candidates, the book's primary purpose is to survey all existing theories, to put them under a common objective microscope, and to guide and help the reader to form his own opinion of who Erdnase might have been.

Part of the problem of the hunt for Erdnase is that every hunter applies his own subjective criteria and often falls prey to confirmation biases to 'prove' that his candidate is Erdnase. For both the casual Erdnase enthusiast who would like to follow the various avenues that have been pursued to enjoy the mystery and legend around the author and for the veteran Erdnase hunter who would like a current summary of the state of the search, there is no better place to start ones reading than Artifice, Ruse & Erdnase: The Search For One Who May Not Want to Be Found.

1st edition 2012, 225 pages.

Table of Contents

1. Foreword
2. Author's Preface
3. Introduction: Erdnase's Identity And Why We Care
4. 1. Erdnase In Chicago
5. 2. Publication & Early Life
6. - Survival & Spread
7. 3. Geniisis & Methodology
8. - Genii Forums, Erdnase Thread
9. - Methodology
10. 4. The Men Who Are Not Erdnase (+ 1 Hopefully) Introducing The Candidates
11. - 1. The Paradoxical Candidate
12. - 2. The Complex Anagram
13. - Part 2: Occam's Candidates
14. - 3. The Railroad Agent
15. - 4. The Confidence Man
16. - 5. The Printer's Neighbor
17. - The E. S. Andrews Brotherhood Of Writers
18. - 6. The First Serious Contender
19. - 7. The Presbyterian
20. - 8. The Edison Pioneer
21. - The Expert At The Typewriter
22. - 9. Cheating According To Hoyle
23. - Chicago Magicians
24. - 10. The Plagiarist
25. - 11. The German Connection
26. - 12. The Collaborator
27. - 13. The Tomb Of The Unknown Erdnase
28. 5. Martin Gardner & Associates
29. - Speak Memory
30. - Marshall D. Smith
31. - E. L. Pratt
32. - MFA's Family Members
33. 6. Erdnase's Testimony
34. - Literary Analysis
35. - Erdnase's Style
36. 7. Questioned Documents
37. Epilog: Journey's End?
38. Select Bibliography
39. About The Author