Vernon Chronicles Vol. 4 – He Fooled Houdini by Bruce Cervon, Keith Burns

To learn more about the life and time of Dai Vernon get this book “The Vernon Chronicles, Volume 4 – He Fooled Houdini, Dai Vernon a Magical Life.” It contains many fascinating anecdote about Dai’s Life, but only a few magic tricks. This probably explains why so few copies of this book are in print. It is probably the hardest of all the “Vernon Chronicles” to find. To the amateur magician who is only interested in the latest trick this is not the book to get. However, if you are a magician that wants to become a Master Magician then this is an excellent start. It shows the thinking process of one of the most influential magicians of the 20th century.

Not only has Dai influenced many young magicians, he has personally known many great magicians of the past. For example: Nate Leipzig, Cardini, Malini, Harry Houdini. He has also known Tommy Downs (The King of Koins), Harry Blackstone, and many others. Dai talks about all these great magicians in this book. So if you are interested in the history of magic then this is a gem of a book. (John Watson)