Conjuring Credits

The Origins of Wonder

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Svengali Forcing Pad

The long-and-short-page principle used in the Blow Book and adapted to playing cards was applied at least as early as 1941 to paper pads gimmicked to force a word, number or image. Allan Lambie was the earliest so far discovered to have done this, in his “Card Trick without a Deck” Tops, Vol. 6 No. 1, Jan. 1941, p. 12.

Various special forcing pads relying on the long-short principle have since been devised by a number of magicians. In the early 1980s, the manufacture of specially gimmicked pads to force items began and has continued, with forcing pads being marketed by Ton Onosaka, Scott Creasey, Chris Jones, Brett Barry and others.

Also see: Svengali Deck