Once Removed - The History and Inspiration

For several weeks a tremendously crude idea had been rattling around in my head. I had been inspired by the oft muttered words ``I’m not sure if it’s a full pack mind!’’ when overhearing one magician request the use of another’s deck of cards. My original train of thought involved strategically removing cards from your pack whilst also positioning the mates of these removed cards in order to act as indicators. The spectator, in this case, would be asked to think of a card and remove it from the pack. Their response if it did not exist helped narrow it down to a particular set. If it did not exist, then a casual request to remove its mate as an alternative, and noting from where in the deck the mate was removed narrowed the set down further. For a whole multitude of reasons, I could not arrive at a solution I was completely happy with. It wasn’t until I shared my idea with Michael that it eventually took form. Michael is a true genius, and I mean that with both honesty and sincerity. Anyone who has seen him when he has his mind set on solving a problem will be able to attest to this. He took this basic idea and cultivated it into something that was able to meet my original criteria, whilst retaining an air of simplicity and elegance to the underlying method. I have heard Michael talk at length about his creative process, and it is truly fascinating. Whilst the miner receives some credit for having excavated the diamond, it is the master craftsman who turns this into a beautiful piece of jewellery who deserves true recognition.

There are several people with work of a similar ilk in areas you may wish to further explore. For reference, these have been included toward the end of this book.