I have been working on the Cannibal Cards for some time. Much to my good fortune, I recently picked up a copy of Kabala that had a section dedicated to this plot!!! In it, the editor mentioned that the original plot by Lin Searles was a marketed item. Was this a manuscript or something with gaffed cards? What was the difference between Searles’ original version and say the one that Michael Ammar shows on the ETMC card series?

P.S. Who edited Kabala? It says it was published by Louis Tannen. Was Tannen the editor?

When Wesley James discovered the original Ascanio Spread from a magician in Spain, he put together the first Cannibal card routine using the Ascanio. It was based on the GAFFED Lin Searles effect. the "Ascanio Spread" used in later versions, and the move we have come to associate with the name "ascanio spread", was done with the cards held vertically and is technically Roger Smith's "KS Move". It uses the same mechanics however the cards are held in a vertical grip, in the original version James used the cards were held in a grip similar to a Hindu shuffle.

Kabala was edited by Jon Racherbaumer I believe.

Lin Searles released his "Cannibal Cards" in the early '60s. The effect was accomplished with the use of gaffed cards and a few cardmen began a search for methods that avoided gaffs. In the mid '50s Alex Elmsley had devised an effect called "Repulsive Aces" and Roy Walton recognized that this effect was ready-made
for the task...just substitute the aces for the "ravenous kings". Over the years Mr. Elmsley's solution has become the basis for many of the neo-modern methods to the "Cannibal Cards" plot. The original "Repulsive Aces" effect can be found in "The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley" Vol. I, (pp 229-233) by Stephen Minch. There is a version of "Cannibal Cards" in Giobbi's C.C. Vol. III if I'm not mistaken.

<<<<KRaZy4kardz>>>>

There is a very funny routine in Steven Minch's "Creations of a Magical Madman"
It is a little complicated but great for a single performance.

J.J. Sanvert in his DVD The Best of J.J. Sanvert also has a very great Cannibal Card Routine

and it ends with climax

I was looking through the Kabbala and I see that it was indeed edited by Jon Racherbaumer.

FYI, don't forget the version Racherbaumer published by Matt Corin (with a bit of my thinking as well)... AND... I believe the original Lin Searles version is STILL available at http://www.owenmagic.com