I was wondering how far back Paddle Tricks go. Are they a throughly modern creation (post Golden Age)?

Chris

Chris,
I have no idea of the history of Paddle tricks, but I collect them and have been for sometime. I am still amazed when showing them that no one see's the paddle move being performed.
Rennie

Bill Palmer can set us straight on this, I think he wrote a booklet about it, but it's my understanding that the "paddle move" is actually hundreds of years old. I believe it's also noted in Scott's "Discoverie of Witchcraft," so that would put it at least in the 1600's, and my guess is that it's even older than that.

I'll be interested to read the other posts on this. SETHB

I'm no history professional but I would think that the 1400s in Europe would not be unreasonable.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

From Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) by Reginald Scot: "Item: A piece of wood in which are drilled three holes. On one side a peg sticks out of the second hole, on the other side it sticks out of the third hole. The sleight consists in turning the piece of wood. These are such easy sleights that even a bungler can do them, and appear to have great skill."

That's as much as it says, but it tells us that SOMEONE in 1584 knew how to do the paddle move (Scot doesn't do a good job of teaching it or describing it).

... and the two great exponents of making paddles... Eddy Taytelbaum and Joe Porper.

Chance Wolf's recent PaddleCraft offerings are among the finest I have seen.

Sethb is correct. Bill's monograph was originally published in 1993, and the latest edition was published in 2004. It's titled "The Early History of the Paddle Trick in Print 1584–1901." [Houston, Texas: The Author, 2004], and is 26 pages in length. If you PM Bill, you might be able to purchase a copy from him. Well worth his asking price (forgot what it is). He's a great guy to boot. Clay

The description in Scot, as well as the description in Prevost are not sufficient to enable one to perform the paddle move. In either case, one was done with a stick, the other with a knife. The earliest paddle trick in print is in 1901, by P.T. Selbit. It is in The Magician's Handbook and is called "The Chinese Bat."

Thanks for the plug and the kind words, Clay.

I have almost as many paddles as I do cups and balls sets.

I'm curious now . . . what was the effect in Selbit's "Chinese Bat"? I've been on a paddle obsession recently, so I'd love to know the what the earliest paddle trick in print is.

Cheers!
Keith

What are the most famous paddle tricks?
Me I present "slippery rocks" by D. Zimmermann(sp.?) and I would learn other great PT...
Thanks,

The Edward Victor Bat Trick (Magic Inc.) is the basis for dozens of routines (including mine).

Actually, this is not the quote in Scot. The quote reads as follows:

"Item. A rish through a peece of trencher, having three holes, and at the one side the rish appearing out in the second, at the other side in the third hole, by reason of a hollow place made betwixt, them both so as the slight consisteth in turning the peece of trencher."

Note that the words "peg" and "wood" do not appear in this text. Neither does "These are such easy sleights that even a bungler can do them, and appear to have great skill."

This quotation is taken from a secondary or even tertiary source.

The word "rish" means a "rush," possibly a piece of a rush. A "trencher" was a wooden tray that food was served upon. So, it is possible that the translation as given in whatever source Spellbinder took it from is reasonable. However, I have seen intepretations of this that actually credited the person who made the "peece of trencher" with drilling a diagonal hole between the two sides of the "peece of trencher."

Paddles, themselves, are very recent. There is a certain effect that a paddle has that is not found in a hot rod or a color changing knife. This is due to the shape of the paddle. If you really want to do the jumping peg correctly, the peg should be no longer than the width of the paddle. A bit of experimentation will show you why.

Doe anyone have the original instructions to Dick Zimmerman's Slippery Rocks effect they can share with me?

Thank you!