First edition. Tan cloth with black stamping on front cover and spine. Portrait frontispiece, illustrated, 434 pages. Very good condition. This book details Martin Gardner's, Jeff Busby's and Bart Whaley's search to uncover the person hiding behind the pseudonym S.W. Erdnase. It lays out in detail the case for Milton Franklin Andrews. It describes the life of Andrews, how he started with magic, and how he transitioned to become a cardshark, including his travels around the word hustling and cheating to make a living.
A detailed analysis of Erdnase's likely sources and inspirations, as well as other information about the book, its reprints, and other pertinent information will help every Erdnase researcher. It also includes a technical section explaining the Erdnase Grip and some new ideas for the Erdnase Bottom Deal.
While there are probably not many left who think Milton Franklin Andrews was S. W. Erdnase, this work continues to be a very important work of reference for historians.
It is by itself also a great true crime book regardless of what you might make of the Erdnase connection it champions.
