$38.00
Awesome collectible alert - this book is early enough in Kreskin’s career that it only has his given name before changing it in the 1960’s.
This is the only booklet in his library I have found thus far that doesn’t have Kreskin also with his birth name and a date.
He likely picked this book up in his late teens, early twenties.
Super cool find ****
Audley Walsh’s Sponge Ball Manipulation is a foundational work in close-up magic. It was among the first texts to treat sponge balls as a serious medium for advanced sleight of hand rather than a mere novelty, standardizing techniques that are still used today.
Here is a breakdown of the core sleights, concepts, and routines detailed in the book.
1. Core Technique: The Finger Pinch
The cornerstone of Walsh’s entire approach is The Finger Palm or Finger Pinch. Instead of relying purely on a traditional classic palm in the center of the hand, Walsh advocates for securing the ball near the fingertips.
The Mechanic: The sponge is pinched securely between the right second and third fingers, with the pinky finger resting directly underneath the third finger to act as a structural brace.
The Psychological Advantage: By snapping the ball into this fingertip-adjacent position, the hand can remain completely relaxed, limp, and natural. Crucially, Walsh emphasizes keeping the first finger always extended. This open posture completely destroys the spectator's suspicion that the hand is concealing an object, while leaving the index finger and thumb free to cleanly handle or display other items without fumbling.
2. Utility Moves & Utilities
Walsh builds on the finger pinch to introduce standard mechanics for multi-ball routines:
The Finger Pinch with Two Balls: A foundational multi-ball utility move. As one ball is apparently placed into the left hand, it is secretly retained in the right-hand finger pinch. The right hand then immediately reaches for a second tabled ball; the first finger and thumb act as a shield, allowing the hidden ball to be cleanly added to the tabled one, picking up both seamlessly as if they were a single ball.
Ancillary Sleights: The text details secondary utility work including basic Sleeving and Lapeling adapted specifically for the high-friction, highly compressible nature of sponge material, alongside a variation of the Thimble Move adapted for a ball.
3. Audley Walsh’s Signature Routines
The book is famous for introducing complete, story-driven presentations rather than isolated tricks. Notably, Walsh integrated the use of a small bell as a tool for auditory misdirection and timing.
"The Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs"
A charming narrative routine where the sponge balls represent the characters from the classic fairy tale.
The Plot: The performer walks through the story, using the sponges to visually represent the pigs hiding in their houses, moving between hands, and escaping the wolf.
The Bell Element: The spectator is instructed to "ring the bell" at key moments in the story. This action serves a brilliant dual purpose: it acts as a hilarious theatrical hook and provides perfect, bulletproof misdirection to camouflage the performer's secret loads, palms, and switches.
"Time Marches Onward"
A fast-paced, conceptually driven routine using two, three, and four balls. It focuses on classic plots elevated by Walsh's smooth handling:
The Effects: Features clean vanishes where the performer shows his hands completely empty immediately afterward, alongside rapid multiplication, transpositions, and a diminishing ball sequence.