Howard Schwarzman died, at the age of 92, on July 21, 2020. News of his death first came to be known in the magic community about a month later, at which time I wrote this tribute, which was posted at the Vanishing Inc. website. You can find it there accompanied by some excellent photographs, and a rare video of Howie performing John Ramsay’s “Three Coins in the Hat.” However, now that my blog is active I wanted to add my tribute here as well, and to draw attention, and tribute, for some who may have missed it at the time.

When David Roth was asked to perform in impromptu circumstances, he would typically perform the following sequence of five routines. A close examination of this selection of material can serve to reveal a number of significant lessons. I came to understand the theory behind all this in the course of my study of magic in general, coin magic in particular, and David Roth’s magic as an exemplar. Roth’s choices can readily be seen as theory in action, and an answer to the question: Why study theory?

In the 1960s, Simon Aronson – well-known Chicago amateur card man, mentalist, and influential memorized deck creator – gave John an idea for a telephone book test. John tackled the project with his typical energy and determination, and not only created the necessary props, but developed a routine that he would go on to use for more than a decade in trade shows, on stage, and on television (where he performed it on The Merv Griffin Show).