The Century-Old Mystery Solved

For over a hundred years, the identity of S.W. Erdnase, the enigmatic author of 'The Expert at the Card Table,' has baffled magicians, gamblers, and historians alike. Published in Chicago in 1902, this seminal work is revered, yet its creator remained a ghost, eluding legendary figures like Martin Gardner and countless other 'Erdnase hunters.' Their theories, often speculative and lacking substantial proof, failed to withstand scrutiny, leaving the greatest secret in magic and card sharping unsolved.

A Scientific Hunt for Truth

Enter Dr. Chris Wasshuber, a trained scientist and engineer with a passion for intricate puzzles. Instead of re-examining old, exhausted evidence, Dr. Wasshuber embarked on a six-year quest for new documents. His breakthrough came with the discovery of the 1903 bankruptcy files of James McKinney & Co., the printer for 'The Expert at the Card Table.' This pivotal find, detailed within the ebook, opened a fresh investigative path, allowing him to zero in on a compelling candidate: Edward Gallaway.

Unmasking Edward Gallaway

Dr. Wasshuber's meticulous research moved beyond conjecture, centering on the book's linguistic 'fingerprint' and Gallaway's remarkable life story. Through countless hours spent in archives, newspapers, and genealogical records, a portrait emerged of a learned printer and entrepreneur, fluent in German, with a surprising past in circus magic. To further solidify the findings, Dr. Wasshuber commissioned renowned forensic linguist Dr. John Olsson. Dr. Olsson's comprehensive report, included entirely in this ebook, provides conclusive linguistic evidence, confirming Gallaway's profile as the most likely match for the elusive Erdnase.

Your Exclusive Access to the Revelation

This ebook, 'The Cardsharp and his Book,' offers an unparalleled deep dive into one of magic's greatest mysteries. It compiles all the primary evidence and Dr. Wasshuber's incisive analysis, revealing how a man who made his name in the print industry also created an alter ego revered by card experts worldwide. Prepare to read the fascinating account of a century-old secret finally uncovered, understanding not just who Erdnase was, but the incredible journey to find him.

Original Specs

The hunt to find the true identity of S. W. Erdnase, the author of The Expert at the Card Table, published in 1902 in Chicago, has been raging for more than a century. The book is as revered by gamblers and magicians as the Bible is by Christians.

One of the first and most active Erdnase hunters was well-known science writer, puzzle expert, and magician Martin Gardner, who erroneously thought he identified cardsharp and murderer Milton Franklin Andrews as being Erdnase. After Andrews, many other candidates were proposed, but none had a case strong enough to withstand scrutiny. None wrote like Erdnase, nor had sufficient opportunity, nor even a good motive, to write the book. Their cases were largely based on wild theories built on little evidence and held together by flawed assumptions.

DI Dr. Chris Wasshuber, a trained scientist, engineer and hobby magician with an interest in puzzles and hard problems, took on the challenge of trying to find Erdnase. Rather than continue to massage the same old evidence, he decided to look for new documents that would aid in the search. In a breakthrough discovery, he found the James McKinney and Jamieson-Higgins bankruptcy files from 1903. James McKinney & Co. was the printer for the self-published The Expert at the Card Table.

In this ebook Dr. Wasshuber tells the story of how the bankruptcy records were found, and how they allowed him to zero in on Edward Gallaway. Rather than focus on aspects we had no good evidence for he centered his investigation around the book itself and the linguistic 'fingerprint' of the author. Over the course of six years, Dr. Wasshuber inspected and searched in countless newspapers, archives, and genealogical records to piece together the remarkable life story of Edward Gallaway, a learned printer and entrepreneur, who was fluent in German, who had an insatiable appetite for reading and knowledge, and who most surprisingly also had a circus career performing magic and Punch & Judy. Every new piece of evidence found about Gallaway further confirmed that he was S. W. Erdnase.

Dr. Wasshuber hired renowned forensic linguist Dr. John Olsson to conduct a detailed study of the writings of Erdnase, Gallaway, Roterberg, Hilliar, Sanders, and Wilson, which resulted in Gallaway most likely being the elusive Erdnase due to their very similar linguistic profiles. Dr. Olsson's entire report is included in this ebook.

The ebook includes all the primary evidence, and analysis on which Dr. Wasshuber bases his conclusions, except the bankruptcy records, which are available separately. A century-old mystery has been solved. Erdnase has been found. Read the fascinating story and learn everything we know about a man who made quite a name for himself in the print industry, but whose alter ego would become revered by gamblers and magicians the world over.

Contents:

The Mystery
- Why do we care?
- Failed Attempts
- A New Approach
My Interest in Erdnase
The Prosecutor Takes on Gallaway
- Opportunity
- Motive
- Means
Physical Appearance
- Height
- Thumb
- Wrist and Sleeves
- Handedness
- Age
- Voice
- Complexion
- Appearance
- Soft Hands
- Origin
- Wife
- Summary
Linguistic Analysis
- Dr. John Olsson's Report: The Linguistic Magic of Erdnase
  - Introduction
  - 'There is no evidence'
  - Anagrammatic attributions
  - The knaves
  - The magic of language
  - The magic of the individual
  - Language change over time
  - Change and individualism
  - Focus of the investigation
  - Why vocabulary is important in authorship studies
  - Vocabulary sources
  - Aspects of vocabulary: very long words
  - Aspects of vocabulary: words relating to cognition
  - Aspects of vocabulary: relative rarity of the lexicon
  - Period and manner of composition
  - Author consistency
  - Conjunctions
  - Conjunctions and punctuation: a series of author choices
  - Decline of the semi colon
  - The comma in relation to conjunctions
  - Punctuation in relation to 'or' and 'nor'
  - Style comparisons
  - Comparing Expert and Roterberg
  - Comparing Expert and Hilliar
  - Comparing Expert and Wilson
  - Comparing Expert and Sanders
  - Summary of tests
  - Comparing Expert and Gallaway
  - Conclusion
- My Comments To Olsson's Report
- Cinnamon Word Analysis
- Compound Expressions
- Analytic Negative
- System of
Copyfitting Book
- The Monotype System Part I and II
- Comparing Hands
Traits, Habits and Interests
- Instructor, Educator, Pedagogue
- Performer
- Reading
- Wit
- Religious Questions
- Business Knowledge
- Gambling and Magic
- Pretty Money and Stock Market
- Math
- Print
- Detail-Oriented
- Learning from Failure
Erdnase Spoke German
Cover, Title Page, and Bookplate
Career and Circus
- Circus Time in Detail
- James Harto
Estimating Books
My Thoughts on the Smith Recollections
- Bank Account
Dalrymple Deception
The Name S. W. Erdnase
- My Favorite Explanation
- Other Explanations
Eugene Edwards
Edward M. Vernelo
The Book
The Copyright Registration Form
- Gallaway's Knowledge about Copyrights
- Earlier Copyright Rumor
Alexander August Gallaway
Carl A. Jettinger
Places
Timeline
Summary
Further Research
Envoi
Appendix 1: Copyright Registration Form
Appendix 2: Estimating for Printers
Appendix 3: Marshall Gardner Letters
Appendix 4: Western Carbon Paper and Supply Company
Appendix 5: McKinney & Gallaway Co
Appendix 6: Copyright Registration (How To Price Job Printing Properly)
Appendix 7: Interesting News Reports

The hunt for Erdnase started in January 2015. First edition, titled "The Hunt For Erdnase: and the Path to Edward Gallaway" 2016; Title change to "The Cardsharp and his Book" 2022; PDF 338 pages.
word count: 116291 which is equivalent to 465 standard pages of text

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