The Leprechaun Phenomena - Jim Kleefeld

NOTE from Don: This is a THICK book, filled with variations.  My guess is that there are over 350 different examples, all shown in full color, each with its own history or background.

In 1896 Sam Loyd created a puzzle that started a world-wide craze. His round two-piece design was a square card with a disc riveted to the center. It showed men encircling a globe, became a national phenomenon, and was actively sold in the tens of thousands. Bicyclists, sailors and other things began cropping up as admirers and copyists tried to replicate his success. In 1986 magician William Elliott and artist Pat Patterson created a new version with no moving parts. Fifteen whimsical leprechauns somehow charmed magicians, puzzle enthusiasts and everyone else when one of them magically vanished.

The simple cardboard toy was so popular that dozens of imitations cropped up quickly and over the years that number turned into hundreds. What is so surprising about the success of this intriguing little vanishing trick is that most people simply cannot figure out how it works. How do 15 printed drawings turn into 14 printed drawings without anything being erased, covered up, or cut away?

Here is the story of those marvelous little creatures that have long fascinated people from all over the world. Along with a thorough explanation of the puzzle, its history and its many creators and adaptors, this book contains an unprecedented number of variations that use the same principle to confound and entertain people everywhere.

NEW, Hardcover, 433 pages