Magic Spells (Card Trick and Spelling‪)‬

Magic spelling tricks have a special appeal to those of us with a passion for recreational linguistics and mathematics. Provided of course that they are well done. This means that the mathematics should be subtle (sometimes the performer does not even fathom it) and the denouement should be dazzling. In a recent letter to us Martin Gardner indicated his top two choices. He was commenting on his Word Ways article "An Amazing Spelling Trick." (Ref. 1) I've written a history of this trick, which has had upteen variations, in a long, as yet unpublished article, titled "The World's Second Best Spelling Trick." It is the best presentation of dozens of different versions that have appeared in magic journals over the past decade or so.