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<font size=3>Does this mean that the next edition of the extremely
current Yale Book of Quotations will index this under "Maskelyne's
Law"?<br><br>
Joel<br><br>
At 12/8/2007 07:47 AM, Shapiro, Fred wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">I have now verified the 1911
occurrence of the "Murphy's Law" proverb from the original
book:<br><br>
It is an experience common to all men to find that, on any special
occasion, such as the production of a magical effect for the first time
in public, everything that _can_ go wrong _will_ go wrong. Whether
we must attribute this to the malignity of matter or to the total
depravity of inanimate things, whether the exciting cause is hurry, worry
or what not, the fact remains.<br>
Nevil Maskelyne and David Devant, _Our Magic_
(1911), p. 110 [this section of the book was written by
Maskelyne]<br><br>
I have also looked at the original book of _Magic Made Easy_ by David
Devant (1910), but do not see anything resembling Murphy's Law
there.<br><br>
Fred Shapiro<br><br>
<br>
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Fred R.
Shapiro
Editor<br>
Associate Librarian for Collections
and YALE BOOK OF QUOTATIONS<br>
Access and Lecturer in Legal Research Yale
University Press<br>
Yale Law
School
ISBN 0300107986<br>
e-mail: fred.shapiro@yale.edu<br>
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