magic magazine num. 234

THE BOOK WITHOUT A NAME ANNEM ANN

Biblioteca Fundación Juan March (Madrid)

Biblioteca Fundación Juan March (Madrid)

Th. ook

Without a Name 'E y

THEO.

ANNEMANN

W ith Introduction by A l. B a k e r

P U B L IS H E D BY

MAX H O L DE N N

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Biblioteca Fundación Juan March (Madrid)

Copyright 1931 by M

Printed in U.S.A. First Edition April, 1931

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o l d e n

Printed and Bound by Wm< q popper & Co. Rotogravure - Printing - Lithography New York

Biblioteca Fundación Juan March (Madrid)

I’m dedicating this, my first book, to Raymond McEwan and A. B. Bartron. Little could they have foreseen the path I was to follow when they showed me my first tricks. T

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A

u t h o r

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Biblioteca Fundación Juan March (Madrid)

The printers of this "Book Without a Name” are proud that this, the first Magical Work ever to be done in the Rotogravure Process was entrusted to them. They have done their best to have its format in keeping with the best traditions of the Graphic Arts and up to the highest standards of book making. The best minds in the Magical World have told us the effects are the master­ piece of a superior artisté — we hope the book is worthy of its contents.

Biblioteca Fundación Juan March (Madrid)

I n t r o d u c t i o n ... It is the usual thing for a writer to go to a friend for an introduction to his work, knowing well enough that the friend will say all the nice things that the author would like to say himself. I have been approached several times by budding authors to write an introduction for a book of new and original creations. A fter reading the manuscripts and finding the effects not so 'new’ and not so 'original’, I tactfully refrained from granting requests because I feel that the market is already overcrowded with magical plagiarism. Therefore, the fact that I have read the manuscript of this book and am now writing the intro­ duction speaks for itself. Having seen Annemann do these effects and knowing of his ability to get 'that something’ out of his presentation I can see real value here for the performer who is looking for the greatest effect from the simplest method. Annemann has a distinctly different approach and way of presenting his effects and this alone is the secret of why he is able to fool even magicians w ith tricks they already know. I think that if the reader will carefully study Annemann’s presentation as much as his method, he w ill get more real value than if he hastily reads the book just to see 'how’ the tricks are done. A l Ba ker.

Biblioteca Fundación Juan March (Madrid)

F o r e wo r d ... The author must have his say even though it be little. My ideas and conceptions differ a great deal from those of some with whom I am acquainted. It is m y theory that any effect to be successful must first be founded upon a simple method and then be performed with a direct to-the-point presentation. It is m y contention that the moment one deviates from this straight-line, he is not doing what a genuine magician or mind reader would do. To follow the above rules I have had to renounce all of the so-called performing ethics, inasmuch as I consider the effect upon m y audience above everything. So, to some, m y and in a number of ploring these facts, ultimate effect is on

methods may seem bold, daring, bare-faced, cases rather under handed, but before de­ admitting them, please consider what the those who are watching.

I wish to thank Mr. A l Baker and Mr. Max Holden for helping me w ith the photographs. Lastly, my heartfelt thanks go to Mr. Julien J. Proskauer, business manager of The Sphinx, and member of many magical societies, whose knowledge of magic and attitude towards the Art has helped make this book possible. T heo. A n nem

Biblioteca Fundación Juan March (Madrid)

ann

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I n d e x ... The 'Really N ew ’ Locator Card.........................................

10

A n Original Set Up Discovery..........................................

11

One in Fourteen------------------------ ----------------------------

13

A N ew Thought Card Spelling Effect............................

14

Whichever You Pleasel....... .— .............. .................... .........

16

Count Your Cardl -------------------------------------------------

17

Telepathy in the Audience.................................... .........—

19

The Red and Blue Back Mixup.........................................

20

The Gambler in Person-------------------------------------------

22

The Gambler is Back Again...-.................................... —

25

Psychic Sympathy Method N o. 1---------------------------

27

Psychic Sympathy Method N o. 2---------- ----------- -----

29

The Four Pile Location........................................................

30

The Genii C ut Deck Location............................................

33

The Mystery Card Reading Method................................

35

A N ew Apparatus for the Pellet Switch-----------------

38

Find the Lady.--------------- --------------------- ------------------

41

The Improved Magic Square Presentation.......................

42

The One Man 'Genuine’ Magazine Test............................

46

Mental Coloring— Telepathy w ith Silk.--------------------

49

The Color-Tell Billiard Balls------- ---------------------------

51

Seeing in the Dark........................... ....-................................

52

Seven Keys to Baldpate-------------------------------------------

54

A Prophecy of the Koran_____________ ____________

58

Jimmy Valentine Opens a Safe____________________

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Biblioteca Fundación Juan March (Madrid)

The “Really New” locator (^ard. ..

I

SINCERELY hope that this is my own originality because it is of untold value to the subtle card man. However, although I claim it as a 'find’ of my own, I can never be sure that it hasn’t been thought of before by someone. Just imagine picking up a strange pack of cards at any time or place. Then imagine having a perfect locator card in that pack in one second without it being out of sight for a moment, without adding anything or taking anything away, and without apparatus needed of any type. When I say 'locator card’ I mean one as perfect for the purpose as a short or narrow card and yet in this case it is neither of those two. By now it must seem like a marvelous secret but it is so silly and simple that even now my reader may just pass it over. MERELY TAKE TH E UPPER R IG H T COR N ER OF A N Y C A R D A N D BE N D BACK TH E TIP OF SAME U N T IL IT BREAKS. H ow many times have you accused a party (in your mind, of course), of being a clumsy dolt because they used your new pack and broke the corner of a card? I don’t mean break it off, nor by bending half the card, but just at the corner and just so that it has cracked. It must be done from the face back­ wards and not from the back towards face. N ow do this at the diagonally opposite corner when the deck is turned end for end. That’s all there is. You have the same thing as a short card. Riffle the deck from face towards back at this corner and when you reach this card it will snap and you w ill stop at it like any self respecting 'short.’ D on’t ask me why. I found it two years ago while playing with an old deck that had some broken corners. Since then I’ve used it constantly and some magicians are wondering how I did a certain trick with their own new pack.

Biblioteca Fundación Juan March (Madrid)

cAtt Original Set - Up ‘D iscovery. ..

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T H IN K I have something here that will open the eyes of the ones who have handled cards for any length of time and who have had occasion to use a set up or stacked deck. There are two stacks which have weathered the ages, one being the well known Si Stebbins arrangement of rotating suits and a three advancement in values, and the other is the arrange­ ment using the rhyme 'Eight Kings threatened to save, ninetyfive Queens for one sick Knave.’ O f the two, the latter was much the best from many standpoints, the most important being the apparent haphazard­ ness and the fact that there was no semblance of mathematical progression as in the former. It is very apparent in the Si Stebbins arrangement that when 3-6-9 shows up and then repeats itself a little further on something more than chance is at work. The one great objection to the 'Eight Kings’ method was the labor involved in setting this up as the cards must be found and stacked one at a time. The Stebbins method in contrast was simply put together by making four piles of the separated suits which had been placed in order from Ace to King. Each pile was started three ahead of the other and the mere picking up of the cards in rotation set them. My discovery, and I claim it as a real and worthwhile find, is an arrangement whereby the 'Eight Kings’ stack' can be put together as quickly and simply as the Stebbin arrangement and therefore the one great fault of this well thought of arrange­ ment is eliminated. W e shall suppose that your suit arrangement is Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds and Spades. We separate the four suits into four piles. N ew each pile is taken face up and arranged thusly from back towards face of pile— 4 - 7 - K - A - 9 - 3 - 6 - 5 1 0 - J - Q - 2 - 8 . This is very simple to learn when gone over a few times and is your entire key. Arrange each of the four suit piles in this order and have them face up before you in the correct suit order from left to right. The first pile starts with

-e f 1 1 j»

Biblioteca Fundación Juan March (Madrid)

an Eight. Cut the second pile so a King is at the face. Cut the third making a Three the face card. The fourth is cut to bring the Ten up. Starting from the left pick a card at a time from each pile over and over placing them face up in left hand and do this until all are picked up. Your deck is now completely arranged in the correct order and from the time you start with a mixed deck and separate the suits until you finish, this should not take over three minutes. I am not at liberty to mention his name, but one of the best known men in magic has used this stack for years and always had to set them one by one. I had the pleasure of setting his deck several times when in a great rush, once on a subway train, and thus I can be sure that in this case, at least, the 'find’ has been more than welcome.

Biblioteca Fundación Juan March (Madrid)

One in Fourteen...

I

H A V E found a rather good trick to end up any series of effects in which a stacked deck is being used. It destroys the order, hence the reason for it being last. The deck is placed on the table and the performer walks away. A spectator steps forward, cuts the deck several times and then takes the top card from deck. He remembers it, places it on table and deals 13 more cards from deck on top of it. Picking up these fourteen cards, the spectator shuffles and mixes them as he pleases, finally handing the cards to the performer. The performer in turn, fans the packet once, draws a card and throws it face down on table. The party names his card, turns over the one on table and finds it to be correct. Simple? Very much so because in the stacked deck every thirteen cards complete a cycle of the thirteen values and then start over. A ll the performer must do is look for a pair of cards of the same value and there will only be one such pair among the fourteen cards. The noted card is the one whose suit precedes the other and there you are! Thus if there are two Four spots, one a Heart and one a Spade, the Spade is the card because of your suit order in the stacked deck which is Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds and Spades. If the pair were a Diamond and a Club, the Club would be the one. It all happens simply because the top card is looked at and the fourteenth card from any one in deck is of the same value and the next suit in order.



Biblioteca Fundación Juan March (Madrid)

New Pellet Switch The spectator’s pellet is slid into the box as it is placed on hand for removal of match. When bo* is laid aside the dummy pellet is left on fingers from bottom of bo*. Note the method for reading the writing in back of the pad.

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Biblioteca Fundación Juan March (Madrid)

It might be a good plan when passing from hand to hand at the finish in search of the key, to pass two duds and hit it the third time. Too much play is boresome. When you touch the first hand, shake your head and say, "N o, there isn’t a thing there. It can’t be the key. Try it.” The party with the lock tries it and it doesn’t fit. This occurs with the second in the same manner. But with the third one the performer becomes elated and declares that this must be the key itself. It is tried— and works. Various strong presentation points are in this and will be worked up by the enterprising performer. One is that during the entire effect from start to finish you need never so much as touch a key or the lock. They are laying in full view and are first picked up by the spectator. Throughout the routine you only carry them and mix them. The trying of the keys and the opening of the lock is done by your audience and what could be more fair? O f course, you can use five keys instead of seven but then I wouldn’t have had such a good title for this real little mystery.

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Biblioteca Fundación Juan March (Madrid)

cA (Vrophecy of the Koran...

I

STILL remember when, around 1920, there was a deluge of methods for this effect and invariably they were more or less complicated in procedure or necessitated the faking of envelopes w ith carbon. In an effort to simplify the working and preparation I think I have succeeded inasmuch as the effect is just as strong from the viewpoint of the audience. The performer has an unprepared letter envelope and two business or blank cards. H e asks that the envelope be initialed w ith large letters so that it can be seen all of the time as the original one. While this is being done (and which also allows spectators to see that it is ordinary) the performer writes some­ thing upon the card with his pencil. This he openly drops into the envelope and allows the spectator to seal it. Holding the envelope so that the initials can always be seen, the performer asks a party to think for a moment and then name any city or town in the country. Upon this being done, someone else is asked to name a number of four figures and lastly a third person is requested to name any color which may be their favorite. As each is named, the performer writes it upon the other card at hand as a check. Tearing the end from the envelope after again showing the marks, the card is withdrawn and read aloud by a spectator. The performer has written something like this, 'Someone will name the city o f -------------------- , another w ill say the figures ----------------- , and another w ill pick the color o f ---------------------- ’ TH E PROPHECY OF TH E K O R A N IS CORRECT! First, I advise a little practice before a mirror. The only things needed are TH REE cards and an envelope. Follow the presentation. The only preparation is to write on one of the cards some­ thing like what has been quoted in the description of the effect but leaving places blank where the names are to be. Place another card onto this and hold them together as one card. Personally I keep the three cards together in the envelope which is in my pocket. Take out the envelope, remove the cards together and merely fan the top and single card a little, making a remark that you shall present a problem and use a couple cards and a envelope which you would like to have initialed