(13th March 1910 - 1975)
Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Inspired at age 12 watching Ed Reno. Learned from Gilbert Mysto Magic set and lessons from Charles Dietric. Banker in Middleburg, Penn. Amateur mental magician.
Coauthors: Ned Rutledge, Eddie Clever, Stanley Jaks
Hardcover without dust jacket in good condition. For details on the contents see the digital edition.
Harcover with dustjacket. A clean and tight copy. For details on content see the digital edition.
Softcover in decent condition. For details about content see the digital edition.
Dr. Jaks' Triple Prediction miracle and other mental subtleties are clearly explained in this must-have manuscript for mentalists and psychic entertainers. Dr. Jaks devised a devilishly clever Triple Prediction. Now, J. G. Thompson's clear instructions enable you to perform this amazing demonstration.
Plus, you also get additional chapters on Jaks' techniques for: his billet knife, Chuck Smith's M-T Pad, a devastating card mental test for stage, and how Jaks would stretch the truth to turn a terrific prediction into a mind-blowing spectator experience.
The Triple Prediction effect, as...
Here's a complete four-phase routine using a deck of ESP cards.
Do you know the true facts about the ESP deck? J. G. Thompson, Jr. has thoroughly analyzed the deck and come up with some most amazing discoveries which he has blended into the first completely routined demonstration with a standard deck of Rhine E. S. P. cards.
Now you can prove your mastery over extra sensory perception (ESP) and demonstrate to your audience that you are a mentalist by using an ESP testing deck - a scientifically approved accessory. You go through a series of experiments such as Rhine has only hoped to...
From the back cover by Karl Fulves:
The Thompson name having been associated with quality magic for the past fifty years, the reader of this new book will need no recommendation as to the value of the material. It contains all of the Thompson trademarks; new ideas, subtle approaches, smoothly routined magic, impeccably researched articles, inscrutable titles, excellent patter and presentation suggestions. All of this is well known and indeed synonymous with the Thompson name. There is another facet to the material in this book which may not be readily apparent however, and it is this which I'd like...
Mentalists, here's the last word in question reading, using no chemicals, no stooges and no apparatus.
Any number of spectators write questions or other data on plain white cards, all of which are sealed by their writers themselves in opaque envelopes. Each spectator is designated by a number and these numbers are written on the envelopes. The performer gathers the questions, which are at no time out of sight of the audience, and begins to divulge the contents!. As soon as each question is answered, it is returned to the writer who acknowledges the card as the one on which he wrote and verifies...
Excellent work filled with strong card routines. Explanations are detailed and supported by photo illustrations. From the preface by Ned Rutdlege:
Jim and I have complementary minds. An idea from one of us sets up echoes in the brain of the other. Jim has a fantastic grasp of magical literature, and a high intelligence that puts his knowledge to work. The methods he comes up with are often unusual and always interesting. For me, they start wheels turning. I take the method, or nucleus of method, and begin re-shaping it for entertainment value...then I lay it in the laps of a live audience. ...
From the introduction by Martin Gardner:
With this distinguished background it is little wonder that his latest series of books, Top Secrets of Magic, of which this is the third, is a veritable treasure trove of material, clearly and simply explained, and displaying a remarkable knowledge of what has been done and is being done today in every branch of conjuring. The large clear photographs make the text delightfully easy to follow. Magicians throughout the world will look forward now to volume 4, then 5, and as many more as Jim will find time to write, for he is putting together a series of such scope...
From the introduction by Milbourne Christopher:
I first heard of Jim Thompson in the pages of Ted Annemann's Jinx. Then his main interest was mental magic. I have never seen him perform but I have seen many magicians use the tricks he has put into print. I always visualize him as a mild mannered man who would make an excellent beacon in a blackout. See his "Moonlight Madness," page 301 in Annemann's Practical Mental Effects, or page 265 in My Best.
This current volume of "Top Secrets" is the second in a planned trilogy. You have most of the objects needed for the feats described. If something special is required, Jim will tell you how to make it, or where to buy it....
What a wonderful book on sleight of hand magic with small objects this is - profusely illustrated with more than 200 photos, by a recognized inventor, author, and reviewer of magic.
From the introduction by Blackstone:
But, there has always been a dearth of practical routines, probably due to the difficulty encountered by most magicians in linking tricks into a smoothly flowing series of mysteries and, perhaps, because of some innate trait of laziness found in most of us. That is why I am so impressed and pleased with the text of Jim’s book. It truly helps to fill an unfortunate gap in magical...
Thompson and Clever unite again to bring you three baffling mental mysteries that you and your audiences will enjoy.
Magicians and mentalists everywhere raved about this collection when it was first released. Long out of print, this revised manuscript is once again available to a new generation of performers.
Sh-h-h-h-h-h! (Clever) - A spectacular blindfold mystery with secret agent patter. Audience members tear a spectator-written letter to shreds and hand the pieces to the performer behind his back. The performer, unable to see the pieces or even discern which side is up, unfailingly...
J. G. Thompson, Jr's fabulous master-key to card control.
From the introduction by B. W. McCarron, "T-Formation (TF) is a monograph of card sleights that are not at all difficult for the average performer; yet they allow a nice range of performance possibilities. Forces, controls, peeks and even the versatile double lift are all given the 'Thompson treatment.' "
T-Formation teaches the average magician or mentalist an assortment of maneuvers with cards that are easy to execute but full of deceptiveness. In the author's words, T-Formation "enables the performer, with a minimum of effort, to perform...
We're going to let the words of the immortal Robert A. Nelson describe this amazing psychic demonstration.
A volunteer assistant (not a confederate) hands out to any spectator of his choice, white cards and envelopes and the performer requests these persons to "write something." The spectators comply and seal their cards in the envelopes provided, after which they are gathered by the volunteer who passed them out. All this is perfectly fair, for the performer doesn't leave the stage at any time. The volunteer assistant takes care of everything.
After securing all the envelopes, the volunteer mixes them...
Here are four mind-blowing card effects with a mental flavor. All are in keeping with the well-known ingenuity of these two artists. Every one of the effects is top notch. Magicians and mentalists everywhere raved about this collection when it was first released. Long out of print, this manuscript is now available to a new generation of performers.
Hallucination, Jr. (Clever) - The adventures of the card everyone is thinking about provides a baffling mystery and leaves the spectators talking to themselves in amazement, as the chosen card somehow leaves the table and materializes in the spectator's...
From the foreword:
For years the pattern has been the same. A newcomer to magic invariably turns first to cards as a vehicle for mystification. He spends hours upon hours mastering difficult sleights and then, to his dismay, learns of the existence of easier and more effective maneuvers hidden away in magical literature - moves about which he could have no knowledge, but which would have made his previous struggles unnecessary, or, at least, eased them. Gradually he discards the results of many arduous hours of practice and substitutes the newly discovered and simplified versions until,...
Over 200 different impromptu take-a-card trick endings.
From the introduction by John Braun:
He has definitely struck "pay dirt" in this book, which he has whimsically titled THE LIVING END. In simpler terms, this is an encyclopedic collection of endings for one of the most popular branches of Magic - the "take a card, look at a card, remember a card, think of a card, any card," opening.
Having completed this stage, the performer KNOWS either the identity of the card or its whereabouts in the pack, and sometimes he knows both. And, as John Northern Hilliard put it back in 1908 in DOWNS' ...
This is a classic, a wonderful book now available as PDF. It contains the best of the best from 115 well-known professionals and clever amateurs. 193 tricks and routines from all branches of magic.
Paul Fleming wrote:
This latest compilation of feats of mystery is a volume of 384 pages, which include 145 pages of card tricks, 193 of miscellaneous magic, 32 of biographical sketches, four of index, and ten of prefatory material. The reader who is familiar with the literature of magic will soon learn that the title, My Best, is not to be taken literally; for he will already have met in print better tricks...
The origin of the center tear is unclear. Some say it was used by mediums for a long time before magicians found out about it. Theodore Annemann was the one who made it popular among mentalists. Others believe that Martin Sunshine invented it, who passed it on to Theodore H. Arnold who shared it with Annemann. Either way, the principle is one of the most powerful at the disposal of mentalists.
This ebook describes in detail the various phases from the steal, to reading the center as well as other applications and tips.
PDF 11 pages.
Thompson and Rutledge are two extraordinary creative mentalists who have created entertaining and incredibly deceptive mental routines. Thompson writes in the preface: "I've enjoyed the joint effort. It tended to point up a number of basic truths that I hadn't thought about for a long time...such as how different two people can be, and how much better an effect can be made if two minds work on it."
CONTENTS