Mentalists, psychic entertainers, magicians, collectors and magic historians will be pleased to discover the following manuscripts, books and effects from the Nelson Enterprises catalog, now updated and edited for a new generation of performers:
The Thunderbolt Deck- Nelson's answer for what could be the perfect mechanical deck. As easy to use as a Svengali, but no funny riffles or tapping the ends of the deck. You can make one up yourself. (NE Cat. #31)
Spirit Rope Ties- Three effective rope ties to use for pseudo-mediumistic stunts or for a comedy effect where, no matter how securely a spectator tries to tie you, you are free almost instantly. Yet, you can be shown to still be tied as before. (NE #119)
The Life Saver- Four rolls of Life Savers are unwrapped and the contents dumped into a paper bag. From across the room, a lady selects a candy at random from the bag and pops it into her mouth. The appealing taste heightens her senses, as she telepathically transmits the flavor from her brain to yours. In fact, you could walk a block or two away and reveal the flavor over your smartphone. When you come back in the room, any person calls out a flavor from among the four that were poured into the bag. You reach in and immediately select it. Can be repeated. (NE Cat. #188)
The Want Ad Test- From a newspaper, a committee cuts out about fifty ads and seals them into coin envelopes. A spectator picks out 13 sealed ads. From those, a second spectator makes a selection. You (or a "medium" seated upon the stage) accurately announce the text of the still-sealed ad. The envelope is opened by a spectator and it is confirmed that the medium (or mentalist) was correct. Can be repeated once or twice more, as time permits. (NE #122)
Kayto the Spirit Artist- A wooden frame with a glass front is passed for inspection. The performer shows four or five sheets of white paper. On one, the performer places a large "X" and inserts it against a piece of glass. A spectator signs their name on the end of this paper, and it is sandwiched between a second sheet of glass, then inserted into the frame. Now a lady names a flower. When the frame is shown, IN BETWEEN THE GLASS PLATES, there is now a picture of the selected flower. And yes, the signature is on one side of the paper and the cross mark still on the other. The spirit artist was at work. (NE Cat. #185)
BONUS: Cryptesthesia by Wm. Wallace Lee- A number of articles are placed on a table. Three are selected for use in the test. Spectators hide the articles on their person while the mentalist is out of the room. Upon his return, he faces each of the spectators and reveals which article each person has. No stooges or accomplices. (NE #206)
The total value of the manuscripts in today's dollars, if you were still able to obtain them, would be nearly $216. Now, published in an updated and corrected volume, you get all of them together for about the price of a fast-food lunch.
Like the other volumes in the series, each chapter includes an original catalog description and corrected manuscript text for the particular title or effect. Also contains performance notes fromB. W. McCarron.
Fill those holes in your Nelson Enterprises collection by adding this volume to your library.
"The Thunderbolt Deck will fool you!"-John BraunOriginally published 1927, 1934, and 1944. PDF 44 pages."For an impromptu and mystifying effect, one could not be equipped with anything better than Cryptesthesia."- T. J. Crawford
"Cryptesthesia is the best impromptu trick I have seen."- A. B. Harrington
word count: 12136 which is equivalent to 48 standard pages of text
