Behind Dr. Jaks

The Story Behind The Incredible Dr. Jaks The 28-year history of a book that wouldn’t die . . .

Copyright © 2014 - Leo Behnke

Designed by

Book Group Las Vegas

The Story Stanley Jaks was a magician who became famous in Germany and Switzerland, then became even more famous when he emigrated to the United States. He was gifted man, filled with the perfect combination of artistic sense, personal worth, physical dexterity, imagination, and a sense of humor. His magic interest started with card and pocket tricks, progressed to stand-up magic in nightclubs and theatres, and then had the upheavals of a world war change his tricks and his style to fit a smaller stage—the top of a dining table. He was one of the rarest of magicians in Europe, a close-up performer. He and Dai Vernon were close in time in this new concept of conjuring, but thousands of miles apart in space. It was about 1934 that he was hired full-time to do his tricks right under the noses of hotel dinner guests in San Moritz, and he started his unique style that created two intriguing fields of magic presentation.

One of his first innovations was to put his props inside a hollow book that was so beautifully bound that it could grace the shelf of any world-class library. He called it his ‘book of mysteries’, and it was filled with mysterious objets d’art that were manipulated in a magical manner. When he came to the U.S. in 1946 he brought his famous book with him, and began to fool American diners. With his accent, his stylish charm, and a way of twisting magic effects to get the most wonder out of them, he was immediately being invited and booked in the homes and cabarets of the social set. After a few years, Jaks began to see changes in the future of magic theater, so he began changing his presentations. Again, his appeal and skills put him into a higher class of entertainment, one that carried him across the country and internationally. He had retired his book and now concentrated on lectures and demonstrations of mentalism. Finally, as happens even to magicians, Stanley Jaks came to the end of his intriguing and gifted life. He passed away in January of 1960, and the physical objects of his magic went in various directions.

The Book His beloved Book of Mysteries began its trip through various magic owners, including friends of Jaks, a couple of attorneys, and a magic manufacturer. At

last, in 1987, Robert L. Bluemle had the beautiful book in his hands. Inside the leather-bound book were two trays of compartments that held the various magic props. He commissioned a jewelry photographer to shoot close-up shots of the book’s exotic and artistic items in bright color, and he became even more caught up in the life of Siegbert Stanley Jaks. A short time later he contacted Leo Behnke in Los Angeles, and they began to put together the life of Dr. Jaks. Bob would write the biography, and Leo collected the tricks and rewrote them so they were all in a matching style. For over two years they gathered material, not only biographical facts but photos of Jaks and his friends in Europe and America, all the variations of his tricks, and most of the cartoons and artwork that Jaks used in his magazine articles, advertising, and correspondence. During this time, Bob also put together a lecture about Jaks and his fabulous book of miracles that was illustrated by slides of the props. This was presented to various magic clubs, and was also a feature of the November, 1988, issue of M.U.M., the magazine for the Society of American Magicians. Through the following years Bob maintained his interest in Jaks by continuing to collect photos and information, but the press of work and a divorce made his time much more valuable. He finally moved to Vermont in 2001 to be closer to his two daughters, and started to enjoy a retired life.

On 8 May, 2014, Robert Bluemle passed away at the age of 80, and it looked as though the book about Jaks was doomed to vanish forever. Ken Klosterman heard about the finished but unpublished manuscript, and contacted Leo about publishing it in the memory of Bluemle. Leo agreed, and after 28 years the book was put into final shape for printing and distributing.

Two Editions There are two editions available to close-up magicians, mentalists, historians, collectors, or those who like an intriguing story about a fascinating character. Although each book has the identical text and medley of 70 of Jaks’s tricks, each cover has its own design. TRADE EDITION The book of 296 pages is bound in a dark red cloth matching the leather of Dr. Jaks’s original book, matching headbands and footbands, with gold titles on the spine and the front cover. It also has a 24-page section of full-color photos, and complete directions for the 70 Dr.Jaks tricks. COLLECTOR’S EDITION This copy is printed the same as the other edition, but is bound in dark red leather and

is decorated in gold and black to match the cover of the original Book of Mysteries. There are endbands at the head and foot of the spine, a special bookmark and a Dr. Jaks bookplate are enclosed, and a colophon is tipped-in with the signatures of both Ken Klosterman and Leo Behnke. Each copy is numbered as one of fifty copies, and is enclosed in a red cloth-covered slipcase. Both editions are available for sale from the publisher: Ken Klosterman 6600 Smith Road Loveland OH 45140

After 28 years, the Dr. Jaks book is finally available so all members of the magic arts can read about, and appreciate, what the man did for our profession. He changed and paved the way for future practitioners of those two arts to be considered artists, as well as earn larger fees. Those two fields of conjuring are the artistic presentation of close-up and the legitimate presentation of mentalism. Thank you, Dr. Stanley Jaks . . .

The publication date of these very special books is 1 December, 2014.

“The Incredible Dr. Jaks” trade edition: collector’s edition:

$79.00 $169.00