This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/30/2021
Jaks, Stanley (Herbert Siegbert Jaks). Stanley Jaks’ Book of Mysteries. Circa 1936. A finely constructed book box approximating the size of a large Bible, richly bound in red leather with sterling silver detailing on the front board, including the text “PACABA” flanked by two mystical symbols, the letters set below the face of the Hindu goddess Kali, this ornament said to be a gift to Jaks from the Aga Khan. Inside, the book holds two compartmentalized trays of miniature magic props used for many of Jaks’ most famous routines, along with a plush-covered working surface, said to be one of the first examples of a close-up mat. The book contains many of Jaks’ signature tricks, including his original Jaks Wallet (known as Private Reading Plus), his set of miniature sterling silver Cups and Balls crafted in Morocco, the LEFCAIDO divination trick, props for his Purse Mystery (as described in the Tarbell Course), and a range of other accoutrements used in various card magic and mentalism effects. Book dimensions 4 x 14 ? x 11". Accompanied by a carrying case used by Jaks to store and transport the book. An extensive discussion of Jaks and his book has been chronicled in The Incredible Dr. Jaks by Leo Behnke and Robert Blumele (Salon de Magie, 2014). The text not only explains the working behind many of the tricks in the Book, but also the origins of the case itself and the story of its use and creation in the 1930s, explaining that some of the props it held were finely crafted antiques that served no other purpose than to create an aura of mystery around the tricks in Jaks’ repertoire. The authors also speculate that the word “PACABA,” emblazoned on the front cover of the book, may have been derived from translations of the words “papyrus” and “cabalistic.” However, the truth may be far less mysterious, as some have speculated that it is, in fact, the central tranche of letters in the word “Copacabana,” the famous Manhattan nightclub where Jaks sometimes performed.