THERE ARE MANY GHOSTS IN MAGIC. People who are heard but not seen. People buried in the scenery of the magic landscape. People who make a tremendous contribution to the intellect of magic by their profound thinking and creativity often stimulated by their isolation from the magic tribe. People who rarely or never perform magic in front of an audience.

I’m thinking here of far-flung magical thinkers like Stewart James, buried in the wilderness of Canada whose output and ideas were revolutionary. Others like Peter Duffie, a man who is largely incommunicado, hidden in the outskirts of Glasgow and his nearby neighbour Roy Walton who is rarely seen but whose original output over the years has led to world fame. Another was Jack Avis who published over six hundred effects and routines during a lifetime of reading and research pursued in an armchair in Sydenham and who presented magic to an audience on less than six occasions.

But there is another ghost, also hiding in a tree-lined street in SE26, not a cough away from Jack Avis. Lewis Jones. Whose close proximity led to regular weekly meetings that resulted in a huge output of magic ideas that were jointly published in a book “Ahead of the Pack.” You may have seen his name in books and magazines from time to time but are not familiar with his work. But many of the greats have applauded his ideas and creativity. Paul Daniels admits to having included several of Jones’s routines in his permanent performances. Michael Close has compared him with Stewart James. Ian Rowland says he has a remarkable mind with alarmingly baffling plots. Al Smith compares him to Paul Curry and Stewart James. Steve Beam states that Jones is in his top ten card men of the world and Penn & Teller said “Don’t buy his books – they give away too many secrets!”

Jones has spent a lifetime in pure magic creativity lubricated  by his academic background in languages and science. He has come up with some quite brilliant ideas and filled twelve books with some of the most profound thinking to be seen this side of Annemann, T.A. Waters and Larry Becker. A quiet, polite, retiring personality who looks something like a university professor and whose dogged pursuit of magical knowledge is prodigious. He has authored hundreds of ideas with cards, coins, small magic, mental magic, mathematical principles and others utilising his probing mind.

Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne his first contact with magic was a performance by Dante at a local theatre, a casual interest that stayed with him throughout his childhood. Later he won a state scholarship to Cambridge University where he graduated in modern languages. With a vivid imagination and a natural aptitude for writing he created a number of radio drama scripts and short stories for the BBC at the same time feeding his interest in magic theory and detail throughout his academic years. Like Avis he is an avid reader and collector of information and he began to amass books and references on magic and other subjects relevant to his profession. A habit that continues today where the walls of his home are hidden by thousands of books, a collection that required him to move to a larger house some years ago. At one time he was regularly in touch with famed magic bookseller George Jenness who kept him fed with volumes of the latest magic.

On leaving university he wrote scripts and took a number of teaching posts and was then offered a position in Singapore working as a script writer and producer in national radio. The opportunity to work in a small, flexible, creative environment suited his temperament and he stayed for eleven years. Not only was he writing plays, scripts and producing programmes, but he became a broadcaster and commentator on various events including badminton which had become a passion and an active pastime.

It was here that he met Susheela Devi, the lead violinist in the Singapore Symphony Orchestra that led to their return to England where she took up a position with Sadlers Wells. Lewis became a freelance writer and scripted a number of science series for the BBC for many years. Today, in semi retirement he still makes contributions on scientific matters to American publications.  It was in England that he recognised a face in a TV magic show of a former pupil at his school. It was Martin Breese and the two met and celebrated their hitherto unknown interest in magic.

His analytical and encyclopaedic mind has devised many codes, cryptographic and mathematical methods that have led to the publication of several highly praised magic books and manuscripts. His long distance thought-reading effect “Transmission Impossible” was used by Paul Daniels as a climax to one of his TV magic spectaculars.

In constant touch with many of the scattered, like-minded, worldwide magi he continues today developing ideas, making notes and observing the world scene of serious magic. To this end he flies back to Singapore twice a year to keep contact with his friends in and out of magic. Here they made him an honorary member of the IBM. This octogenarian wizard shows no let up in his output having just completed and published his twelfth book “The Magic Gourmet” which has received enthusiastic reviews worldwide.

On the shelves of many of the world’s finest creators of magic you will find Jones’s lifetime output – Shampagne, Imp Romp 2, The Spring of 52, Cardiograms, Con Sessions, Lusions, Counter Feats, The Paragon Move, Person to Person – a book of teleohone telepathy, Ahead of the Pack (with Jack Avis), Seventh Heaven, Encyclopedia of Impromptu Card Forces and now The Magic Gourmet. He must be currently Britain’s most prodigious magic author.

Now then all together, what about a quick riffle of the cards around the world for Lewis Jones.

Filed under: Magic Biographies, Magic News, Magic Reviews