48 years ago this week, on March 15, 1975, Eddie Clever left us, dying at the age of 70.
Following a career in show business, Eddie went to work for Uncle Sam as a career civil servant, until illness forced him to retire in 1947.
Eddie had been very active in the I.B.M. on the staff of Linking Ring magazine, editing the Hocus Pocus Parade section for over 30 years. The I.B.M. Ring in Harrisburg, PA is named for him.
Eddie was important to me as the author of "Thought Wings Onward."
This was his work on mentalism based on his columns in The Tops magazine from February to December 1938, subsequently expanded and published by Abbott's Magic Company as a standalone book in 1945. His is a very old-school view of mentalism, but it was an important part of my education as a teenage mentalist in the mid-1970s.
Here's a brief sample from Chapter Two, "Something About Qualifying":
"From personal experience, as well as from observation of others, I have learned that it is almost fundamentally necessary that the mentalist have a thorough knowledge of mentalism, mysticism, occultism and all the other subjects that are allied with those named. And they are many and varied. You should have a well-rounded education and a 'wee bit 'o that thing called culture.'"
Boy, did I feel overwhelmed as a 14-year-old aspiring mentalist to read that paragraph! But at the same time it inspired me. He was one of my mentalism heroes, along with Bob Nelson, Al Koran and good ol' Kreskin.

Thank you for sharing

What's with all the death celebrations posts/threads? Is there nothing mentalism to discuss anymore? Have all the mentalists left?

Thank-you, Nelsoni, for providing that great overview. I never knew much about the man himself, but of course well remember reading his cogent comments back in the 1960s.

I always thought Eddie was a great Parade editor. Indeed, often his comments following each routine contained all sorts of useful tips or further extensions that were just as valuable as what the writers themselves submitted. He seemed to have an encyclopedic knowledge of our craft.

Thomas Henry

Thomas Henry welcome back! I’m glad you are here.

Thanks for this, a nice memorial and a nice reminder for me to pull out my copy and reread it!

Excellent book that is still available.

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