Who was Ted Annemann?
The life of Ted Annemann, the American mentalist who founded The Jinx in 1934 and wrote 202 Methods of Forcing.
By The Online Magic Store
· 3 min read
In this story 8 sections
Ted Annemann (1907–1942), born Theodore John Squires in upstate New York, was an American mentalist and writer. In 1934 he started The Jinx, a magazine for magicians that focused on mentalism, and he wrote or compiled a long list of booklets, including 202 Methods of Forcing. He performed an outdoor bullet catch and died in January 1942, aged 34, shortly before he was due to perform it indoors for the first time.
Annemann’s name comes up again and again in the history of mentalism. This post sticks to what at least two of our sources agree on.
Who was Ted Annemann?
He was born Theodore John Squires on 22 February 1907, in or near Waverly, New York. He took the surname Anneman from his stepfather, Stanley Anneman, and added the second “n” around 1930. Before magic became his living he worked as a railroad clerk, then as a tenor singer and a magician’s assistant.
What was The Jinx?
The Jinx was the magazine Annemann founded in 1934 and edited. It was written for magicians rather than the public, and while it published all kinds of magic, its focus was mentalism. Our sources agree it stopped around the time of his death.
What did Annemann write?
He wrote a steady stream of booklets and manuscripts. Ones that appear in all our sources include:
- 202 Methods of Forcing (1933)
- Sh-h-h! It’s a Secret (1934)
- En Rapport (1937)
Two of our sources also list Card Miracles (1929) and The Book Without a Name (1931).
After his death, his material was gathered into books such as Practical Mental Effects (1944), which mentalists still study. Our sources credit him with inventing and refining many routines that became standard in mentalism.
What was Annemann’s bullet catch?
In a bullet catch, a marked bullet is fired at the performer, who appears to catch it. Annemann developed his own version and performed it outdoors. Accounts describe him reeling back as if hit and then producing the bullet from his bloodied mouth.
We are not going to explain how a bullet catch works, and it is not a feat anyone should try.
How did he die?
Annemann died on 12 January 1942, aged 34. He was due to perform the bullet catch indoors for the first time shortly afterwards. All our sources say he took his own life.
Why does Annemann still matter?
His influence is mostly on the page. The Jinx and the books compiled from his work put a large body of mentalism into print. A biography, Annemann: The Life and Times of a Legend by Max Abrams (1992), covers his life in detail.
If you are drawn to his kind of magic, start with simple principles performed with confidence, then read the classics.
What helps you take it further?
- Mind Miracles: Real World Mentalism & Mind Reading Secrets by Jonathan Royle is a 380-plus-page illustrated book with linked training videos. One section covers thumb writers, pocket writing, billet switches and centre tears.
- Our Magic by Nevil Maskelyne and David Devant (1911) is a free 512-page PDF on the art, theory and practice of magic, including the principles of mental magic.
Browse our easy mentalism and mentalism collections, and read how to do the magic number nine trick and who was Harry Houdini?
Frequently asked questions
Who was Ted Annemann?
Ted Annemann (1907–1942), born Theodore John Squires, was an American mentalist and writer who founded the magic magazine The Jinx in 1934.
What was The Jinx?
A magazine for magicians that Annemann founded in 1934 and edited. It focused on mentalism and stopped around the time of his death.
Which Annemann book do mentalists still study?
Practical Mental Effects (1944), compiled after his death. 202 Methods of Forcing (1933) is another of his books.
Did Annemann die doing the bullet catch?
No. He performed the bullet catch outdoors and was due to do it indoors for the first time, but he took his own life in January 1942, shortly before that show.
