The wonderful Sefalaljia invented by the incredible and prolific Stewart James first appeared in The Jinx #69 December 2, 1939 At the time Ted Annemann said:
I honestly believe that this one man miniature cabinet routine is far beyond, in merit and effectiveness, anything yet conceived. Certainly the manifestations are out of the ordinary and Mr. James has managed to use several magical principles in a way not originally intended, the absence of complicated preparation in the cabinet will be found quite refreshing. The routine herein should be put into immediate use by many magi. – Ted Annemann
Over the decades James revised the routine many times, incorporating a number of effects into his routine. Eventually he landed on the eight effects described in the manuscript which he named Sefalaljia #2.
This beautiful set is built by the talented builder Rocky Clements exclusively for Abbott’s and what an amazing job he has done. The first thing you need when performing spirit cabinet effects is the items have to look authentic. This box is made from solid oak and has lots of fine details – look at the aged croquet ball, if that doesn’t look like something straight out of Jolly Old England in the late 1800’s what does?
This wonderful effect comes with all of the items required to do some or all of the eight routines described below and also a 33 page manuscript describing each with plenty of photos. The choice of routines are:
- The Ring Thing
- Ring-A-Lore
- The 5.5 Yard Mystery
- Knotabilia
- Paul Curry’s Linked
- The Big Bender
- Ballistrick
- Present Under Glass
When they say they don’t make magic like they used, at Abbott’s with the help of Rocky Clements that is no longer true – they are making some great magic and Stewart James would have been very happy with this. Great job guys 🙂
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