Al Koran (1914–1972), real name Edward Doe, was a British mentalist, author and inventor. He invented the ''Ring Flite'' and popularised a version of the Bagshawe deck which became known as the Koran deck.

Life and career

Edward Doe was born in London in 1914. Doe became interested in magic at an early age and became skilled at

sleight of hand Sleight of hand (also known as prestidigitation or ''legerdemain'' ()) refers to fine motor skills when used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. It is closely associated with close-up magic, card magic, card ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he served in

Stars in Battledress Stars in Battledress (SiB) was an organisation of entertainers who were members of the British Armed Forces during World War II. History In Britain, during the Second World War, entertainment was considered an essential to keep morale high. I ...

and later in the

Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom) The Parachute Regiment, colloquially known as the Paras, is an airborne infantry regiment of the British Army. The first battalion is part of the Special Forces Support Group under the operational command of the Director Special Forces. The ot ...

. After World War II, he became a hairdresser, but later became a professional magician and mentalist. He was billed as "The World’s Greatest Mind Reader", and performed for

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

, and Grace Kelly. Koran appeared many times on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

''. He emigrated to the United States in January 1969, first to

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, Ohio, and then later settling in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Illinois. After his death from cancer, his ashes were handled by his friend and fellow magician

Billy McComb Billy McComb (April 12, 1922 – April 30, 2006) was a British-born American magician and comedian. He was one of the United Kingdom's leading magicians in the 1950s and 1960s. He was hired to perform at the International of Magicians in 1962 and ...

. In 1958 ''Fitness'' magazine wrote of him: "... he is as great a psychologist as he is a magician, and has lectured at Cambridge University and before many distinguished audiences. In its relation to physical health, he believes that fitness of the mind plays an all-important part." Koran published a self-help book titled ''Bring Out the Magic in Your Mind'' in the 1960s.

Publications

* ''Mastered amazement: Mainly for the manipulator'' (1947) * ''(How to) Bring Out the Magic in Your Mind'' (1964 in UK, 1965 in US and Canada, since reissued; ghosted by June KynastonAmazon review: https://www.amazon.com/review/R3A1F6S9PSPLIO/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0722511817&nodeID=283155&store=books) * ''Al Koran's Professional Presentations'' (1967) * ''The Magic of the Mind in Action'' (1972)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Koran, Al 1914 births 1972 deaths British magicians Place of death missing Mentalists