The Door Marked Summer

"Yes – Michael Bentine’s The Door Marked Summer . Bentine was a famous English comedian and a Goon Show founder member. With Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan, he got England laughing after the war. He wasn’t known in the magic world but, like his father, he had a powerful clairvoyant ability. There’s a very poignant moment in the book when he foretells his son’s death in a plane crash. It’s an absolutely wonderful read. Bentine’s overriding question is: does magic really work? He and his father interviewed hundreds of different people from all branches of the magic world, trying to work out who was bluffing and who was not. They considered about 90 per cent of the interviewees to be frauds. But the remaining ten per cent did things that were totally inexplicable by any known means. They could predict the future or point out things that had happened to you with perfect accuracy. And some explored the spookier stuff: the nasty spirits that came to call. You can laugh at it, but some of the events in the book are horrifying. Bentine says that when you get into real magic, you’re playing with fire. You’re like a scientist with explosives and no training in what they can do. Things can go badly wrong. His conclusion is that a small minority are doing extraordinary things. He suggests simple rules of self-preservation, with common sense at the top of the list. The Door Marked Summer is the first truly scientific overview of magic. And it’s written by someone who doesn’t need to convince you how wonderful he is. He was a well-known and intelligent individual and he gives us an unbiased view. That makes the book unique."