John printed up many different business cards over the years, most of them with a distinctive Keelian twist.
Visitors to this site who haven’t read Jadoo may be puzzled by the subtitle affixed to John’s name above. Let me quote from page 159, where our author is trying to get a visa extension from a hostile bureaucrat in Delhi:
“Suddenly there was a bellow of deep, booming laughter in another office. The young man reappeared.
“‘Follow me please.’
“He took me into a narrow, dimly lightly room where a huge man with sparkling eyes sat with his feet on the desk. He jumped up and shook my hand.
“‘You are the American who does the rope trick?’ he asked, grinning.
“He picked up my card from his desk — calling cards are much in vogue in India — read it over again, sat down with a crash, and rocked with mirth.
“I had a hundred of these cards printed up for two rupees bearing the legend: John A. Keel — Not an authority on anything.
“‘Wonderful! Wonderful!’ he cried. ‘You’re the first American I’ve ever met who wasn’t an ‘expert’ on something!'”
That broke the ice, and the visa was extended.
In later years, John had these cards made up, and liked to hand them out.