Mentalism is like so many other things like singing and writing: everyone thinks they can do it and they're usually wrong. To that effect, I've decided to assemble this little beginner's guide to mentalism for the newbie. It took me some time to figure out what to include and what not to, but I've organized everything into a sequence as best I can. The intent is to keep things simple and straightforward, giving you a clear progression through those first steps into a new skill.
I'm going to note right away that the first two on this list are an either/or situation. It depends entirely on your background.
Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic
If you're a magician and want to break into mentalism, this is good for introducing you to certain mental magic concepts, particularly in some of the card effects and the Mental Magic section (duh!). The wealth of material available makes for a good jumping point while still providing plenty of fodder to keep you busy into the foreseeable future. Of course, I should point out that if you're a magician and do not already possess a copy of Mark Wilson's, you're doing it wrong.
Magic for Dummies
If you're new to magic, this is probably going to be one of the best places to start. There's plenty of fundamentals, time-tested effects, and some rudimentary performance theory. A pretty good bargain. If you're so inclined, you can acquire Mark Wilson's at a later date. The important thing is to establish a strong foundation in sleight of hand. Investing the time and energy into this now will make the journey later on much smoother.
Self-Working Mental Magic
As regular readers probably remember, I have a lot of very positive things to say about this book. And I hope my recommendation will be enough to cancel the stigma that seems to follow self-working effects. Especially when new magicians get a grasp on sleight of hand, they start to imagine that self-working magic is beneath them. For more info, please refer to my earlier review of the book.
Fundamentals
So the previous choices gave you material to work with. Now you need to know how to use it. This is quite possibly the best of Bob Cassidy's output, and he's put out some pretty good material. Performance theory, showmanship, routining, character building, and more are all covered here. There's also an appendix called 39 Steps that lists 39 different books that Bob considers essential to any working mentalist's library. Fundamentals is a must-have. This is not negotiable.
Practical Mental Effects/13 Steps to Mentalism
The reason you want to hold off on a large book of mentalism effects until this point is to prevent information overload. That was a mistake I made. I bought 13 Steps before I was ready for it and kneecapped my progress because I was trying to absorb too much information at one time. The choice between Anneman's Practical Mental Effects and Corinda's 13 Steps to Mentalism is a neverending debate and for the longest time I championed the former. However, in more recent times I understand that both are equally strong texts, if a bit dry in writing, and though some would call their material dated it's still very strong and time tested. Do not underestimate this material. Pick up one of these books and save the other for later.
I'm going to note right away that the first two on this list are an either/or situation. It depends entirely on your background.
Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic
If you're a magician and want to break into mentalism, this is good for introducing you to certain mental magic concepts, particularly in some of the card effects and the Mental Magic section (duh!). The wealth of material available makes for a good jumping point while still providing plenty of fodder to keep you busy into the foreseeable future. Of course, I should point out that if you're a magician and do not already possess a copy of Mark Wilson's, you're doing it wrong.
Magic for Dummies
If you're new to magic, this is probably going to be one of the best places to start. There's plenty of fundamentals, time-tested effects, and some rudimentary performance theory. A pretty good bargain. If you're so inclined, you can acquire Mark Wilson's at a later date. The important thing is to establish a strong foundation in sleight of hand. Investing the time and energy into this now will make the journey later on much smoother.
Self-Working Mental Magic
As regular readers probably remember, I have a lot of very positive things to say about this book. And I hope my recommendation will be enough to cancel the stigma that seems to follow self-working effects. Especially when new magicians get a grasp on sleight of hand, they start to imagine that self-working magic is beneath them. For more info, please refer to my earlier review of the book.
Fundamentals
So the previous choices gave you material to work with. Now you need to know how to use it. This is quite possibly the best of Bob Cassidy's output, and he's put out some pretty good material. Performance theory, showmanship, routining, character building, and more are all covered here. There's also an appendix called 39 Steps that lists 39 different books that Bob considers essential to any working mentalist's library. Fundamentals is a must-have. This is not negotiable.
Practical Mental Effects/13 Steps to Mentalism
The reason you want to hold off on a large book of mentalism effects until this point is to prevent information overload. That was a mistake I made. I bought 13 Steps before I was ready for it and kneecapped my progress because I was trying to absorb too much information at one time. The choice between Anneman's Practical Mental Effects and Corinda's 13 Steps to Mentalism is a neverending debate and for the longest time I championed the former. However, in more recent times I understand that both are equally strong texts, if a bit dry in writing, and though some would call their material dated it's still very strong and time tested. Do not underestimate this material. Pick up one of these books and save the other for later.
Thanks for Read : Beginner's Guide to Mentalism (Part - 1)
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