Description
If you didn’t think Jim Kleefeld could top his previous Magnum Opus, Locked, think again. Jim has done it again with a second massive work for mentalists, magicians and historians – this time tackling the ever popular category of magic and mentalism: The Book Test.
Here are just a few of the commercial products he features in his book and these barely scratch the surface of the amazing treasure trove that awaits you. Every time I think I have a pretty good selection of magic on my site I open up one of Jim’s books and quickly realize so many more effects there are out there, this history project of mine could take a while 🙁
Effect: Book Tests. Performers love them. Mentalists use them. Magicians collect them. Perhaps because magicians and mentalists have invented literally thousands of tricks, routines, effects and commercial items called “Book Tests,” it is one of the most popular effects in these performing arts.
Here is finally a complete history and encyclopedic reference book on book tests, all explained, described, and routined. Hundreds of book tests for mentalists and magicians are categorized by method and sorted chronologically.
Examining the premise from 1584 to 2020, The Book Test Book explores hundreds of variations on the use of books to read minds. This 320-page hardcover:
- lists over 500 book tests as detailed in books and magazines,
- and describes over 400 commercial book tests published and sold from the 1930s up to the present.
- The book includes 130 original color illustrations
- and over 1200 color photographs so you can clearly see the covers of book tests cited.
The information is carefully cross-referenced with a full bibliography and three separate full indices, and is full color throughout.
The Book Test Book is a concise reference guide to book test for magicians and mentalists as well as a history of the use of books for mentalism, mind reading, and magic from its earliest years up to the present. Thirteen categories of various methods are featured within.
Contents:
Introduction…………………………………………… 1
Purpose………………………………………………. 1
Methods……………………………………………… 2
Advice…………………………………………………2
Content —————3
Organization………………………………………. 3
Writing Conventions…………………………….3
The Roster………………………………………….. 3
Magic vs. Mentalism…………………………….4
Datedness…………………………………………… 4
Mathematics………………………………………. 4
Playing Cards……………………………………… 5
Usefulness……………………………………………5
Omissions and Redundancies………………..5
Illustrative References………………………… 6
Performance……………………………………………9
Selection…………………………………………….. 9
Abilities……………………………………………… 9
Implementation……………………………………9
Clarity………………………………………………… 9
Scripting…………………………………………….10
Sample Script……………………………………. 10
Procedures…………………………………………10
Energy……………………………………………….11
Pace………………………………………………….. 11
Choosing Participants…………………………11
Rationale………………………………………………..12
Necessity……………………………………………12
Difficulty…………………………………………….12
Inspiration…………………………………………12
Clarification……………………………………….13
Organic………………………………………………13
History……………………………………………………17
Methods………………………………. 23
Word Force…………………………………………23
Page Force………………………………………….23
Limiting Force……………………………………24
Book Force…………………………………………24
Duplicate Books………………………………… 24
Duplicate Pages………………………………….24
Peek…………………………………………………. 25
Crib………………………………………………….. 25
Anagram……………………………………………26
Clue Gathering…………………………………..26
Stooge………………………………………………. 27
Secret Assistant…………………………………27
Milestones ………………………………..31
Word Force…………………………………………… 39
Core Method Routine………………………….39
The Word Force in Print…………………….. 40
Page Force……………………………………………..57
Core Method Routine………………………… 57
Page Force in Print……………………………. 58
Limiting Force…………………………………….. 83
Core Method Routine………………………… 83
Limiting Force in Print………………………. 84
Book Force……………………………………………99
Core Method Routine………………………… 99
Book Force in Print………………………….. 100
Duplicate Books………………………………… 105
Core Method Routine………………………. 105
Duplicate Books in Print……………………106
Duplicate Pages…………………………………..115
Core Method Routine……………………….. 115
Duplicate Page in Print………………………116
Peek…………………………………………………….. 123
Core Method Routine………………………..123
Peek In Print……………………………………124
Discovery…………………………………………….133
Core Method Routine………………………..133
Discovery in Print…………………………… 134
Crib………………………………………….153
Core Method Routine………………………..153
Crib in Print…………………………………….. 154
Anagram …………………………………..167
Core Method Routine………………………..167
Anagram in Print………………………………168
Clue Gathering ……………………………175
Core Method Routine…………………………175
Clue Gathering in Print……………………..176
Stooge……………………………………………………183
Core Method Routine………………………..183
Stooge in Print…………………………………. 184
Secret Assistant………………………………… 189
Core Method Routine………………………..189
Secret Assistant in Print…………………..190
Reading Someone’s Thoughts …………196
Products……………………………………………… 201
Products in the Market……………………. 201
Forcing Books 273
Book Test Props………………………………..283
Book Test Props in the Market………..283
Presentations …………………………………….289
Presentations in Print ………….289
Bibliography………………………………………301
Research & Reference Books…………..301
Index 1 ………….309
Principles. ………………… 309
Index 2 ………………… 315
Effects ..315
Index 3 …………. 318
Creators. ………….318
In Closing ………….323
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Contents: martinsmagic.com - click for details