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Soothsayer’s Envelope
An easy and affordable way to use completely ungaffed and even borrowed envelopes in mentalist effects and routines.

Where and how much:
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/s ... e/12294302
Print: £10
Download: £10
I bought the printed version which arrived in three days so the Review is here rather than the Electronic Media section!

Difficulty:
None at all – just use your imagination!

They say:
The Soothsayer’s Envelope is a devilish method from the mind of Rebecca Harris. Marked envelopes have been the mentalists best friend for over 100 years, but think about the possibilities of being able to identify an envelope from hundreds of others with no markings and no preparation. The envelope can be borrowed or even fresh off the shelves of WH Smith with the magician never having to touch it beforehand. Rebecca’s Soothsayer’s envelope makes this possible. Accompanied by effects from David Fowler and Kenton Knepper, Rebecca explores the principle and possibilities of the Soothsayer’s envelope.

"Rebecca Harris' envelope method should become a classic among all performers." - Kenton Knepper
“I spent months coming up with a way of gaffing envelopes for Stripped and Stacked. I needn't have bothered.” - Jon Thompson

I say:
I’m not going to say anything about the method as that’s why you need to buy the book but this is all based on a superb idea achieved by simple observation and the school of ‘What if…’ thinking which brings forth something which is so simple and immediately easy to grasp. From that point on many different uses will spring to mind.

The full quote from Kenton Knepper is worth repeating here. “Rebecca Harris’s envelope method should become a classic among all performers. It is easy, reliable, direct, secure and as real as can be. No markings, nothing added or taken away. This method allows you to perform entirely impromptu. You don’t even need to bother with nail nicking or anything else. I love devious methods and this is one of the best due to its simplicity and dependability. Whether you have my School’s Mind Reading Lesson 11 or not, you will want this valuable work. I cannot think of a better method for many classic effects, as well as the novel ones Rebecca herself has developed. I respect Rebecca Harris and her method very much. This is one fine example of why you should too” Just a stab in the dark here but I’d say Kenton likes this!

In addition to the method you get 5 routines from Kenton Knepper, Rebecca Harris and David Fowler - so that’s a method and five effects for a tenner, superb value for money – and you’ll think of many more quite easily.

Overall:
Like Dr Who’s Tardis, this slim volume has far more on the inside than the outside suggests. It’s an absolute must have as far as I’m concerned and at such a low price well worth the investment. As a final touch, Rebecca has also included another of her by now trademark totally unconnected recipes, this time for Basboosa, a rather scrummy sounding cake made from…... no, you’ll have to buy the book to find out!

Rating:
Gotta be a 10!

Thanks for the review Mandrake, and a note of congratulations to Becky on another publication, there's not too many people who have more than one product on my shopping list but Becky is now one.

Just a quick query:

the possibilities of being able to identify an envelope from hundreds of others

Is this the mainstay of the method or can it be used to identify a number of specific envelopes? For example, a simple bank night style effect may have 5 envelopes, can this method be used to identify which is which?

It's on my shopping list regardless, I'm just a little curious

You could certainly use the method to spot more than one envelope in a range of them but using a large number would probably lead to a very slow effect. You could certainly divine 5 out of 30 or so and still have a pacey routine.

As you might expect from Becky, one of the routines is deliberately presented in a pink and fluffy girlie manner but the beauty of it is that it doesn't take much to turn it into a darker, more macho Russian Roulette or Smash 'n Stab type effect. (With less risk of blood loss of course !)

Thanks Mandrake. I was quite nervous about publishing this as I wasn't sure how people would take it but all the feedback I've had has been really good and people have come up with some really nice uses for the method.

Oh and you really should try the Basboosa, it's one of my Nan's recipes and one of my faves

Just received my copy today. Looking forward to reading it later.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, Paul.

Received today and read straight away. This is an excellent idea. A simple method that really doesn't need any prep. The routines included are good, but there is plenty of scope for developing other ideas. With the current discount it really is a bargain.

An incredible and simple idea. A completely impromptu tool that you can use to locate a envelope in a stack
Becky´s ideas will invite you to a lot of different presentations in this booklet.