talkmagic.co.uk

I've come across some pretty expencive books:

Hypnosis, Compliance, and Belief
by Graham F. Wagstaff

The Mind and Magic of David Berglas

These books cost $400-550. I'm reading everything I can about mentalism, hypnosis, body language, lying etc.. I've got a decent income, so I've got the money. Do these prices seem reasonable to you guys, or is someone trying to scam me?

No idea about the first one, but that is the going rate for the Berglas book. There were only 1000 copies printed and it has become something of a collectors item.

The berglas book is fantastic. and that price seems reasonable. I dont know the other book.

You have to remember that price is often no guarentee of quality, so dont just go for expensive books. Its also a good idea to work out what you want to learn, because then you will discover the standard texts in those fields, during your research.

The Berglas book's a collectors piece and the price is probabaly about right. But I doubt that there's really any need for you to spend that sort of money. What have you read already?

Of course the Berglas book will hold its value so if you are picking it up via online auction (how else) remember it can be disposed of the same way. Consider it an investment. Eventually almost all 1000 copies will rest in permanent collections so the value may even increase.
Derren Brown's limited print run books raised me the funds for Berglas

A quick internet bookhunt reveals Hypnosis, Compliance, and Belief came out in 1981 and is now out of print. It's probably an academic work, meaning it's always been relatively limited and expensive. Although at only 260 pages, and 30 years old now, I wouldn't have expected a second-hand copy to be as expensive as that!

Graham Wagstaff seems to know his stuff, being Reader of Psychology at the University of Liverpool with a long-standing interest in hypnosis and suggestion.
http://www.i-psy.com/people/people_wagstaff.php

It does seem to be VERY hard to find, which would keep the price up. It's also mentioned on at least one Derren Brown fansite as "recommended reading" -- if DB mentioned it somewhere, that's going to pump the demand even higher as fans start scrambling for it.

Speaking for myself, it looks very interesting and I'd love to stumble across it in a charity shop, but for that kind of money I'm not going looking.

Do bear in mind that people in the PEA (Psychic Entertainer's Association) pay $1,000.00 or more for a single hand-written page of material at times, so to pay a few hundred dollars on a book loaded with insight. . .it's a deal!

The prices seem to be on par with things though I'm not too familiar with the Hypnosis text. Frankly, for roughly the same kind of cash you could get into a Hypnosis workshop. I know Jerry Valley (worked the Queen Mary II for decades as "House Hypnotist) used to do workshops that ran about $350.00 per student so you may want to look around. Too, many colleges offer short courses in NLP, Body Language as well as full semester courses in FACs type techniques. . . then again I believe the FACs DVD is a couple hundred bucks and available on line, but brace yourself for a couple of years of hard work just to get the basics down.

NOW THEN. . . if you want to be a "Mentalist" maybe you shouldn't be imitating a sponge as much as you are and simply start doing it.

With only the material covered in Corinda one can make a serious living. Granted, you will want to augment that information by picking up books (preferably) that deal with each technique found therein that applies to the persona you have in mind for yourself. Someone interested in Billet work should be subscribed to SWITCHCRAFT for instance; Cold Readers need to devour everything by Richard Webster, George Anderson, John Riggs and Jerome Finley BEFORE they get sucked into the psycho-babble that's typically promoted; the two exceptions being Lee Earle's GENTLE ART OF COLD READING and Bob Cassidy's treatise THE REAL WORK OF COLD READING.

Hypnosis is an area I do not/haven't done a lot of work with but have been fortunate to have been exposed to two of the yesteryear legends; Omond McGill & Arnold Furst, both of whom had amazing careers clinically as well as on stage. Ormond's Encyclopedia of Stage Hypnosis is a MUST for anyone moving down this path, it is the "13 Step" parallel in that world. The other material I give high marks to is Anthony Joaquin's REALITY IS PLASTIC.

I think you get my gist here... hope it helps

Yes, Reality is Plastic by Anthony Joaquin is quite possibly the best book you can get if you want to learn how to use hypnosis in performance. And it's a lot cheaper and easier to get hold of than Wagstaff's book! And completely up to date as well.

I'd very much want to read the one by Wagstaff, but I'm sure it's an academic study into the psychology of hypnosis and other types of persuasion. Very interesting if you're into psychology, but not of any practical use if you just want to know how to hypnotise people.

Craig Browning wrote:Do bear in mind that people in the PEA (Psychic Entertainer's Association) pay $1,000.00 or more for a single hand-written page of material at times, so to pay a few hundred dollars on a book loaded with insight. . .it's a deal!

:

Which is why i prefer to learn the basics from cost effective standard works... then sit back and invent my own stuff.

daleshrimpton wrote:

Craig Browning wrote:Do bear in mind that people in the PEA (Psychic Entertainer's Association) pay $1,000.00 or more for a single hand-written page of material at times, so to pay a few hundred dollars on a book loaded with insight. . .it's a deal!

:

Which is why i prefer to learn the basics from cost effective standard works... then sit back and invent my own stuff.

Ahhh... spoken like a true cheap-skate of magic

. . . and here I thought I was living a well kept secrets over the years.

come to think of it though, I've met several other "old guys" like us, doing the same thing.

Craig Browning wrote: Ahhh... spoken like a true cheap-skate of magic

Sounds like a title for a new book: Cheapskates of Magic.