talkmagic.co.uk

Sorry for bumping an old thread.

As everyone has said so far the memory system was probably the best section. Although a lot of the book was fun to read the rants near the end were tough to swallow (its hard to take so much of one person's opinion, even if you agree with him.)

It's a fun book to read even if you are not a magician. (i would imagine)

I skipped the memory system bit, have no use for it... the rest was great and knowing he got his first magic book at the same time and place as I got my wilsons is nice to know

I dont like the way he speaks about magicians in the book...
He refers to them as still children in the heart who are not satisfied with theyr own lives so the feel the need to demonstrate a skill witch they do not possess...
Or something like that...
Even if that was the case,Mentalism IS a branch of magic even if he doesnt want to call it that.
Good book though
I still didnt try hipnotism but i will someday

I loved his ideas on how to make something as simple as a coin vanish far stronger than it should ever have any business being.

I actually use that in a coin routine that i have and its brilliant,i get great responses....
Because they really think the coin is there (they have seen it) and a secound later its gone.
if you add these types of little tidbits here and there on any trick you get outstanding results

Personally I loved the book - I chuckled most of the way through it. I found it well written and feel sure that I drew quite a lot from it...


Just to show that we are all different, no matter how much the same we are!

It did make me laugh! I started reading again a couple of days back..

...

...

...a list of fish

Brilliant book. The memory section with teh peg system has helped me no end! Well worth the money..Is this in the right section?I cant remember?!

This book is excellent and very thought-provoking. And some of the anecdotes are laugh-out-loud hilarious. Derren jogging down the stairs with his willy hanging out, anyone?

Oh my God, I just finished reading this book it is so funny!
I think his mastery of the Englsih language is extraordinary and i also loved the section on memory.
But most of all I loved the section of bad thinking! The examples are amazing and I quoted the Monty Hall problem to my brother who teaches Maths and he said that Brown was wrong!
Overall, a masterpiece

Tomo wrote:I loved his ideas on how to make something as simple as a coin vanish far stronger than it should ever have any business being.

That was a lovely section for pointing out to magicians how many extra layers they should add to even the most basic tricks to make them something more. The memory section has been my favorite. It was always the bit in psychology that fascinated me. The tips on remembering names I've been putting into use doing supply work where I bit a few 100 kids a week.