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Can anyone recommend a good tome for an introduction to Cold Reading?

Paul has done some great stuff (http://www.readerofminds.co.uk" target="_blank) however reading this and A LOT of other work has taught me one major lesson;

There is no substitute for real world practice.

If I could get back the time (and money) I have wasted on various books before they were needed I would probably buy Paul's Palm Reading Guide for Magicians and then spend a solid amount of time doing impromptu readings. EDIT - Oh and Reader of Minds for some good one liners if you are completely fresh to cold reading.

I learnt more in my first palm reading than I did in hours of book reading!

Also palm reading is like cat nip to women... bit of an aside but good motivation to learn! Oh unless you are a happily married man like me.

Cheers Ant, I'll look into that.

Has anyone read Ian Rowlands cold reading book?

ACE T wrote:Cheers Ant, I'll look into that.

Has anyone read Ian Rowlands cold reading book?

This one has been done to death, mate. Think of Full Facts as a book that categorises techniques rather than teaching it from first principles.

Red Hot Cold Reading is good.

If I was starting off the two most useful works would be Paul's Palm Reading for Magicians, and Juliann Moore Speed Learning - Palmistry in your own words. Then go to a pub and begin practicising. Either will have you doing adequate readings in an evening. After that it is a matter of experience.

Palmistry is the way to go, because palms are always there. You'll never be caught short beacuse your I Chang is back home, or your runes fell out of a hole in your pocket.

The Full Facts will not teach you how to do readings. That is not it's purpose.

Cheers guys, I'll be perusing Paul's website this evening...

Good advice, Tony.

Roni Shachnaey gave an excellent lecture on the finer points of his approach to palmistry at last November's Tabula Mentis. He never handles the spec's hand, for example. He treats it with respect and, because it is tiring to hold your hand out for a while, he gives it a small, elaborately embroidered cushion to rest upon. Ha has a magnifying glass on hand and points out features using an ornate pointer.

Once you get the basics under your belt (and it really is just about practice after that), don't worry if you fail. Palmistry, like other reading types, is self-selecting. The specs want you to succeed, and tend to forget the misses in favour of the hits.

And of course there is the FREE treatise you can find here

http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/learning-to-cold-read/14358013?productTrackingContext=author_spotlight_767346_

NOTE: there is a complete list of primary texts on this subject in the appendix of this tome. Unlike the majority of books on this subject that have been published in the past decade(ish) this one does not regurgitate the same psycho-babble theories as mush as it presents details as to how Reading work was done before the buzz words were attached to it and "intellects" tried to apply 1001 labels to it.

What on earth is cold reading?

mark lewis wrote:What on earth is cold reading?

It's what magicians call psychic/intuitive ability.

mark lewis wrote:What on earth is cold reading?

Hell, you're in Canada I'm certain you've frozen your back side off at more than a few psychic fairs

This thread has just reminded me of something. I must send a message to International Magic. There seems to be great procrastination regarding my Tarot DVD. I would like to see it marketed before I pass into the spirit world. I have one sample copy but it doesn't seem to be out there on the market yet.

I am looking forward to it, but I might have passed on too. Of course, as an athiest I won't be going to the spirit world.