talkmagic.co.uk

Ok, not a very productive day, playing at perfecting my riffle and invisible pass whilst browsing the internet and i found these!!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/180 ... -build-big

My brain is awash with ideas of card displays at conventions and great for promoting yourself at wedding fayres etc.

Going to order some immediately!!

Anybody want to join me in a building contest, see which members of TM can come up with the best?

Much love

Aza

I've had a similar day but I've done about twenty thousand zarrow shuffles whilst reading all the book tests again in PMM. I still can't find a book test I like. The search continues!

There's a few in 13 steps....no good?

Much love

Aza

There are some goodn's in there undoubtedly. Although I've never liked ones that require duplicates like the classic swindle as you can't finish clean (unless you can switch?), and you have to use your own stuff. Then there's others that use protracted methods of identifying the page number........... cut the deck, take the bottom card and add it to the top card, then roll this dice and... etc... which all seems a bit fase. Anything that involves centre tears I also ignore because I just don't like them.

I think I can't see the woods for the trees so I decided to have a read through the methods in PMM again for some inspration. I like the idea of doing a card routine and at the end of the card routine using whatever card numbers are picked as a force, but dressed up as a kind of afterthought/impromptu book test. Then using multiple methods on the same book?

I guess the ultimate book test would be - Man picks up any book in the world. Man chooses word. Performer gets word. However, presented in this way it would also be the most boring book test in the world. I think I just need to settle on the one I like the most and master it. I'll let you know!!!

K

Please do Kev!

I was looking for a book test i liked as well, i do a 14/15 routine, i know it's convoluted but it's the way i like to do it.

I don't like the roll the dice, lift this, multiply by seven and then randomly land on this page of this random book!!

Also centre tears seem quite good in my opinion (just my thoughts)

Maybe you could use a certain gimmick from chapter one of 13 steps for your book test?

Much love

Aza

Tomo's Naked mentalism has a book test effect you might find interesting,

Like all his work, starts clean, works clean and ends clean,

can even be done over the phone!

regards,

Sea.

I've never got on with those sorts of gimmicks unfortunately. I just can't get one to sit comfortably and it always looks Like my prediction has been written by an epileptic spider whose ran through an ink-well! Although I agree with you on using a 14/15 method. The one that stood out in PMM was 'Monks Mystery.'

The added problem of course is that what's good for close up isn't necessarily good for the stage or strolling. The only downside to a 14/15 method is that you need the pack set this way in advance which can take up valuable pocket space. I wouldn't have a pack with me for just one effect so I'd need to routine some other effects using this pack? I like 'Between the Lines' which uses si stebbins but I always fear it looks transparent.

I'm even the proud owner of one of only 100 copies of 'Phantoms' from outlaw effects - such is my passion for the ultimate book test!!!!!

seamagu wrote:Tomo's Naked mentalism has a book test effect you might find interesting,

Like all his work, starts clean, works clean and ends clean,

can even be done over the phone!

regards,

Sea.

Thanks for that. I've never got round to buying naked mentalism. Would you recommend it in general? A lot of books get hyped beyond comprehension so I'm always a bit wary of anything described as 'must have.'

The naked mentalism one is good as is the one on Colin McLeod's Opening Minds DVD.

Indeed, I have used the Paul Brook ones but the current stage one i use is based on Colin's book test.

Stephen Ward wrote:Indeed, I have used the Paul Brook ones but the current stage one i use is based on Colin's book test.

I'd second the Brook Test or the Hoy book test, which it's kind of an extension of. Neither of them require complicated methods of finding page numbers, the participant literally turn to a (seemingly) randomly chosen page in the book and looks at the word. The Brook Test has a little bit work involved in selecting the word but it ends up lookingly like they could choose any word on the page whereas with Hoy you dictate their choice a bit more.

The Naked Book Test has the advantage that you can walk up to a stranger reading a book and tell them what word they're thinking off without even looking at their book, but there is quite a lot of memory work you have to put into in the first place before you even start attempting the test.

It's worth buying all three even if you never use them to see just how ingenious they are.

Have you looked at the Hoy test? No gimmicks, can use a borrowed book and the method is about as simple as it gets.

What's the original source for the Hoy test? I'm sure I've heard Cassidy mention it in one of his PDF's I've got. I may well have the method kicking about somewhere?

It's in "The Bold and Subtle Miracles of Dr. Faust" by David Hoy. There is a review here: http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic15469.php

A J Irving wrote:It's in "The Bold and Subtle Miracles of Dr. Faust" by David Hoy. There is a review here: http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic15469.php

Thanks! I'll check it out. It's gone up one dollar since your review. Bloody inflation!!!!!