There are a variety of reasons why certain effects attain the status of 'classic.'
In some cases, it is because of a revolutionary plot. One that hasn't happened before and sets the magic and mentalism world on fire.
In other cases, it's a concept. While this may or may not be in terms of effect, it inevitably has something to do with the method.
Sometimes it's an effect wherein the effect-to-method ratio is so beyond all reason that its popularity among performers is almost automatic.
In still other cases, it can be as simple as a premise that grabs the magic world's imagination and just won't let go.
There are numerous other reasons to go with these.
I won't speculate specifically why the subject of today's announcement has both met and exceeded all of the above scenarios. Still, there's no question that, if ever there was a 'classic' in the world of mentalism, this is it.
In fact, if every mentalist were to put out a 'top ten' effects list - from literally every effect in all of mentalism - THIS effect would be number one on the vast majority of lists.
Needless to say, when it comes to mentalism, this is a very important subject. The premise itself dates back well before the magic and mentalism world became aware of it. The underlying concept dates back nearly one hundred years before the mentalism world had ever even heard of it. At least one performer was known to be doing some form of the piece at least fifty years before the mentalism world at large knew anything about it.
As of this writing, that makes the overall existence of this idea and premise nearly one hundred and ninety years old.
The first publication of this piece was deemed one of the top one hundred events in all of magic during the entire twentieth century. That publication was comprised entirely of one sheet of paper, and yet it was one of the most important events in all of magic during that one-hundred-year period.
It is with great pleasure and pride that I announce the publication of the most extensive and comprehensive work on what is perhaps the single most important mentalism effect ever published. There isn't another book like this in the entire literature of mentalism.
This effect has frequently been described as 'the single greatest effect in all of mentalism.'
And now, for the first time, there is a collection - a MASSIVE collection - dealing entirely with that one incredible effect!
When trying to decide on a name for this ground-breaking publication, one thought kept coming to mind. And so, it is my distinct pleasure to present to you...
The Greatest One-Man Psychic Effect of All-Time by Mark Strivings Being an examination of the Pseudo-Psychometry Plot
In all of mentalism, there is one effect more than any other that has captured the imagination and been featured in the programs of performers all over the world -Pseudo-Psychometry.
As these words are being written, almost exactly ninety years ago, there appeared a single-page effect in the legendary publication, The Jinx. That one page sent ripples through the mentalism world that continue unabated to this day.
From that day to this, virtually every notable mentalist, from the other side of town to the other side of the planet, has performed some version of this incredible plot. Succinctly put, pseudo-psychometry is an act wherein the performer is able to deduce elements of an audience member, including aspects of their personality and life, as well as their identity, solely through contact with an object that has been in their possession. This process is known as 'psychometry' - sensing vibrations of an individual through an object or other means associated with that person.
There are a ton of directions that this premise has taken over the decades, and they are all explored in depth in the pages of The Greatest.
Here are the statistics
- Over 200 entries
- 16 chapters
- 440 pages
- Over 420 references in bibliography
Plus, there is a mountain of tools, techniques, and methods throughout the book. This is a literal toolbox for any mentalist at any level.
Included are special contributions from...
- Tony Griffith
- Dr. Charles Scott
- Bob Baker
- Terry Tyson
- Dave Arch
- Richard Webster
- Terry Parrett
- Chase Goforth
Also included is material from names such as...
- Theo Annemann
- T.A. Waters
- Milbourne Christopher
- Gerald Kosky
- Tony Raven
- Dr. Jaks
- Peter Warlock
- Ted Lesley
- Ormond McGill
- William Larsen
- Bascom Jones
- Al Koran
- Phil Goldstein
- Will Dexter
- Jack Kent Tillar
- Larry Becker
- Barrie Richardson
- Sid Lorraine
- Hen Fetsch
- Ned Rutledge
- Arthur Setterington
- Karrell Fox
- J.G. Thompson, Jr.
- ...among dozens of others (including the author!)
This massive volume has it all - markings, routines, methods, subtleties, philosophy, variations, alternatives, secret devices, techniques . . . and yes, there are even card tricks. In fact, the basic methodology of pseudo-psychometry has its roots in a card trick. But you'll learn all about that in the book.
Just a few of the chapters include
- T.A. Waters' discussion of psychometry
- 'Who Has What'
- Markings for envelopes
- Perspectives
- Cold Reading
- Presentational Challenges
- Graphology - the 'other' psychometry
- More Markings
- Psychometry Devices
- More Markings
- Psychometric Playing Cards
- Memory
- Psychometric Variations
- Two-Person Psychometry
- Pseudo-Psychometr- 'ish'
- ...and more
You get this amazing tome - 440 pages, 200 individual entries, over 16 chapters, and over 420 references in the bibliography - of psychometry background, methods, info, technology, techniques, presentations, variations, and so much more, published in a beautiful, perfect-bound edition. The book lies flat for easy reading, and it's a thing of beauty.
It has been said that if you find just ONE item in a book that you can actually use, then you have gotten your money's worth. I have to say, I fail to see how ANYONE can spend any amount of time with this book and NOT find something - or, more likely, several somethings - that they can use. This book is not cheap, nor should it be. But taken all together, it is a screaming deal.
