|
|
The Mentalism & Mind Reading Secrets of Repro Magic
Compiled by Jonathan Royle
Available from www.mentalismsecrets.co.uk
Reviewed by Stuart Cassels
A
couple of weeks ago, I received a large parcel containing three A4 Spiral Bound
volumes of Mentalism, totalling 1,154 pages, and 386 routines, all compiled from
Club 71 articles. Despite the enormous size and weight of these books (think 2
reams of paper!) they were well packaged, with more than a roll of bubble wrap
and a very large padded envelope to protect the books from any possible damage.
Note: For those who are too young to remember, Club 71 was the Magic Magazine
published by Repro Magic from 1970 until 2002, packed with articles from some of
the leading experts in various fields of Magic and Mentalism, including great
legends such as Al Koran, Patrick Page, Phil Goldstein (aka Max Maven), Ian
Adair, Stephen Tucker, Billy McComb and Bob Ostin; many of whom have sadly
retired or passed away.
On opening the parcel, I began to dive straight in to the first volume, eager to
see what would be revealed, and I can honestly say I was not disappointed! I was
presented with some amazing effects, ideas and methods, from masters of
Mentalism, that sent my mind racing. In fact, at this point I decided that this
trilogy of “books” formed a real Encyclopedia of Mentalism. Within minutes I had
found ideas, full routines, and methods that I know will be used in the near
future, along with practical, workable solutions to complete routines I had
already started to develop.
Some students will want to read each volume cover-to-cover, whilst others, like
myself, will prefer to dip in and out of volumes at random, bookmarking articles
which inspire, and making notes for future reference.
Over 100 of the routines within the trilogy are from the Late, Great Barry
Richardson; comprising of almost everything he published in his three books -
“Theatre of the Mind”, “Act Two” and “Curtain Call”, which are now sadly out of
print, along with other ideas and unique presentations that you will almost
certainly use if you value commercial real world audience tested material.
What really struck me was the number of times that I found a routine that I had
previously believed was invented and published by one of the “Modern Day
Mentalism Experts” in Limited Edition books, when it seems the ideas and methods
were in print decades earlier, attributed to someone else! Each one of the three
volumes of The Mentalism & Mind Reading Secrets of Repro Magic is at least twice
the size of many of these books, which often sell for £100 to £200 each; easily
comparable to the price of the full set of what may well become hailed as the
“Mentalism Trilogy of the Decade”. In these terms alone, when I say you're
getting a real bargain with this trilogy, you really are in terms of useable
commercial content and also long-term investment.
Although I'm sure these books will rise in value and become true collectors'
items, the value of their contents should not be over-looked. Within the 1,000+
pages there are tons of original & unique Mentalism, Mind Reading and Mental
Magic routines that have been audience tested and can be slotted into your show
with ease. Alongside the fully fleshed out and ready to use commercial routines,
there are also many ideas and techniques, such as practical ways to peek billets
and obtain information secretly, giving you numerous ways to work unlimited
miracles.
From Close-Up and Cabaret through to Stage and even Television and Radio
Performances, there is a whole host of material for every style of performing
environment and every style of Mystery Arts Performer.
The three volumes include the original illustrations by Alexander Allen, and
having seen the A5 Perfect Bound, A4 Spiral Bound and the De-Luxe Colour Cover
Editions is that each version is perfect for the following people:
A5 Perfect Bound: Ideal for those on a limited budget.
A4 Spiral Bound: Best for easy reading, learning routines and making
notes, as the pages can open out completely flat on the table.
De-Luxe Colour Cover Edition: This is the one that the magical collector
will want on their shelves, as they are large format (A4) paperback books.
Whichever version you choose to invest into, an investment is exactly what it
will be, as there will only be 150 sets of this trilogy sold worldwide.
The vital statistics of each of the three volumes are as follows:
Volume One: 1970 to 1978 & 1984 to 1995 (Club 71 wasn't published between
1979 and 1983)
396 Illustrated Pages
104 Routines & Articles
42 Authors including: Barrie Richardson, Al Koran, Patrick Page, Murray,
Phil Goldstein (aka Max Maven), Steve Jones, Simon Lovell, Stephen Tucker, Lewis
Jones, Mick Halford, Russell J. Hall, Arthur Setterington, Eric Mason, Al Smith,
Geoff Maltby, Ron Escott, Werner Miller, Snoop, Mike Hopley, Arun Bonerjee,
Didier Dupre, Brian Pearson, David Kurn, Robert Cox, Nico Thelman, John B. Wolf,
Stanley Hammond, Ian Fenn, Hubert Lambert, Norman Wilxo, Len Vine, John Jarvis,
W.J. Cox, Tony Richards, Brian Davies, Peter Underwood, John Carroll, David
Hambly, Scrivante, Jean Morran, Jesse Demaline and John Brennan.
Volume Two: 1996 to 2002
395 Illustrated Pages
119 Routines & Articles
32 Authors including: Barrie Richardson, Phil Goldstein aka Max Maven,
Ian Adair, Stephen Tucker, Alex-Leroy, Steve Jones, Angelo Carbone, Walt Lees,
Billy McComb, Trevor Lewis, Werner Miller, Ron Escott, Peter Duffie, Ken
Krenzel, Ali Cardabra, Arun Bonerjee, Nico Thelman, Dick Bow, David Zauber,
Peter D. Blanchard, Kennedy Smith, Mike Hopley, Mo Howarth, Donald English,
Soumya Deb, Brian Pearson, Gora Datta, Clyde Clayton, Santosh Coomar, Alan Ward,
Ananta Deb Banerjee and Donald Bostock.
Volume Three: 2003 to 2007
363 Illustrated Pages
163 Individual Routines & Articles
28 Authors including: Barrie Richardson, Phil Goldstein aka Max Maven,
Peter Kane, Stephen Tucker, Simon Lovell, Malcolm Yaffe, Steve Jones, Peter
Duffie, Bob Ostin, Ian Adair, Arun Bonerjee, Walt Lees, Werner Miller, Ali
Cardabra, Ron Chatburn, James Ward, Martin Peirce, Alan Ward, Kennedy Smith,
Chris Wardle, Al Smith, Clyde Clayton, Mike Hopley, Brian Lead, Edward Phillips,
Jerry Christensen, Les Peirce & Ananta Deb Bonerjee.
These really are Encyclopedic Volumes of Mentalism, that will serve to inspire
you for many years to come. All I really need add is that the sales page for
this project contains one of the most honest sales videos I have ever seen for
any Magic or Mentalism product and Jonathan Royle explains all of the Pros and
Cons of each version of this trilogy.
Available now from
www.mentalismsecrets.co.uk
Unreservedly Recommended
© Stuart Cassels, May 2016