I don't think its an issue of needing more books. I don't need more books. I could want all the books in the world, but needing them is a different thing. I think at best, the begginer should sit down and read one or two. This is a particularly odd case though, it seems like a performer wanting to add a bit of mental "flare" into his existing magic. Perhaps you should place a spongeball in a spectators hand and ask them to think of a color, then when they open there hand the red spongeball has changed to blue, or maybe think of a number, one spongeball multiplys into 27 little ones! It would be an interesting take on traditional magic. But you will hae to do it right! To add to that list of books however I can reccomend Strong Magic. by Darwin Orowitz (sp?). It will change the way you look at your magic. For the better...

As far as books take it from Einstein.

Einstein developed the Theory of Relativity simply because he did not read anything, attend any conventions, learn anything from his peers. He even blew off Newtons Time is Absolute theory. This allowed Einstein to develop hiw OWN ideas based from nothing.

Everyother scientist since Newton was stuck on Newton's theory that Time is Absolute so, since they started with that premise, they never made it out of the starting gate. Einstein thought, "What if time ISN'T absolute?" and he started with THAT premise and developed his famous theory.

Einstein claimed that learning from the on-set, youngster, following all the rules, was harmful to the learning process, he was always a rebel anyway.

This theory was proved when, after Einstein's Theory of Relativity, he went on to give speeches and learned more from his peers and at conventions. After this time, while he continued to "get smarter" he never came up with ANY new developments as important as the Relativity Theory. He was strapped with new theorys and rules and got caught in a rut.

So, while I am certainly no Einstein I read plenty of books and must follow in the masters' footsteps, learn their routines and then perform them, eventually, in my own way.

John

Bev
That is an excellent model for a career in Mentalism
And most other fields
Nice one
TJ

The whole point of being a mentalist in my mind is to be intriguing.

Magic is at its best, fascinating. Everyone knows that there must be a logical explanation and that the performer is, at best, very clever and entertaining.

Mentalism strives to add doubt into the equation to create the idea that there may be another explanation for what is occuring than the merely technical.

And so, wonderment and intrigue are born. They are the long forgotten children of Magic, which once was intriguing but gave birth to Conjuring and all wonderment was lost.

Turn a stone into a slightly different colour and make it look difficult. Use the same method as colour changing silks if you like. But if you want people to question reality and its boundaries (which is what all good magic used to do) then do something vaguely plausable and act as if you are doing what you proport do be doing.

Those colour changing silks must be a trick. Not sure about the stones though. Looked pretty real and spooky to me.

Magic nowadays challenges the audience with a series of puzzles which they can then try to solve. Mentalism challenges the audience with a series of ideas which they can think about.

Ideas take on a life of their own and inspire conversation. Puzzles eventually get put on the shelf next to a dusty Rubiks Cube and get forgotten about.

Trade in ideas. You'll be remembered far longer.

Rant over.

Bev

Bev:That's hardly a rant.Like most of your posts there is a'understandable'message,that I personally appreciate.Thank-you.

Rich

Not complaining about Nickleby's attitude toward magicians, I understand this with most magicians... but the statement by Bill is dead on, totally on the mark.