I am thinking of purchasing this. Has anyone an opinion regarding this prop?

The inside doesn't look like any dictionary I've ever seen.

Thanks Sponge. I kinda suspected that. I love book tests and have quite a few. I am a little hesitant on this one due to having been stung before. I am kind of impulsive at times I guess. I appreciate your input.

It absolutely looks like a dictionary.

I have it, I think I like it, I haven't quite figured out what to do with it yet.

There are a lot of features crammed into this book, I don't care for all of them. The intention is not to hit on every feature this book has to offer in a single routine, pick the ones you like best and stick with those.

There is some information you can reveal without any pumping, but its sort of vague information, there is more specific information you can reveal with a little pumping. You really need to understand your character as a mind reader and your mind reading process in order to make this play in a believable fashion, if you think that will be easy I don't you've thought about it hard enough. (not specifically you mister illusion, the general "you" whom ever it may concern)

I think this item will work best not as a stand alone piece but incorporated into a larger book test routine with other books and methods. It would be quite a natural thing to incidentally introduce a dictionary into a book test.

This book test is not a routine, it is simply a tool. You will have to decide for yourself how to best use this tool and that will require careful consideration. This is an expensive item to have sitting in the back of the magic junk drawer but that where it will likely remain until the right idea comes along.

Interesting comments Mac_stone. I have so many book test method now at my disposal I hesitate to add one more unless it gives me options I do not have now. The two book tests I am using currently are one which necessitates determining a page number first. The second requires me to riffle through the pages for the spectator to pick the first word on the page. I really like both of these book tests for their ease of method and entertainment factor. What has attracted me to Todd Karr's book is no need for any of this. I don't mind spending the money, but I question whether a lay audience will be any more entertained by me using another method than I am already using. Magician audiences would, of course, be impressed, but not a lay audience. So.....I am still thinking. I actually like the Shakespeare book concept better than a dictionary.

I understand there are elements of the Shakespeare book test in the dictionary, the two may pair well together.

Ultimately, I think Secret Lexicon may make for a satisfying addition to a book test but certainly not a replacement for one.

Regarding your routine above, what may intrigue you about the dictionary is its lack of procedure next to your other two methods. They open to any page and you immediately start revealing information, pump a little and reveal more and more specific information, completely hands off.

Treat it as sort of in incidental addition to your existing routine, a warm up to the more difficult specific thoughts or ideas that literature can provide rather than the simpler single words from a dictionary.


I may have just figured out what to do with this book test, I think I kind of like it more now.

Thanks again. I really am intrigued by the lack of procedure you mention. That just might be enough of a reason for me to add this to my show.

Baloney.
Why don't you post a pic and he can decide for himself?

Why don't you?

Let's see it....

I can't because after I saw a pic of the pages, I chose not to buy it. For the price, I was very dissapointed in the look. If I had the pics, I would gladly post them to support my claim. But you must own it, so you can post pics, or just send them to misterillusion. No problem, right? Notice how Todd doesn't show a word page in the ad? Just some flags, the cover(s) and the gilded edges. hmmmm.

To me, it doesn't look like a real/common dictionary page, and I've seen a few. Now, will normal people notice? I don't know. Who looks at a dictionary anymore? Sure, there are words, definitions, guide words, and pics, but they don't look right. Like those booktests where the novel has block formatting. It's just off. That may not bother or be a big deal for some/many performers, but for me it's a na.

Looks like there was a review in the Aug Genii; might be worth it to get the mag and read it. But it must have been a glowing review since Todd is using a quote on the ad.

So you don't own it?

Shakespeare test is a beauty, I would imagine the dictionary is as well, considering Todd’s past record. Then again, I am biased towards Todds.

-Another Todd

Thanks Todsky...