I really enjoyed PRISM & I am glad it is back in print. Why at double the price? That aside Max is amazing the book and the vast majority of his books and DVD’s are well worth the investment.

Used copies have sold for hundreds of dollars.

The "color series" was never suppose to be reprinted. When Prism came out, I think many people thought it might be their only chance to get some pretty obscure material? First prints sold out quickly. So I'm guessing that why the higher price. Well worth it though.

How many books get a second printing at twice the price? That speaks volumes for the desirability and quality of the material!

Good for Max.

Oscar

Yes, it is good material. I must say I was surprised that the original was only $30.

Actually, the original was priced at $40. It was actually priced lower than many books that were being published at that time dealing with mentalism, so I'm not surprised at all with a $60 tag.

I just bought this book, I saw it on ebay for $xxx, then I suddenly saw it on PenguinMagic and ordered it for $40, I cannot wait to read it, I have heard so many positive reviews about it,

Capitalism.

I regularly go back and re-read this. I'm always interested to see how I move my post it notes around, and re-comment my comments as I grow and learn more. Notes from the first reading a decade ago showing my ignorance, and evolving to demonstrate an understanding of the concepts and genius I missed first time around as a relative newcomer. True for many books of course, but for some reason especially this one.

I respect your self reflections Paul I should do what you do.

Sometimes we can learn more from ourselves than we can from others...

Wohoiii just purchased it, will give atter my reviews.

I like the Violet book the best. It is the concluding one in Prism.

Publishing costs more than it used to.

It is a book everyone should have even if you don't use the exact effects as presented. There are good ideas that will lead you to create your own effects with the same methodology.

Just Desire alone...worth ten times the price of the book.

David

Agree!!!

Destiny is the main reason I bought the book. I’m going to have to reread Just Desire.

Yes, Desire is amazing!

Synchronicity that this topic has come up as I've just been re-reading my copy (first edition hardcover apparently) over the past week.

I found one effect in the book, Tis the Season to be Lying, which was interesting because it was simple, and because Christmas is coming. The effect is a L&D test using Christmas gift name tags. 4 are chosen and names are inscribed by party guests, 3 put names of loved ones on their tags, and one puts the name of a non loved one on their tag. A 5th spectator is used to pick a tag at random. The mentalist says to her "If I were to sort through these four tags and find the only one that bears a real [sic] name, wouldn't that be impressive?" The lady nods in agreement. "Well I think it would be even more impressive if YOU did it..."

As a reader at this point I'm thinking, well this IS interesting. I can think of one way that this might be done, but let's read further.

"The performer gets the woman up onto the stage. She is asked to reach out and pick up one tag. This she does. She holds onto this tag as the performer reads out the three that are left."

WOW, thinks I, to borrow from a Ginzu knife commercial, NOW how much would you pay?

So I get to the Modus section: "How do you ensure the spectator picks the proper tag? The answer is E******e." WTH?

The text goes on to note that the technique is described in a book by Bob Lynn. A, presumably modern, footnote notes that the book was never published but the essay was later published in 1976 as Verbal Control.

There's one other effect in Prism which also uses the same Modus. I can only imagine the joy I would have felt back in the day trying to reconcile what was then a common concept of how the technique was used by most amateurs, which was selecting a gem on a Hot Rod, to this tag trick. Thank god I didn't know this trick or I would have tried it I'm sure, then would have been surprised by how badly it was received.

I have Verbal Control. And I finally recently tracked down what it's based on (mentioned in Verbal Control), Phantini's Mental key. And I've even had the good fortune to be at a lecture by Eugene Burger where he tried to teach us this technique. There is no way that that process, no matter how expertly done, can honestly be described as "reaching out and picking up one tag."

This kind of thing wasn't unheard of then of course, neither is it now. In the excellent 1972 beginners book Magic Digest there is a sidebar entitled Truth in Advertising, which includes among other things this: "...a trick in which a billiard ball first appeared in an empty box then then, removed from the box and held openly in the magicians hand, mysteriously vanishes without cover." Customers received ".....and instructions to vanish the ball by your favorite method."