Mentalism Resources

How do I get started with mentalism?

There are only two important books in mentalism: Practical Mental Magic by Theodore Annemann and 13 Steps to Mentalism by Tony Corinda . This is not the same as saying that Erdnase or Royal Road is all you need for card magic, instead this is actually, literally true - since the effect you're attempting to create is supposed to look completely impossible and convincing, it's more-or-less timeless. This will make more sense when you start diving into mentalism.

Corinda was a prolific magic dealer, and had his hands on more material (especially Fogel's) than you could ever need. Annemann of course is Annemann, and the depth of his thinking on his mental effects is astounding, and holds up. PMM reprints large sections of the Jinx, so you're actually benefiting from Annemann, Orville Meyer, Stewart James, Al Baker and the rest, for a ridiculously low price.

The next resource is Fundamentals by Bob Cassidy. This is possibly the most valuable book that Bob has written, and he's written some very fine books indeed. Of primary importance here is the thought given to persona and characterization, which is far more vital in mentalism over magic. This book is currently out of print but has been republished in his other book The Artful Mentalism of Bob Cassidy Vol 2. Don’t let the Vol 2 fool you, it is not a sequel to Vol 1. To quote Bob “It simply contains things that I wrote AFTER I'd done the previous book”.

The primary difference between magic/mental magic and mentalism is that a magician can perform a series of tricks, whereas a mentalist performs one - the meta-illusion of being able to perform whatever premise they intend. Thus, some of the most valuable books here are Darwin Ortiz's "Strong Magic" and Henning Nelm's "Magic and Showmanship" , since they will assist in developing consistency in characterization.

Banachek's "Psychological Subtleties" might represent the only other irreplaceable work, since there is limited crossover with Practical Mental Magic or 13 Steps. The true value of this will only surface later.

For links to further reading, I'd offer you three good, free resources:

I do not agree with some major points of Craig's document, but it's worth reading. Bob's list is flawless.

When I was starting out, the following blog post sorted through the mass of misinformation, and made a lot of things very clear for me:

Gunn’s Beginner Guide to Mentalism

Every other book, ebook and DVD is optional. Some of them have some great ideas, others have excellent routines and methods - but the basics of PMM/13 Steps/Fundamentals really do have everything that's required for a full, professional career... if the time and effort is put in.

Mentalism is not an easy option, you need to be convincing in a way that magic can sidestep. You'll sometimes need to tread lightly on dodgy ethical ground, and perform flawless sleight of hand (often one handed and blind), since any significant failure will ruin your entire credibility.

Most importantly, you can't rely on flash paper, sponge penises and sight gags for entertainment... there's only you standing there, propless or near as dammit.

You'd better have something interesting to say.