What with all the “Top 5” book lists here lately I’ve been thinking about more books.
Sidebar: We were dirt poor growing up, but we always had boxes of books we’d move from hovel to hovel. First thing we’d unpack each place was the books. Images of shelves and shelves of books populate my memories. My siblings and I still text each other the names of books or authors we think each other would enjoy. I love ebooks because I can carry my library in my pocket, but I will always have shelves of “real” books in my life.
Here are the mentalism books I think about buying, but still haven’t. I make a good income, but I also have some health issues that keep chipping away at the paycheck, so I can’t just buy everything I want.
My wife might say that it seems I do buy everything anyway, but buying (another!) pack of envelopes, or blank cards for billets, etc., is very different than dropping $60 to $200 on a single book.
My Want List
These aren’t in any specific order, just as they came to mind…and notes about why I want them follow the list…
Setting the Stage by Eric Samuels
Notes From a Fellow Traveler by Derren Brown
Embryos by Paul Prater
Unreal by Bruce Bernstein
Mythology Codex by Phill Smith
Why I Want Those Specific Books
The first three books share a common theme — stage mentalism. Not just effects, but the theory behind why certain tricks are chosen, etc. Due to reasons I think I’ve mentioned elsewhere, on the stage is where I feel most comfortable — it’s also where I think I’m able to create more impactful routines. So any book that talks about staging mentalism routines is a book I want. I’ve had a relatively lot of stage (or stage-type) experience in my life, but not mentalism-specific, so any time I can pick the brains of pros who’ve done a ton of that, I take advantage of the opportunity.
I’ve heard enough about Setting the Stage, Notes From A Fellow Traveller, and Embryos, to know that I’d be a better stage performer if I read what’s in those books.
The last two books on the list, Unreal and Mythology Codex, also share a common theme — effects. Lots and lots of effects. Do I need more tricks? Not really, but the more techniques one has at their disposal, the easier it is to come up with a method for something new. The guys who wrote those two books are smart guys who are prolific creators and being able to study the methods they use for umpteen different routines can only help me when I’m creating something new for my show.
When Will I Get Them?
It’s likely that I’ll buy those from cheapest to most expensive, but kind of depends on how flush with cash I am at the time. Probably my next opportunity to get something without the wife rolling her eyes* will be in December — birthday time!
I think two of the books on that list are currently sold out, but I think they will both be reprinted. and when they are, hopefully I won’t have just been on a “buying spree” and can justify the expense. 🙂
*I have the most awesome wife in the world, bar none! She rarely rolls her eyes when I do something like buy too much magic. Or at least she doesn’t do it where I can see.
#2 on my list, Notes from a Fellow Traveler, is on the way to me. I borrowed it from a friend and read a few chapters before I needed to give it back to him (it’s a thick book!) — but I left it sitting in my car and the heat (yes, in the freaking winter!) caused the spine to come unglued, so I ordered him a new copy. Which means I get his old copy. Not how I’d expected to get that book…
#1 from the list, Setting the Stage, is on the way to me. I didn’t have the money for it right now, but the 3rd and FINAL printing just came out and I don’t want to miss it, so I bit the bullet and ordered it! Looking forward to reading it, but not looking forward to my wife finding out. (Oh, she’s very understanding, but that doesn’t help MY guilt feelings!)