Hi there.

A few years back I was fairly serious about magic but then slowly lost interest as school became gradually harder. However, since it is coming to an end (school) I would like to pick up again. I am interested in looking into mentalism (I was mainly focused on card magic previously).

Anyway, I am interested in buying 13 Steps to Mentalism. However, I would like to know a few things. Are the DVDs better than the book? I am leaning towards the book as you can read it whenever and wherever but then again, the DVD would be able to give you a visual to follow.

Does the book only cover teachings and methodologies for stage mentalism or does it cover mentalism as a whole (appropriate for close-up etc)?

And lastly, are there any gimmicks I should invest in? I know I will need a swami tip but is there anything else? I would like to keep it all to one order as shipping may cost me a fair bit (I live in Australia).

Thanks for reading!

For right now. Buy the book, read it at least twice. Then see if you still enjoy mentalism for your style of magic. If you still enjoy it, buy something like PRISM by Max Maven, Theatre of the Mind, and possibly Practical Mental Magic (but this is often seen as a substitute for 13 steps). I personally do not have the dvds but would assure you that 13 steps is all you need for right now.

I don't have the dvds but the book is great. It covers stage mentalism and close up mentalism. If you learn the concepts in that book then you can create almost any mentalism effect you can think of.

The items you need would depend on the effect. Just getting the book and a swami is perfect.


btw...you should buy 2 or 3 swami's in case you lose one

I have no where near the experience in mentalism as Bucky and Benji but as someone who started exploring this field recently myself I'll add my 2 cents. I would also add Practical Mental Magic while you are at it. The reason being that a good deal of great mentalism effects can be done with a billet switch or a center tear. Anneman seems to cover billet switches in greater detail and Corinda seems to cover center tears a bit better(in fact I don't recall if Anneman even covers it?) Anneman's presentations are even more dated than Corinda's but you will need to get used to updating stuff for modern audiences anyways. Both books have a lot of really great home built gaffs and gimmicks that are explained throughout. While these gaffs are generally intended for mentalism they can often be adapted for conjuring as well. PMM is only $12.00 - $13.00. So if you want to make a one time purchase I think adding that could keep you busy for a good long time.

One last thought. You said you used to be into card magic. Card magic is also a focus of mine as well. I recently got a triple threat wallet and I think it is a very practical device for use with both card magic and mentalism(especially if you are planning to get a swami gimmick.) Just a thought...but it shouldn't preceed either book or the swami writer.

Thanks for your replies.

And is there anyway that I can replace the lead in the swami gimmick?

And it appears that penguin magic is out of swami gimmicks, is the TT Writer-pencil lead Vernet alright to use?

THanks again

I agree: get the book first, it's a must have for mentalists. The DVD is good combined with the book.

a TT writer would be good but it depends on your taste, some people prefer boons and some people prefer nail writers. The nail writer and boon would be harder to see up-close (you could make tt writer work up-close too obviously, since a regular TT works up close). The TT writer would be easier to steal and harder to lose.

Thanks for your reply. Sorry if this sounds stupid but what do you mean its easier to steal?

So your advice would be the boon pencil lead? And is it possible to replace the lead in these or will I need to buy a new one once it gets low?

It doesn't sound stupid. Easier to steal means it's easier to put it on while the audience is watching, without them knowing. However you could make all of them work. I personally use a nail writer but like I said it depends on your taste, so I can only give you the pros and cons.

I don't know if it's possible to replace the pencil lead in the TT writer they sell here, but I think so. It's possible in the nail writer I use.

The lead can be easily replace in all swami gimmicks. I use the TT because it is easy to put on.

I don't feel getting the dvd's is worth it for one main reason,
This book as long been seen as the ''go to'' to get your understanding of the basic principles behind mentalism, while some of the effects in the book are very clever and one could argue that much every routine in the book can still be performed today, I still prefer to reccomend this book simply to grasp the spirit of mentalism, to get exposed to certain gimmicks and sleights commonly used in mentalism.

The dvd focus more onto the working of the effects, if you are more interested in learning easily effects I'd say grab the Dvd, and if you are more interested into starting into mentalism and really getting to understand the essence, the book will be more than necessary.

Some other books can get you started on your creative journey, like Theodore Anneman Practical mental magic, and more recently Max Maven Prism, Bob Cassidy aslo have good material that is easy to perform.

You cannot have watched all of the DVDs because Osterlind goes into theory and presentation as well as methods. You're talking about someone who has lived with the material for over 40 years.

The best recommendation - and this would be Osterlind's recommendation as well - get both. The DVDs are not meant to be a substitute for the book, but makes the book a lot easier to grasp, in all areas, not just methods.

You didn't really read what he said did you? He said the dvd focuses MORE onto the working of the effects. Meaning, the dvd goes into more in-depth explanations as to how they work. He never said it didn't go into theory and presentation as well. Blizt's advice still stands, if you're serious about getting into mentalism, get the book. If you're just trying to impress people with mental magic, get the dvds.

Obviously YOU haven't watched all of the DVDs either. There is over 12 hours of material on those DVDs - MOST of the material is theory and presentational tips - and presentation is EVERYTHING when it comes to mentalism. All of the material is mentalism and NOT mental magic. Why would you say get the DVDs if you want to present mental magic? That makes absolutely no sense when the material Osterlind presents is right out the book!

I have watched all of the DVDs several times now and have had several hours of phone conversations with Richard Osterlind, so I know exactly what is on these DVDs.

Most people get the book and are put off by it. It's not an easy read for a lot of people. You must have not read what I wrote because I said you should get both the DVDs and the book because the DVDs will make the book a lot easier to understand.

Also, something you probably didn't know - Corinda completely endorsed Osterlind's work on the DVDs and said if he were to do the project today, he would have done it like Osterlind.

More does not mean most. When he says it focuses more on it, he means that the dvd can teach the workings a lot better than the book can. That's it. He and I never said most of the material was on how the effects worked. The reason I said that if someone was more into mental magic than they should get the dvds was because people who get the dvds only tend to flock more towards the mental magic side of things. Whereas people who have the books tend to be more mentalism centered.
Maybe Blizt said that if they're less serious about mentalism than the dvds were a good choice for the same reason you think it is. The book certainly can be hard to get through. However, dvds are easy for someone to sit and watch.
Also, how much you've talked to Osterlind and watched the dvds does not make you an expert in mentalism. Sure it's a great base, but if you already think you know everything (simply an assumption by the way you're talking to me and Blizt) then you've got tonnes to learn.
To finish up I'd like to address everything I bolded in my quote of your post which I either find offensive or is incorrect.
I have watched the dvds.
It is condescending to me to say things like "presentation is everything in mentalism" (I already know that).
People can perform mental magic when presenting a mentalism effect, something you should have learned by now.
There is no way you know EXACTLY what is on the dvds, this just makes you sound silly. But what I will give you is that you probably know most of the material.
That second last paragraph I agree with.
And finally, I did know that, but thanks again for being condescending.
Remember, neither Blizt nor I said that most of the dvd was focused on the workings of the effect. We said it focused more into the workings of the effects. Which basically you said yourself by saying the dvd helps people understand the book. So nobody is disagreeing with anyone here. You simply misunderstood Blizt and I. That is, if I understood Blizt's message correctly. I'd like to think I did, I've known him for a while.