Alright guys, I have a little bit of research behind my back but what better way than to ask other mentalists/mentalism fans/enthusiasts for some help?

Basically, I want to know your personal favourites (as well the one you think is the best, it does not necessarily have to be your favourite) for books in these categories:

Muscle reading
Cold reading
NLP
Lip reading
Sound reading
Touch reading
Suggestion
Reverse Mind Reading

Now, if any of these topics don't have a book specifically devoted to it but have mentions of it (provided the book is about mentalism mainly or one of the other categories) then you may also mention it.

Currently, I own 13 Steps and PMM. I have things in my wishlist (http://www.penguinmagic.com/wishlist/Kr ... glluyyu3fq) which you may feel free to leave out, though if you want to mention thoughts on them, by all means do so.

Cheers guys.

How is cold reading grossly overrated?

You should always apply cold reading before you ever ask anyone to write anything down (so they believe you know the contents of a b*llet), then there is no heat on the b*llet and it is only there for insurance purposes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2zOgt4NEsc

There is a video of me performing (I posted on another thread) it is one of the main techniques I am using here. There is no p*e show, no billet work and I believe it is as close as we are going to get to direct mindreading.

Cold reading (mixed with a principle of my own) is one of the most powerful tools a mind reader can have.

Pete

Cheers for the replies guys.

@Akirafist: Trust you to recommend Liquid Metal.

@Pete: Do you have any learning materials you can recommend?

There are plenty of books, what are you looking to achieve (so I can best recommend them).

Pete

Well I suppose it would depend on what you mean by the question.

Obviously, I am looking into a mentalism act of some sort, preferably incorporating "contact mind reading" and suggestion. A "Derren Brown" reminiscent style act, if that helps at all?

If you have any more specific questions, ask those too, so I can provide a more thorough answer.

Cheers.

Ah well,

Have you read the psi subtleties series by Banachek?

The prism series by Maven is a good read.

I loved "Remarkable man" (Based on Chan Canasta) by David Britland

I have a few books out myself (Inbox me for more details) but they are pretty direct (in my opinion).

For the likes of cold reading, study videos on psychics and watch them. The ones you hate the most are probably the best places to start (sounds ridiculous but there is a reason you hate them and chances are is because they are fooling people).

For anymore info just ask I will be honest

Pete

Haven't read any. Sounds like a good place to start. Feel free to let me know of your books and their topics if you like.

Cheers

As far as Cold Reading goes, It's just one of those things in magic that takes a large investment of time and experience to become decent. First off the bat, Have a solid understanding of Hot Reading (13 Steps) and then get a few loaded statements that you can use as your hits when starting off is a good start. If you look up "Barnum Statements", you can find a lot of information on wording and structure as it pertains to Cold Reading. I've been using Cold Reading for ~5 years (of 13 years of magic) and I would like to think I'm above average. You'll know you've gotten somewhere when you start recognizing similar situations and people. If you have questions, PM me.