If you’ve been interested in mentalism lately, you’re probably looking for books that you can read on the topic.
And what better book than one that is written by a great mentalist – Theodore Anneman.
He created hundreds of tricks and techniques that are still useful today!
You can learn directly from him by reading his book, Practical Mental Magic. This book is considered one of the most important books in mentalism.
But you might want to know what to expect from this book.
Well, this is why, here, we’re going to give you a complete Practical Mental Magic review.
So let’s take a close look at it!
About the Author
Theodore Anneman was an American magician, writer, and mentalist of the 1930s. He is known for coming up with different variations of mentalism routines that are still being used today.
Theodore became interested in magic at the age of 10 when his friend showed him the “ball and vase” trick.
In the earlier years of his life, he worked as a magician’s assistant. Eventually, he became interested in mentalism and used his skills to become one of the most accomplished mentalists of his time.
He performed his perfected version of the dangerous bullet catch illusion wherein he will collapse and catch the bullet using his mouth.
Although there was blood coming out of his mouth, Theodore was unharmed and successfully pulled off the trick that killed a lot of magicians who attempted to perform it.
He was also known as the master of mind-reading effects and magic. He could demonstrate intuitive or mental abilities, clairvoyance, telepathy, precognition, divination, rapid mathematics, mind control, and memory feats.
In his free time, Anneman created mentalism and magic effects and wrote about them. The first book he published about magic was “The Cabinet of Card Miracles”.
In 1943, Theodore became an editor of a magazine for magicians called The Jinx. The magazine included information about mentalism, magic tricks, and spiritism.
Sadly, after his death, they stopped publishing the said magazine and the remaining copies became collector’s items.
Theodore committed suicide on the night he was supposed to perform his bullet catch illusion in an indoor venue.
Practical Mental Magic Overview
The Practical Mental Magic was originally published as “Practical Mental Effects” in 1944.
In Practical Mental Magic, Theodore reveals over 200 mental effects that do not require special equipment. He makes sure to add detailed instructions and illustrations.
The routines included in this book cover 12 major categories:
- Dead or Alive
- Psychic Codes
- Publicity Effects
- Effects with Billets and Pellets
- Miracle Slate Routines
- Book Tests
- Thought Foretold
- Envelope Necromancy
- Blindfold Reading
- Mentalism with Card
- Money Mentalism
- Miscellaneous Mental Masterpieces
Each of the variations Anneman came up with is in the book and is briefly explained. It also comes with tips on staging, pattern, techniques, and diversions — basically, everything aspiring magicians/mentalists need to know to successfully perform any trick.
Practical Mental Magic Book Review
Are you a beginner and want to be successful in performing tricks?
Or, what if you’re looking to add a few mental effects to your collection?
Well, you should consider reading Anneman’s Practical Mental Magic.
It contains some basic and classic principles and techniques of mentalism that are still being used by modern magicians and mentalists.
If you’re not interested in mentalism but love to do card tricks, you can learn lots of card effects in this book, too.
What’s great about this book is it covers some good parts of the Jinx magazine where Theodore was an editor.
The book itself is easy to read and follow, perfect for beginners.
What else can you expect?
This book offers practical guides on how to be a successful mentalist. It contains over 200 mental miracles and is divided into 12 major acts.
Each magic trick or routine is explained step-by-step to help you pull off the trick smoothly. Moreover, it contains information about mentalism acts and illustrations.
You will also learn about performance techniques, staging, and divisions to bring your performance to the next level.
Whether you’re performing on stage, close-up, or impromptu, this book offers suitable tricks and effects for every venue.
As previously mentioned, you don’t need any special equipment to pull off the tricks. You just need basic magic props and a willingness to learn.
Tips and techniques about the dead or alive effect, wherein you will perform a trick while blindfolded, are thoroughly discussed in this book.
What’s more, the book covers mind-reading tricks such as prophecy and mind-reading by creating the illusion of telepathy. The technique will teach you how to predict reactions based on psychological principles and studies to make it appear that you’re reading the minds of the audience.
The good part?
The Practical Mental Magic is more affordable compared to other mentalism books. So, why not spend less but learn the same basic principles and so much more?
Practical Mental Magic Pros and Cons
To sum it up, here are the pros and cons you can expect from Practical Mental Magic.
Pros:
- The effects of different routines are explained in detailed
- It contains over 200 classic mental effects
- Perfect for experienced and beginners
- Perfect for mentalists or magicians
- Gives tips on how to improve
- A more affordable mentalism book
- Can be purchased as Kindle or paperback
Cons
- Contains few illustrations
- You should have a high level of understanding of certain terminologies
Conclusion
Now, that sums up our review for the Practical Mental Magic.
Theodore Anneman’s vast knowledge about mentalism is widely visible through the compilation of tricks and techniques in this book.
Whatever skill level you have, advanced or beginner, this book will help you become a great mentalist.
The methodology and techniques that you will learn directly from Theodore Anneman will surely bring your performance to the next level.
And even if you’re not planning on learning all that, it’s still a great and fun read for the curious person.
If it sounds like a book you want to invest in, you can check it out here.