The Book Test Book by Jim Kleefeld

If you didn’t think Jim Kleefeld could top his previous Magnum Opus, Locked, think again.  Jim has done it again with a second massive work for mentalists, magicians and historians – this time tackling the ever popular category of magic and mentalism: The Book Test. 

Here are just a few of the commercial products he features in his book and these barely scratch the surface of the amazing treasure trove that awaits you. Every time I think I have a pretty good selection of magic on my site I open up one of Jim’s books and quickly realize so many more effects there are out there, this history project of mine could take a while 🙁

Details: Book Tests. Performers love them. Mentalists use them. Magicians collect them. Perhaps because magicians and mentalists have invented literally thousands of tricks, routines, effects and commercial items called “Book Tests,” it is one of the most popular effects in these performing arts.

Here is finally a complete history and encyclopedic reference book on book tests, all explained, described, and routined. Hundreds of book tests for mentalists and magicians are categorized by method and sorted chronologically.

Examining the premise from 1584 to 2020, The Book Test Book explores hundreds of variations on the use of books to read minds. This 320-page hardcover:

• lists over 500 book tests as detailed in books and magazines,
• and describes over 400 commercial book tests published and sold from the 1930s up to the present.
• The book includes 130 original color illustrations
• and over 1200 color photographs so you can clearly see the covers of book tests cited.

The information is carefully cross-referenced with a full bibliography and three separate full indices, and is full color throughout. 

The Book Test Book is a concise reference guide to book test for magicians and mentalists as well as a history of the use of books for mentalism, mind reading, and magic from its earliest years up to the present.  Thirteen categories of various methods are featured within.

Contents:

Introduction…………………………………………… 1
Purpose………………………………………………. 1
Methods……………………………………………… 2
Advice…………………………………………………2

Content —————3
Organization………………………………………. 3
Writing Conventions…………………………….3
The Roster………………………………………….. 3
Magic vs. Mentalism…………………………….4
Datedness…………………………………………… 4
Mathematics………………………………………. 4
Playing Cards……………………………………… 5
Usefulness……………………………………………5
Omissions and Redundancies………………..5
Illustrative References………………………… 6

Performance……………………………………………9
Selection…………………………………………….. 9
Abilities……………………………………………… 9
Implementation……………………………………9
Clarity………………………………………………… 9
Scripting…………………………………………….10
Sample Script……………………………………. 10
Procedures…………………………………………10
Energy……………………………………………….11
Pace………………………………………………….. 11
Choosing Participants…………………………11

Rationale………………………………………………..12
Necessity……………………………………………12
Difficulty…………………………………………….12
Inspiration…………………………………………12
Clarification……………………………………….13
Organic………………………………………………13

History……………………………………………………17

Methods………………………………. 23
Word Force…………………………………………23
Page Force………………………………………….23
Limiting Force……………………………………24
Book Force…………………………………………24
Duplicate Books………………………………… 24
Duplicate Pages………………………………….24
Peek…………………………………………………. 25
Crib………………………………………………….. 25
Anagram……………………………………………26
Clue Gathering…………………………………..26
Stooge………………………………………………. 27
Secret Assistant…………………………………27

Milestones ………………………………..31

Word Force…………………………………………… 39
Core Method Routine………………………….39
The Word Force in Print…………………….. 40

Page Force……………………………………………..57
Core Method Routine………………………… 57
Page Force in Print……………………………. 58

Limiting Force…………………………………….. 83
Core Method Routine………………………… 83
Limiting Force in Print………………………. 84

Book Force……………………………………………99
Core Method Routine………………………… 99
Book Force in Print………………………….. 100

Duplicate Books………………………………… 105
Core Method Routine………………………. 105
Duplicate Books in Print……………………106

Duplicate Pages…………………………………..115
Core Method Routine……………………….. 115
Duplicate Page in Print………………………116

Peek…………………………………………………….. 123
Core Method Routine………………………..123
Peek In Print……………………………………124

Discovery…………………………………………….133
Core Method Routine………………………..133
Discovery in Print…………………………… 134

Crib………………………………………….153
Core Method Routine………………………..153
Crib in Print…………………………………….. 154

Anagram …………………………………..167
Core Method Routine………………………..167
Anagram in Print………………………………168

Clue Gathering ……………………………175
Core Method Routine…………………………175
Clue Gathering in Print……………………..176

Stooge……………………………………………………183
Core Method Routine………………………..183
Stooge in Print…………………………………. 184

Secret Assistant………………………………… 189
Core Method Routine………………………..189
Secret Assistant in Print…………………..190

Reading Someone’s Thoughts …………196

Products……………………………………………… 201
Products in the Market……………………. 201

Forcing Books 273

Book Test Props………………………………..283
Book Test Props in the Market………..283

Presentations …………………………………….289
Presentations in Print ………….289

Bibliography………………………………………301
Research & Reference Books…………..301

Index 1 ………….309
Principles. ………………… 309

Index 2 ………………… 315
Effects ..315

Index 3 …………. 318
Creators. ………….318

In Closing ………….323

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