Now in its seventh (revised) printing …


Doug Dyment’s

Mindsights

Tools & Performance Pieces
For the Mystery Entertainer

Featuring the following …

  • “QuickerStack” (a.k.a. The Half-Hour Memorized Deck) is a full-deck stack for the entertainer who wants to do memorized deck work, but not make it a life’s work. This new approach yields a sequence that (unlike some currently available) can be safely displayed to an audience (for example, here are the first ten cards: 7S-5H-10C-KD-2H-9C-AS-QD-6C-3C). Nonetheless, the conversion from any card’s value to its corresponding position (and vice versa) is straightforward, completely consistent, and both learned and remembered quite easily. This is the fastest algorithmic solution yet devised, and significantly updated and improved from the original version described in the first six printings of Mindsights. QuickerStack also incorporates a specialized ordering that enables the execution of a wide variety of strong effects, a more versatile approach than stacks designed around a fixed collection of the author’s favourite pieces, and one favoured by many top performers. Alan Ackerman, for example, considers this ordering to be “the strongest of all stacks.”
  • The ability to quickly produce a magic square for an audience-selected number is always impressive, and because of this has been featured, both as a close-up performance item and as a popular “opener”, by numerous entertainers. The problem with most such routines, however, is that (1) the squares are not as “magical” as they might be, (2) the mathematics are a struggle, (3) the construction method does not work well for large numbers, and/or (4) the technique does not bear repetition, as the resulting squares are too similar. The new approach explained here yields squares that add to the chosen number in more than two dozen different and interesting ways, can be produced in less than ten seconds with no more than a single (and simple) subtraction, works with numbers of almost any magnitude, and can be repeated nearly three dozen times for the same audience (even the same target number) with no apparent duplication, making it suitable for walk-around, trade shows, etc. Included—as an example of using numbers of different sizes—is a particularly practical (and equally simple) method for producing magic squares that add to a specific year.
  • “Major Arcanum” is an unusually clean Tarot card prediction. A normal pack of (Major Arcana) Tarot cards is shown to be well mixed, and placed on the table. A prediction is displayed. An audience member throws a regular die three times and totals the values (no force). Without the performer changing the order of any cards in the deck, the participant counts to the value, and the arrived-at card is seen to match the (unambiguously worded) prediction! It’s that straightforward, with no duplicate (or otherwise special) cards, and no secret writing. Several additional performance options are described.
  • Bob Carver’s brilliant but little-known ESP demonstration, considered by many to be the best impromptu ESP symbol-matching routine ever, is revisited. Using nothing more than ten ungaffed ESP cards, this updating (“Bob’s Your Uncle”) offers a simple, mechanistic replacement for the difficult mental calculations that were necessary in the original version, making it an easily acquired addition to any performance repertoire.
  • You’ll also find a baffling high-audience-participation numeric prediction; an unfathomable “pick a card” routine that has bewildered magicians worldwide; an interesting billet idea for a multiple-out prediction; what may be the most astonishing optical illusion ever devised; and several essays on the performance of mentalism, by a past President of the Psychic Entertainers Association.

OUT OF PRINT


Some readers’ comments:

“What a bargain! Nice production values (I owned a publishing company and I know about these things) but what you’ve essentially given away … amazing. The walk-around version of the Magic Square is wonderful and extremely clever… and the 30-minute memorized deck is the best I’ve seen … and I’ve looked at a lot of them over the years, never seeing one that I wanted to spend my time learning. Just reading over yours has part of it embedded already. The book is priced way too low for the quality of the material.” — [USA]

“Apart from the excellent material, it’s a pleasure to read a ‘magic book’ written with obvious erudition. I hope you write another.” — [USA]

“Wow! … I can only tell you, in the strongest possible terms, that Mindsights is a wonderful book and superb value for money …” — [UK]

“I don’t have enough words to congratulate you for your Magic Square version. It’s simply awesome!! … This is the most easy version and, IMHO, great for mentalism and my style because it allows me to focus all my effort on presentation!!” — [Spain]

“The version of the magic square in Mindsights is absolutely beautiful.” — [USA]

“A great little book filled with useable ideas.” — [USA]

“Another great compendium of interesting ideas … QuickStack is just great.” — [USA]

“I love [QuickerStack]. I've been looking for such a stack for a while, one that is easy to remember, ... so clever!” — [France]

“… excellent book.” — [UK]

“I concur with all on Doug Dyment’s book Mindsights. A great magic square and an equally well thought out and easy yet very deceptive stacked deck … well produced and very, very usable.” — [USA]

“Just devoured Mindsights and it was delicious … an enthusiastic thumbs-up.” — [USA]

“I highly recommend this book—some killer effects in it.” — [USA]

“I read Mindsights and really enjoyed it.” — [USA]

“I just spent a few hours with QuickerStack and — to be honest — this stack is what I always looked for. Already I can calculate positions and cards without errors. This finally opens up a whole new possibility for mem deck based effects for me (I tried learning the Tamariz stack before and just could not put in the time I would have needed). So this item alone is worth the Mindsights purchase in my opinion … Already I can say that this is the best (magic-related) purchase I made in a long time!” — [Germany]

“I love Mindsights. It’s the best bargain in mentalism since Hoy’s Bold and Subtle Miracles.” — [USA]

“I’m delighted with the walk-around magic square …” — [USA]

“I am a big fan of [Doug's] Mindsights book.” — [USA]

“I love QuickerStack.” — [USA]

“It is a great book, and I think the magic square is the best I’ve seen.” — [UK]

“… one of the best investments I have made … it is rare to find effects which can be incorporated straight into an act.” — [Australia]

“ I love Mindsights! I particularly love [Doug’s] take on magic squares. And I love QuickerStack. The ‘Musings on Extrasensory Perception’ is excellent. It has opened my mind up to things I had never thought of before.” — [USA]

“Your ideas on the magic square are super! I will be using them.” — [USA]

“‘Flash Squared’ and ‘QuickStack’ alone are worth more than the small asking price. The former is a magic square … but the clever-handling is convincing and oh so easy. No memorization. Moreover, it will look different every time. The squares done repeatedly could be compared with one another and they will be different, which takes this incantation into another league. ‘QuickStack’ is exactly what Doug claims, a dynamite stack and truly could have been sold separately. … It’s a no brainer: If you like what you’ve heard, order with confidence.” — [USA]

“Where else can you get such value …? It’s a whole mentalism show rolled into one.” — [USA]

Mindsights is impressive. I purchased it for ‘Flash Squared’ and it exceeded my expectations. I will use it. I will use ‘Major Arcanum’. ‘Bob’s Your Uncle’ will replace my current method. ‘QuickerStack’ is brilliant. … Anything I would note about [Doug&rsquo's] writing, methods, etc. has been noted already by people more qualified than I. I love this little book.” — [USA]

“… excellent book. ‘Bob’s Your Uncle’ is one of the best routines of its kind ever created. Very highly recommended!” — [USA]

“All my congratulations for Mindsights! The stacked deck and magic squares are really formidable. Before, I thought that magic squares were boring … Now, they’re entertaining !” — [France]

“Love this book!” — [USA]

“Mentalists and those interested in psychic effects should take a look …” — [USA]

“Loved your publications … right up my alley!” — [UK]

“I … am hugely impressed. For such a small book, it packs a lot of punch as all of the routines are workable, practical effects that will work in a professional setting.” — [UK]

“Having a stack that looks natural but allows for algorithmic computation means that you can memorize this quickly and have a fallback approach in case you blank out on a card’s precise location mid-routine. Nice work … I am very impressed with [QuickerStack]. The manual is packed with hints to assist in memorizing the stack, and is easy to follow. I highly recommend this if you are looking to get into memorized deck effects.” — [USA]

“… great performing material and tips.” — [USA]

“I can’t tell you how valuable [‘The Immoderate Deception’] has proven for me … I slay with that effect. I’ve won local awards (yawn) and blown more minds with that one bit than almost any other …” — [USA]

“… great book! … many many thanks for your kindness and generosity in sharing with the rest of us.” — [USA]

“After nearly 40 years of magic, I still suffer from a childlike delight at coming across clever ideas, and Mindsights is full of them. Apart from finding material which I will definitely use, I found it an intellectually stimulating and hugely enjoyable read.” — [Netherlands]

“I absolutely loved Mindsights …” — [UK]

“Amazing how so much quality material can fit into such a small package. I’ve found some very workable ideas in this book. Very valuable.” — [Canada]

“It’s a great book—I’m most impressed … I was particularly struck by Flash Squared, FourSight, and QuickStack.” — [UK]

“I wanted to decide which system to use in the future — either Si Stebbins Pro or QuickerStack. As I now have both, the decision is clear: it will be QuickerStack. I also want to use the structure of the setup for Gene Nielsen’s ‘Cool Reading’, so QuickerStack is perfect for me.” — [Poland]

“Absolutely love the book …” — [UK]

“I love QuickerStack.” — [Spain]

QuickStack, a brilliant stacked deck concept, the best I have ever seen. Easy to learn, it takes the pressure off the performer, so that all effort is in the presentation. Together with 10 other chapters of excellent advice and mental effects, the book is great value for money.” — [UK]

Flash Squared is brilliant—I’ve been trying to work out something like this for a while now and had limited success with certain sizes, but 4 x 4 for any number is perfect!” — [UK]

“I like Mindsights! Clever thinking!” — [Germany]

“Thank you for Mindsights; it is wonderful!” — [USA]

Mindsights should be on everybody’s shelf. It is really surprising that a relatively small book can pack such a wallop … To me, the work [Doug] put into the magic square is worth the price of the book alone. All the other effects are simply a bonus. Highly recommended.” — [Australia]

Mindsights—superb material, a pleasure to read.” — [UK]

“I’m a big fan of both Mindsights & Sign Language!” — [USA]

“… the book is very good! Six excellent routines interspersed with three single-page essays … Very, very clever. … In one book you have enough material to put together an excellent act. I like this very much.” — [USA]

“… love the deck stack!” — [UK]

“Thank you for sending Mindsights to me and I have to say that this is the best £££ that I have ever spent. … ‘The Immoderate Deception’ is amazing, having learned ‘Quickerstack’ easily in half an hour or so. … Just felt compelled to drop you a line to let you know how much I enjoyed reading the book and appreciated the clarity with which everything was explained.” — [UK]

“… absolutely love [Doug’s] work on the magic square! Stuff for real workers in the real world!” — [UK]

QuickerStack turned out to be even easier than I expected. The method is quite brilliant; it’s brilliant because it’s relatively simple. And, as advertised, it took me less than 30 minutes to learn the calculation necessary to get either from card-to-number or number-to-card! I think it probably took only about 10 or 15 minutes to read the chapter. Doug Dyment’s explanation of the method is clear, concise, and memorable. … I highly recommended this.” — [USA]

“excellent” — [UK/USA]

“WOW! This is one of those rare finds that you rarely encounter but that leaves you grinning from ear to ear in delight. Bottom line: Buy a copy of this book before Doug wises up and triples the price (which would still be a bargain for the value received).” — [USA]

“… really usable (and I do) stuff!” — [USA]

“I bought [Mindsights] mostly for Flash Squared, but oh man, this little book is loaded.” — [USA]

“… a must read … If you don’t have [it], you are making a big mistake.” — [USA]

“It’s a great book, with lots of neat ideas, methods, and presentational ideas. I’m finding all sorts of good ideas in it for things I do. Best of all, Doug has footnoted many of the predecessors he refers to, making it easy to chase down original sources in general.” — [USA]

“… your book was beautifully written. It was like listening to you speak to me in the clearest way possible.” — [USA]

“Everything in Doug’s book is top quality. Even if you only use one thing from it you will have gotten your money’s worth. Personally, I’m having so much fun with Flash Squared, I’m happy with that alone. Bob’s Your Uncle is another great routine … it’s definitely my new favourite effect for ESP cards. If you can’t kill with this one, you shouldn’t be doing mentalism. Quickstack’s also sure to become my favourite stacked deck (much easier than the stack I was using). Highly recommended.” — [Canada]

“awesome” — [USA]

“I am very satisfied with … Mindsights. Very fine pieces of Mentalism! … mes compliments.” — [Germany]

Mindsights is fantastic.” — [UK]

“Thanks! I’m an author (of 15 books …) and, in an area where there’s so much shoddy writing, I really appreciate the quality of [Mindsights] (as well as [the] great effects).” — [UK]

Mindsights is incredible. You should have never released this stuff (although I’m glad you did).” — [USA]

“Highly recommended - especially the card stack.” — [UK]

“… the best magic read I've had in months.” — [UK]

“With Flash Squared and Bob’s Your Uncle, [Doug’s] given me two solid usable items I’ll be using many times a day this season … Mindsights has definitely been a ‘Best-Buy’ book for me.” — [USA]

“I’m soooooo glad I picked up your 2 books at the [PEA convention]. Very, very usable stuff.” — [USA]

“… one of the best books on magic that I have ever read. Not only are the effects of the highest quality, but your writing style is precise and professional … It was refreshing to find someone like yourself who is a writer as well as a performer and not simply a performer who wrote a book. I won’t go on at length, but the Magic Squares are going into my repertoire, as well as Bob’s Your Uncle. Again, thank you. I love the book.” — [USA]

Mindsights and Sign Language … outstanding contributions to the art of mentalism.” — [USA]

“This book is a good, entertaining read … The effects are well thought out and intelligent. I’d be surprised if you didn’t find something you’ll consider using. Recommended.” — [USA]

“I love QuickerStack: it took about ten minutes for me to learn.” — [USA]

Quickstack is beautiful, and the rest of [Mindsights] is also.” — [France]

“… you’ve given us much more than ‘our money’s worth’.” — [USA]

“Excellent material! The guys who recommended it to me (at The Mentalist Sanctum) weren't kidding.” — [Norway]

Mindsights and Sign Language are a must read … full of stuff that the real world pro’s are using.” — [Israel]

Mindsights arrived safe and sound and I am absolutely thrilled with the content… a superb book and first class service.” — [UK]

“I bought Mindsights solely for Bob’s your Uncle — I am not disappointed. How can something so simple be so good? I love it and have my money’s worth right away… Am also excited about the rest of the book — amazingly, it contains items I am really into at the moment, such as memorised deck and magic square. How fortuitous! Please God, let me live ’til I have gone through this stuff!!” — [UK]

“… a wonderful contribution to the craft. It is those little almost unseen or unnoticed details that can make all the difference between good and great.” — [USA]

Mindsights has wonderful and useful information. Best $ I’ve spent in a long time. I’ve considered learning the other main stacks but QuickerStack will be the one for me. Thank you very, very much.” — [USA]

“I am enjoying [Mindsights and Stimulacra] immensely. Very thought provoking. I love the ideas presented, and I know that I will be replacing my current magic square formula with [Doug’s] fine ideas. I love the fact that they can be repeated… Thank you for the brain food.” — [USA]

“Your book is great. Thoroughly enjoyed it.” — [USA]

“I am enjoying your books. They are very well written and full of great ideas … I have abandoned learning Joyal’s stack in favor of your wonderful QuickStack …” — [USA]

“I really liked Doug’s book. I picked it up specifically for QuickStack; the other two standout effects for me were Flash Squared, and Bob’s Your Uncle.” — [UK]

“… a gem of mentalism… erudite but not pretentious… well cited … clear and well reasoned. Quickstack is an exceptional piece of work. I had my doubts about the ‘half hour stack’; usually claims of the like are then followed by a line such as, ‘Once you have mastered my memory techniques …’. Quickstack lives up to its name: quick to learn, quick to use.” — [Canada]

“Your book is great! … I would have kept material of that caliber all to myself!” — [USA]

“… a lot of practical material for my show” — [USA]

“I am very impressed with the thought that went into this book … For me, the highlight was, of course, Bob’s Your Uncle. I’m throwing away my gaffed card … and sticking with this bit of impromptu devilry.” — [USA]

“… learned [QuickerStack] in about 10 minutes. It is that easily done. The reading flows so smoothly as well as ‘quick’. I have had the previous version many years ago and this is that much ‘Quicker’. I have learned several stacks over the last 23 years of performing and studying. This is almost miraculous in its construct and practicality. It even serves as a teaching and learning device in itself. I started reading with an open mind but was nevertheless preparing for some stiff challenges in grasping and with calculations. None of that here. If you are even possibly considering getting this, I urge you to do so. You will not regret it. I am neither a math major nor ‘left brained’ thinker at heart.

This will serve you in so many ways. Yes, even with all those other stacks. The applied thinking and execution is nothing short of inspiring. I can envision extended writings around this in application throughout the entire field of card magic and mentalism in the near future. Have you ever wanted to stumble across the tip of an iceberg for mining and resources? Here it is!” — [USA]

“Oh man. I can see why people are so thrilled by your books. Great effects. Great writing. And I particularly appreciate your thinking on mentalism. Can’t wait to work this new material into my trade show routines.” — [USA]

“… 64 pages of sheer brilliance …” — [UK]

“Both Mindsights & Sign Language are topnotch. You might as well get them both at the same time …” — [USA]

“I’ve known and used QuickStack for a long time, and consider it a fantastic tool … Many of my routines are based upon it” — [Italy]

Mindsights is one of the most practical performing investments I’ve ever made! The magic squares went immediately into use for a group presentation, and caused audible jaw-dropping. The rest of your book is equally valuable, and your clear and precise writing style is always a pleasure. One downplayed aspect is the collection of ‘Musings’ on ESP, future predictions, and psychic guilt, which I found incredibly helpful. If you ever collect a bunch of ‘Musings’ into their own book, I’d definitely buy a copy. Mindsights is exquisite work—thank you!” — [USA]

“Your Mindsights book is absolutely great!” — [USA]

“… I’m enjoying [Mindsights] immensely, particularly the thorough account of magic squares …” — [UK]

“I have had Mindsights for a while now and really think it’s excellent stuff” — [UK]

“… excellent, well written, cleanly laid out, and full of very thoughful material … a very good value” — [Canada]

“I especially like Major Arcanum and the magic square setups. Both, to me, are worth the price of the book plus. I recommend Mindsights to any working mentalist. OK, to those who are not working, too. Maybe this will start you working.” — [USA]

“I was gobsmacked … Doug’s Magic Square routine is perfect for strolling performers, his Tarot routine with a real or imaginary die is very strong, and his [Bob’s Your Uncle] alone is worth the price of the book … excellent routines and handlings” — [Ireland]

“Your book is so stimulating … It is well written, with clarity, simplicity, and humanity … the ‘stuff’ is good … The instant magic square idea is dynamite. The memorized deck should help a lot of performers … What a clever lad you are. Thanks for sharing … Bravo!” — [USA]

“… brilliant, well thought through in every way … a fine book … will recommend it whenever I get the chance … [QuickStack] is far and away the quickest stack in the world to memorize. ” — [USA]

“I enjoyed this book very much and used the magic square information soon after reading the book. This effect alone made the whole book for me.” — [USA]

“Tom Craven showed me a copy at the Abbott’s Close-Up convention this weekend! … needless to say, I got on the Internet right away … Thanks Doug for sharing your ideas with the brotherhood. By the way, I think your price is really too low! Thanks for the bargain!” — [USA]

“… this book shows [Doug’s] commitment to quality … Each of the routines is truly ‘worth the price of the book.’ … extremely easy to prepare and perform and has high impact … truly packs flat and plays big, filling the stage with people and performing a prediction miracle. … very impressive and entertaining … While many of the mentalism books being released lately are not for magicians looking to add a mindreading routine to their acts, this one is different. While it contains routines and tips for the mentalist, it also has items of interest to the card man and the strolling magician. If any of the items described here are of interest to you, this is highly recommended.” — [USA]

“Your book is terrific! I have already started learning QuickStack. Your system is ingenious. What really sets it apart from the others and why I’ll use it is that your system allows a person to use the stack before mastering it as a memorized stack and while becoming more and more familiar with the direct relationship between card and position. And The Immoderate Deception seems like the perfect way to begin. The other routines are well thought out and described and appear very, very practical.” — [USA]

“Imagine meeting a very experienced practitioner of the craft, who is also self-effacing and witty. Imagine he has some real gems to share, of the ‘Oh, I would never have thought of that!’ variety, and also has the talent to explain them to you in a clear, intelligent manner. This is what it’s like to read and enjoy Doug Dyment’s Mindsights. I’ll be revisiting this modest classic for a long while to come. Great material, great value for money, and a thoroughly enjoyable read from first to last.” — [UK]

“[QuickStack] is by far the very best I ever saw. Very, very clever—I wonder why everybody is not using it, and talk about the other stacks.” — [France]

Quickstack is … about as easy to master as the BCS and the routine The Immoderate Deception included in the book alone warrants learning it.” — [UK]

“I loved it! … If you haven’t gotten your copy of Mindsights, I strongly recommend it.” — [USA]

“I love it! Really the best way for doing Magic Squares that I’ve encountered yet. I would have bought the book for this effect alone. … beautiful Tarot effect” — [Germany]

“… wanted to get in touch to say how much I have enjoyed learning [QuickerStack]. It’s great to finally have found a stack that I can commit to memory, after ruling out the idea of ever using a mem deck for reasons of practicality... What you have come up with is incredibly clever and reading through the book made me smile continuously, a very entertaining read, so many thanks for that.” — [UK]

“Revelation! QuickStack! Oh, my! I am in love. Thank you, thank you.” — [USA]

“… have been using the magic square ever since I opened the book and read it. Fantastic, far out, totally cool. Great book, great effect - worth its weight in gold many times over.” — [USA]

“I love [QuickerStack]. I was skeptical at first but Doug proved me wrong. All his claims are true. It is not only an easy system to learn but it is fun as well!” — [USA]

“… absolutely great! Wonderful material, a good look, and good production … for those of you reading this, buy Doug’s book. It’s excellent!” — [USA]

“IMHO, this book is chock-full of heavyweight mentalism material. One of my top 10 book(lets). Every effect is a winner and is totally different. You could certainly do worse than incorporating every one of these effects into a mentalism act. Doug Dyment does the heavy lifting for you. His methodologies are diabolical, hard hitting, and direct. Add your own presentation, stir lightly and you have a dynamite act. My favorite effect [is his] variation of Bob Carver’s ESP effect, which Doug calls Bob’s your Uncle. Followed in rapid succession by his magic square Flash Squared effect. I thank my lucky stars daily that I discovered this … [I] was overwhelmed by its depth and value. Highly, highly recommended.” — [USA]

“Thank you for your ingenious QuickerStack. I doubt that a more random-looking stack is possible with a single algorithm, and I wish I had thought of it myself.” — [USA]

“Let me add my accolades to the others for Doug Dyment’s book. The stack alone is certainly worth the price …” — [USA]

“I use ESP cards quite a bit, and [Bob’s Your Uncle] is the closest matching effect to the protocols described in the Rhine Institute’s testing guidelines that I’ve seen. I immediately added it to my set list … For me, it’s worth the price of the book.” — [USA]

“I probably owe [Doug] a fortune for all the mileage I’ve gotten out of Mindsights!” — [USA]

“I am exceptionally pleased with the book—[Doug’s] writing was a joy to read, and the effects contained within are excellent! I have so many books that were a chore to read and yielded only one or two useable bits of material; this was like a breath of fresh air!” — [UK]

“… awesome” — [USA]

“… all the PEA [is] raving about your book” — [USA]

“… I love [QuickStack] — so interesting and useful and exciting — can’t wait to incorporate these concepts” — [USA]

“… fantastic! The magic square is worth more than double the price of the book… I love the other routines too … a wonderful book!” — [UK]

“Love your stuff!” — [USA]

“Doug was right — it took me only 30 minutes to learn QuickStack. I read the instructions and learned the first 13 cards while eating lunch. I then went for a walk and went through the other cards, and by the time I returned home, had it all memorized.” — [New Zealand]

“[QuickerStack] was precisely what I was looking for. The process of learning to calculate the stack positions was the work of a half hour, and the longer process of memorizing the stack (where no such calculation is necessary — you just know) was the work of less than two hours over a couple of days. I had proficiency in a half hour, mastery in less than three hours. The low price of the buy-in and the limited investment of time and effort (less than needed to master a jog shuffle) makes this a tool for which there is no excuse not to have in your arsenal.

This is one of the most powerful tools out there, and it requires so little of you to make it yours. I urge you to buy it, to master, and to use it. You will thank me, perhaps, but you will hold yourself indebted to Doug. He has a knack for finding the best way to do anything, and making that information accessible and usable. That is a most rare gift. I hope you will take advantage of it.” — [USA]

“… excellent book” — [USA]

QuickerStack is superb … Brilliant.” — [UK]

“… I’m enjoying Mindsights. Great material.” — [USA]


… Doug Dyment

www.deceptionary.com