Principles of Mentalism

A few years back, I was in hospital and had the good fortune to read Scott Grossberg's wonderful book Bauta, which helped to no end in getting through my ailment and recovering.

Presently, I am recovering from a little operation and again had the good fortune of receiving a great book in a very timely fashion: Richard Osterlind’s Principles of Mentalism.

Drawing on a lifetime of performing, developing products and writing essays, Principles of Mentalism is a wonderful, concise, well-written treatise on mentalism that will sit on my shelf with pride next to Annemann, Corinda, Hickok, Cassidy and Weber.
 
Richard writes in very direct sentences and it seems that every paragraph has a hard hitting aphorism and valuable insight that every mentalist really needs to ingest and embed in their performances and thinking.

As I read this I wondered what level of mentalist would get the most out it, and I quickly concluded that this is appropriate for those who are new to the genre and those who are veterans. Moreover, it seems that this is a book that needs to be read at all stages of one’s professional development.

Principles of Mentalism is just that, a book of foundational and fundamental principles for those of you who would like to deliver meaningful, artful, and enjoyable mentalism performances for a wide range of audiences and settings.

This is simply a must read.