Hello Devin,

It's almost like you and Steve read my mind. My birthday is coming up and I was thinking about putting one of your books on my wishlist.

When beginners ask for advice here on the Magic Café they always get the same answers. If they ask about mentalism, they're told to read Corrinda's 13 steps and Banacheck's Psychological Subtleties. If they are looking for magic, they're recommended Royal Road and Tarbell (among other things).

What are (in your opinion) the most underappreciated books of the trade (if we forget that books as a whole tend to be underappreciated by the large masses)? Are there any geniuses we're missing out on?

Hands down the most underrated books on Mentalism is in my opinion Al Mann's collected writings consisting of over 114 book/booklets. Most of his material was limited in printing and some books only sold as few as a dozen or so. The average book of his may have sold 35 to 50 copies worldwide so most people weren't aware of his writings. Unfortunately many people thought some of his ideas were pipe-dreams or not practical.

Luckily I wasn't one of those people. I looked deeper into Mann's writings and saw potential for greater things. Even ideas which people said were no good, were later developed in top selling items I released based on one of his principles.

Although dated, much of the Robert Nelson writings are still usable if you have the ability to update the material and rework it for modern day audiences. It was Robert Nelson's original Blindfold Drive manuscript that inspired me to develop my Blindfolded Car. The basic Nelson idea was there, but it was updated and greatly improved for modern day audiences.

My advice is to study both Mann & Nelson. Obviously I recommend people study my own releases as I have broken new ground with many of my methods. My Glass Box Revisited is a MUST read for anyone wanting to seriously get into mentalism.

I would also highly recommend studying the writing of Bob Cassidy and Larry Becker. Both of these men are a genius when it comes to clever mentalism.

I heartily second that.

Thanks for that very detailed answer.

Devin is the man for sure. Bold and knowledgeable. Your advice is always appreciated in my book.

I'm very glad to have purchased most of Al's booklets through Lybrary...
:)
Great stuff!

To make finding the suggestions easier:

Al Mann (these are mostly his original printed manuscripts and books)
http://www.lybrary.com/magic-mann-c-21_90.html

Larry Becker
http://www.lybrary.com/larry-becker-m-533.html

Bob Cassidy
http://www.lybrary.com/bob-cassidy-m-41.html

If you can accept a suggestion by a publisher/retailer then read Bob Cassidy's Fundamentals ebook. It is exactly what the title says it is.