On 2008-06-11 15:00, gabelson wrote:
As far as books, "Practical Mental Magic" by Annemann, "Mind, Myth and Magick" by T.A. Waters, "Stunners, Plus" by Larry Becker, Tarbell, and "Absolute Magick" by Derren Brown (just on performance) are the best places to start, IMHO. Richard Busch's material is for further down the line. Also, at the risk of being torched here, 13 Steps is a bit daunting to the newcomer; it is, however, a seminal tome, and an essential reference. Many current mentalists have taken Corinda's techniques, and brought them into the 21st century-- made them a bit more accessible-- (like Richard Osterlind).

Also, read everything you can by Bob Cassidy. Great insights, great routines.

As far as DVD's, Richard Osterlind, again, is the place to start. Also, the Unexpected by Nardi and Spellman has some strong, but easy-to-execute routines for the beginner, that utilize basic mentalism techniques.