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Book Tests in Mentalism & Spiritism

A book test is one of the classic mentalism effects. A spectator chooses a book or magazine, selects a page and a word or sentence and the performer reads the spectator's mind. The first known magician who performed this effect in this form was the Austrian Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser around 1850. Many methods and variations have been created since.

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Devin Knight
Word Sight by Devin Knight

Based on the original Al Mann Lexicon Phenomena, but greatly improved and so far advanced it fools those who know the original effect.

Now you can make this up using your own computer for a fraction of buying it new already made up.

Imagine revealing two FREELY thought-of words from across the room using an ungimmicked dictionary (you will have to paste two pages with word lists at the very front and two pages at the very end of the dictionary). Imagine doing this 15 feet away and never touching the dictionary during the presentation. Devin Knight's Word Sight allows you to reveal two words, sight unseen, that...

★★★★★ $18
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Terri Rogers
Word of Mind by Terri Rogers

A spectator is handed a theatrical review sheet and is asked to choose one of the hundreds of words that make up the various articles. There is no restriction of choice and the word is not written down. It is merely thought of by the spectator.

When the spectator is ready the mentalist begins to concentrate and slowly, letter by letter, reveals the mentally chosen word. It is that direct. A spectator things of a word and you reveal it. The spectator can choose a different word and you can repeat the effect right away.

Simple to learn, simple to perform, devastating in effect. What more...

★★★★ $10
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PDF & EPUB

Mark Elsdon
Whacked: a book test for the working performer by Mark Elsdon

Designed for the serious working performer, 'Whacked!' is a 10 minute mind-reading routine which revolves around Dave Gorman's best-selling comedy book Googlewhack Adventure. If you've no idea what that is, you can bring yourself up to speed by heading over to www.davegorman.com

This second edition manuscript gives full details of Mark's script and psychological approach – which is one of the things that lifts Whacked head and shoulders above so many other book-tests. The presentation has been honed over many, many performances for a wide variety of audiences, which ensures that the routine...

$25
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Robert D. LaRue, Jr.
Unlocked Books by Robert D. LaRue, Jr.

Discover and process natural force books.

In his "Autome" book test video, Max Maven demos a book test and a forcing method. What he does not do is explain how to find and process books other than the one he demos. That's what this manuscript does. My process, including all the required worksheets, teaches how to use almost any 300+ page popular novel, in any language, as natural force books.

The Effect: The mentalist introduces three popular paperback books and hands them out to the audience. As the books are examined, the mentalist has members of the audience record several random numbers....

$25
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Michael Daniels
Trinities by Michael Daniels

Trinities is a two-phase mind-reading routine. In the first phase, the mentalist correctly divines attributes (colour, suit, value) of playing cards which the spectator has shuffled, dealt and covered with his hands while the mentalist has turned away. In the second phase, which can be performed alone, the spectator forms a page number by combining the values of freely selected cards from the deck. Without the mentalist seeing, the spectator then opens up and freely examines an eBook (standard PDF) from a collection of classic literary works stored on a computer, eBook reader or smartphone....

★★★★★ $10
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Stanley Collins
Transcendental Book Test by Stanley Collins

Effect: The book of love poems may be given for examination, opened at any page by a spectator, and whatever the number of the page is selected, spectator counts the words of this number and remembers same. Performer then picks up a paper and pencil, and predicts the word selected. This can be repeated with a different word.

Note: You will receive the force book (Anthology of Love Poems by S. Wynne Burne) as PDF. The easiest way to use it is to load it onto a phone, tablet or eReader and present it that way in electronic form to the spectators. Alternatively you can print and bind it at a...

★★★★★ $10
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Paul Romhany
Top Ten Travel Book Test by Paul Romhany

An amazing three phase book test designed for walk-about and close-up magicians that will fit in to your pocket. Great for restaurant workers, street performers, trade shows and private party magicians. This book test would normally sell for up to $100, but Paul has put it out as a PDF ebook to keep the cost affordable to magicians. In this package you get everything you need to do this book test.

  1. Instructions on how to perform this book test
  2. PDF file of the gimmick book – just take it to your local copy center or printer and have them print it off for less than $10.00
  3. JPG file of the...
$24.95
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Ken Muller
Thrifty Telempathy by Ken Muller

This is a 'stand-alone' application for situations in which no printed novel is common or available. This unique approach gets around the "your book" taint of a standard book test and features the "Mental Test Posture" and Beta Framing. Maximum flexibility for a variety of venues and audiences. The recommended "best place to start" in the Series.

(All author proceeds support the woodHenge Wildlife Sanctuary.)

1st edition 2021, PDF 22 pages.

$15
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Burling Hull
The World's Best Psychic Book Tests by Burling Hull

Book tests comprise some of the most stunning effects in the mentalist's arsenal. Here, completely explained, are many of the cleverest, most transparent mental demonstrations ever assembled.

Selling for the equivalent of over $50 in today's buying power when it was first released, this manuscript contains some of the most jealously guarded secrets ever developed for apparently reading the minds of your spectators in a clear, convincing manner.

Not just bare bones descriptions, Hull provides complete patter and the thought behind the workings for several outstanding tests using books...

★★★★ $12
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Devin Knight
The Ultimate Page Force by Devin Knight

How a page is forced during a book test is the most important part of the test. Unfortunately, most page forces are sadly lacking. Most appear contrived. Dice are rolled to determine page numbers, playing cards are used or math is used to determine a random number. This not what a real mind reader would do.

Other methods involve mis-calling numbers. If the audience realizes that the mentalist knows the page number, then the effect has dropped a few levels. Many people have read in books about secret cue lists and realize if the mentalist knows the page number, then he may have memorized the...

★★★★★ $5
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Christopher Bolter
The R.B.M.T. - ridiculously ballsy magazine test by Christopher Bolter

What Happens:

The mentalist displays four or five current popular magazines. They are handed out and freely examined. One is chosen by an audience member and he or she is asked to peruse the magazine. Next they are asked to decide on a page with lots of text, they do so and proceed to remove the page from the magazine. This is repeated with the other magazines until there are four or five random pages from each magazine.

Next the audience member's with their respective pages are instructed to turn them landscape and tear them in half. Place the two pieces together and repeat, and repeat...

$15
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George Ernest Arrowsmith
The Psychic Pencil by George Ernest Arrowsmith

A seemingly "impossible" book test.

George Arrowsmith wrote:

A worthwhile exercise for a Mentalist is to set himself a problem that seems unsolvable and to wrestle with it, and to go on wrestling until a possible (and practical) solution is found. "All things are possible to him who keeps on trying" …

Here, then, is such a problem that occurred to the author. A word had to be chosen from a book, one of several, and all of them had to be genuine and unfaked in any way. The word was to be freely selected from any line on any page of the book. This word had to be encircled by the pencil...

$9.50
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Terri Rogers
The Master Key: book test by Terri Rogers

This is probably the finest book test using special books that has ever been released.

This is a remarkable set of three books which allow you to do four different book tests:

And if that is not enough The Master Key is so cleverly constructed that you can immediately repeat it for the same audience. It took Terri Rogers several years to create this book test.

The Master Key book test runs like this: A spectator has a completely free choice of any of the three different books. Then they can also...

$150
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Al Mann
The Lexicon Phenomena by Al Mann

Please keep in mind that you only get the instructions, not the Reader's Digest Enrich Your Word List booklet, not the ungimmicked Webster's New World Dictionary and no prompter cards. However, the instructions will allow you to adapt this effect to any dictionary in any language.

This 1976 Al Mann Exclusive is widely regarded as one of his most ingenious book tests. From an "Enrich your vocabulary" list inside the covers of a dictionary, two spectators secretly agree to think of one of 400 word pairs. Each thinks of one of the words, looking it up in the dictionary to be certain of its meaning....

★★★★★ $75
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David Devlin
The Bookworm Deck by David Devlin

If you liked Bookworm: The Ultimate Impromptu Book Test Act, then you will love The Bookworm Deck. An entire "Word Test Act" combined into a single deck that you will always carry with you.

Not only can you now perform the "Bookworm Act" without having to borrow three books, you can perform the act in absolutely any venue, including walk-around, table hopping, and even stage situations. The entire act is kept in your pocket. The Bookworm Deck also makes the act much easier to perform.

Here is the act:

The performer borrows three business cards and a pen (obviously, he can use his own if the items cannot be borrowed). The performer...

★★★★★ $25
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Mystic Alexandre
The Bookbearer by Mystic Alexandre

A presentation for any book test that uses the flashback method.

Have you heard of the Bookbearer? This is a storytelling, bizarre presentation to be used with any book with the "flashback" principle. If you own such a book, you could use this.

I see many performers using such books, some presentations are good, but most are not as they merely riffle the pages, tell the subject to stop them and remember the first word on the page, and then reveal it. Bah. Here you will tell the brief story of the Bookbearer, and in the end, either subtly suggest you're the actual Bookbearer. Or that you're...

$5
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Mihwonkuoy Refizul
The Book Without Words by Mihwonkuoy Refizul

The real secrets on how to become the greatest magician in the world. Dedicated to the discerning conjurors, the cheaters, the liars, and all other lost souls - whatever age, who want to impress, manipulate, and magish other people for profit, fun, or just entertainment.

Included is a very clever and creative book test, for all of you who require a strong effect to justify the purchase.

The truth is delivered as a satire, which makes it a fun read, but at the same time delivers a profoundly deep and true message.

  • About the Author
  • Part One
    • Introduction
    • The Basic Principles
    • The...
★★★★ $6.66
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Rachel Colombini
The Book of Book Tests 2 by Rachel Colombini

CONTRIBUTORS:

  • MAGAZINE TEST (Someeran)
  • FORCED SIGNAL (Rachel Colombini)
  • ASTRO BOOK TEST (Rex Taylor)
  • NEWSPAPER MIRACLE (Arthur Carter)
  • EVERY WORD-EVERY PAGE BOOK TEST (Ian Adair)
  • SIMPLAMENTAL BOOK TEST (Karrell Fox)
  • BOOK - BELL - CANDLE (Floyd Shotts)
  • ONE-HANDED BOOK TEST PREDICTION (Ian Adair)
  • BOOKMARK MENTALISM (Graham Reed)
  • THE ROVI BOOK TEST (Ivor Parry)
  • PAGE 98 - 14TH LINE (Werner Miller)
  • THE TURN-OVER BOOK TEST (Stephen Tucker)
  • THE S.R.R. BOOK TEST (Arthur Setterington)
  • SIX-SELECTION (Paul Daniels)
  • PSYCHO BOOK TEST (Bob Gill)
  • TWO-FIGURE BOOK TEST (Rex Taylor)
  • DIRECT BOOK TEST (Arthur Carter)
  • THREE-DICE BOOK DIVINATION (John Bragoli) ...
★★★★★ $10
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Rachel Colombini
The Book of Book Tests by Rachel Colombini

A unique and popular subject like the Book Test is analyzed here in 20 routines by such great contributors as: Ian Adair, Howard Adams, Len Belcher, Tan Hock Chuan, Rachel Colombini, Tom Craven, Maurice Fogel, Karrell Fox, Karl Fulves, Richard Himber, Arthur Setterington, Walter Sleight and Nick Trost.

In the standard effect (sometimes done as a prediction) a spectator opens a book to a page and concentrates on a word (or three words or a full line). The mentalist, standing some distance away, is able to reveal the word the spectator is thinking of. Of course, as per many classics, variations abound and Rachel has tried to keep this variety...

★★★★★ $10
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Graham Hey
The Big Story! by Graham Hey

A book test, a 3-card trick, and a 5-envelope impossible selection routine - all self-working.

A prediction envelope is placed on the table, along with the performer's favorite novel. The spectator is handed a magazine that has had the staples removed and is asked to select any one of the double pages she likes. It's a free choice. She is then asked to add all the page numbers together. Let's say the number totals 170. She turns to page 170 in the novel ... and the prediction reveals which city is mentioned, the make of car which is talked about, and the unusual word on line 4! In fact,...

$10
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Ken Muller
Telepathy Once Removed by Ken Muller

Telepathy above and beyond a book test. Innovative methods, sleights, and stratagems.

Once Removed offers a novel approach to demonstrating telepathy between two people. It allows a performer to receive multiple mental images from an audience volunteer, based on a freely selected book never read by either person before. Move beyond any book test to an astonishing telempathic experience.

This is the master guide for the Once Removed Series from which A Novel Thought, Engage, Thrifty, ABAT and Steroid Telempathy evolved.

This ebook includes all of these applications, plus the concepts and theory behind Beta Framing, Imbed, Tritech, Book...

$55
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Ken Muller
Steroid Telempathy by Ken Muller

This is a 'stand-alone' application using a standard book test in a two-phase presentation that can greatly enhance its impact and astonishment. The book test must be of a novel "can be passed out" variety book. This can easily segue into Thrifty or Basic Telempathy. ABAT experience is recommended but not essential.

(All author proceeds support the woodHenge Wildlife Sanctuary.)

1st edition 2021, PDF 19 pages.

$15
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Ulysses Frederick Grant
Snip-Snip Want Ad Test by Ulysses Frederick Grant

The Snip-Snip Want Ad Test is the a sensational, simplified, baffling and easy to present effect. No switching, palming, sleight of hand or advance preparation is needed. Guard the secret well. I have seen professional mentalists pay $100 and more for secrets far inferior to this. Your audience will not believe it. Neither would you if you were not in on the secret.

Effect: A single column of want ads cut from any newspaper is freely shown. It is not gimmicked or prepared in any way. Holding the strip vertically, you start to snip ads from the bottom of the strip, one at a time, until a spectator...

★★★★ $3
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Leo Boudreau
Skullduggery by Leo Boudreau

After reading this ebook you will be able to divine the words selected at random from any borrowed dictionary or book; deal four straight winning hands of Blackjack without sleight of hand; teach anyone how to read minds convincingly in just 30 seconds; sense colors merely thought of; transform a borrowed pack of cards into a bizarre impression device.

Several effects in this ebook require what Leo calls The Nothing Book. It is a hard cover book with empty pages. You can also use an empty notebook.

first edition, 1989, The Rustic Press, Arlington; 128 pages.

  1. Introduction
  2. STRANGE TALES ...
★★★★ $24
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Devin Knight
Simplex Magazine Test by Devin Knight

This routine has been part of my act for the last 20 years. An easy and novel way of performing a magazine test without any specially printed magazines, duplicate pages, external cue lists, or memory work. All you need are two magazines that you can get in any grocery store. A spectator chooses one of them and another spectator calls out a page number. He turns to the page and notes the first word on the page. The performer then reveals the word with NO FISHING or can show it was previously predicted on a white board. No secret peeks or sleights, it's self-contained and so easy to do. You will...

★★★★★ $6
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Larry Brodahl
Scripted #13: The Dictionary Trick by Larry Brodahl

An easy-to-make and easy to perform version of a book reading test. You can not only tell them the word they're thinking of, but you can even tell them how many characters are in the word - and it's all easy. No forcing.

One of the more difficult tasks facing magicians is coming up with scripts - of any sort. And explaining why someone is picking a word from a dictionary so that you can read their mind is - at best - difficult.

Well, the author of How To Write A Script used his methodology to write a script that successfully explains - and conceals the secret - to perform the dictionary test. He even explains...

$10
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Ken Muller
Sanitized Telempathy by Ken Muller

This is a 'stand-alone' application as a variation of Thrifty Telempathy for use in a "no-touch" or social distancing environment, to include senior centers and venues with physical disabilities. It features several mechanical forces in place of Beta Framing including the "Manna Concept" that will be new to many performers.

(All author proceeds support the woodHenge Wildlife Sanctuary.)

1st edition 2021, PDF 18 pages.

$15
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Dr. Bill Cushman
RhymeTime Sublime by Dr. Bill Cushman

Genesis: In the beginning there was Mick Ayres' award winning RhymeTime.

In 2002, Mick Ayre's won a Linking Ring Award for Mentalism from the International Brotherhood of Magicians for his effect RhymeTime:

You openly display a list of common words. A guest is asked to mentally choose any word and then to create a word in her mind that rhymes with her selection. Without hesitation you name the word she just created in her mind! You may repeat RhymeTime immediately with another guest and reveal a completely different word.

At the end (of his wonderful manuscript), Mick wrote: "I feel...

★★★★ $10
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Dee Christopher
PYO Book Test by Dee Christopher

"Dee shared with me this concept and I must say that is really something smart and revolutionary. Being able to spark your own creativity and let the book fit your persona as performer and not in reverse. I did this years ago with my own book tests (in Spanish) but in here Dee is giving you all that work and much more. I recommend without a doubt this great release." - Pablo Amira (Mentalism Author)

"You should be charging WAY more for this!!" - Alan Rorrison (Consultant for Dynamo & Troy TV shows)

The book test is a classic in mentalism and mental magic. Every professional show demonstrating the power...

★★★★★ $19.98
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Edwin A. French
Premiere Book Test by Edwin A. French

Perhaps the simplest and most sure-fire of all book tests, using three unprepared books. Can be performed as a one-person or two-person test.

The original manuscript sold for the equivalent of $19 when first introduced and has been out of print for years. Now available once again at a very reasonable price as ebook. The author claimed that the bold method and presentation created more favorable talk than anything else he presented. You, too, can create a "buzz" of publicity when you perform it. If working as a two-person effect, there are no codes used. Can use any girl as the medium. A great...

★★★★★ $4
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Al Mann
Of Words and Wizards by Al Mann
  • The Ghost of the Unborn
  • The Master of the Word
  • The Adonis Book Test
  • Adonis, Aphrodite and Zeus
  • Fifth Row Center Aisle
  • The Shades of Thought
  • The Uninvited
  • Forcing the Word
  • Forcing Three Words
  • The Book Mark
Note that this manuscript comes unbound in a package of loose sheets, the way Al Mann stored them. You can bind them anyway you like, or leave them unbound, perhaps only hole punch them and put them in a binder.

23 pages

$10
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Stanley Collins
Nonpareil Book Mystery: A Holiday in Morocco by Stanley Collins

This is a digital reproduction of a progressive anagram based book test. It includes a handwritten letter by Stanley Collins to a Will, the instructions, and the force book titled A Holiday in Morocco by S. Martin.

Effect: Spectator chooses three cards from a deck of cards. The first card determines the page, the second the line number, and the third the word. Spectator looks up the word in A Holiday in Morroco book. You are able to determine the chosen word letter by letter. Stanley Collins uses an alphabet deck to reveal each letter.

1st edition ~1920; PDF 21 pages.

$10
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Gerard Zitta
Newspaper Test by Gerard Zitta

An improvised book-test with a borrowed newspaper.

There are dozens of newspaper tests or predictions, but this one is different, improvised, and will be remembered as hands-off.

  • There are no newspaper tears or cuts, no center tear, no peek, no counting, no secret writing, no sleights, no weird procedure, no complex maths or logic or convoluted stuff, etc.
  • All you need is a normal borrowed newspaper. No gimmicks, no other props, cards, swami, pens, etc. Nothing else, except ...you... and the secret.
You can really focus on your patter and presentation skills. It is NOT a prediction,...
$15
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Devin Knight
Newspaper Divination by Devin Knight

This is one of the most amazing things you will ever see. Looks like real mind-reading. A spectator is given a copy of a newspaper. It can be your local paper. The paper is not gimmicked in any way. The spectator chooses a paragraph from the front page. No force. He reads the first few words and spells each word to himself. The magician instantly reveals the words the person read. This is a little-known principle that Al Mann developed in 1979 that will fool magicians.

It's a show-stopper. Use any newspaper. No pre-show, done on the spot with any person. Can be done long-distance over zoom calls....

★★★★★ $12
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Lewis Ganson
Magic of the Mind by Lewis Ganson

This is a wonderful collection of some of the best mental magic published in The Gen.

CONTENTS:

Section One - Predictions

  • The 100% Prediction (Punx)
  • Total Prediction (Gerald Kosky)
  • The Direct Prediction (John Rice)
  • Note and the Jar (Tom Sellers)
  • Phenomenal Forecast (Jack Cook)
  • The One-man Full-Vu Prediction (Ken De Courcy)
  • Mental Flashes (Dr. Stanley Jaks)
  • The Patient Telepath (Peter Warlock)
  • Novelty Dice Prediction (Tom Sellers)
  • Predicted From the Papers (Tom Sellers)
  • Super Forethought (Cyro)
Section Two - Book Tests
  • Unique Book Test (Harry Stanley)
  • Magazine Test (Ali Bongo)
  • Danson's Book Test (Ted Danson)
  • A Telephone Directory Test (Eric...
★★★★ $12
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Timothy Hyde
Magazine Memory: The Secret Notebooks of Mr. Hyde Volume 2 by Timothy Hyde

The Magazine Memory effect is a highly entertaining, high energy, astounding feat of mental prowess that audiences love. It has been a feature effect for many high profile performers, yet little has been written about the effect until now.

Timothy Hyde has used the routine to close his show for many years. Performing on luxury cruise ships, corporate events and at theatre shows around the world he has explored the routine in great depth.

In the classic form of the effect, pages from a current issue magazine or newspaper are distributed into the audience. Audience members randomly call...

★★★★★ $30
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José Prager
Liebrary by José Prager

This is an ebook test. Yes, not a book test done with actual paper copies, but rather a book test done with ebooks, PDF ebooks that is. The advantage here is that you can perform it wherever you have your smartphone, tablet or iPad with you. (For another ebook test see Dracula Ebook Test.)

Effect: A spectator selects any one of seven ebooks, turns to the page of his/her choice as you look away. The spectator concentrates on one word and you name it, even though you don't know the page and there is no fishing.

You will get the following ebooks:

  • "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens
  • "Around the World...
★★★★★ $15
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