Reviews of products by Bob Cassidy
1 ★★★★★ reviews
The Real Work of Cold Reading
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Gregg Webb (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 11 January, 2024)
Bob Cassidy, who stands for no malarky, writes exactly what he thinks in a field where some are trying to be deceptive and some just don't know what they are talking about. And, yet, in real life, when he was alive, he was very pleasant to talk to. He has read everything on the subjects he writes about. When he explains something, I "get it" when with others I don't, often. He even goes so far as to print what some known authority has said about a particular issue and then goes on to correct or clarify about what they got wrong or were off by "a miss is as good as a mile". In this field of cold reading, and you get the impression that he did readings a lot, besides his shows and demonstrations, he ties in how this can augment Tarot reading or palm readings, or astrology.
He mentions his friend Herb Dewey who gave us so much info that we use today, and what he thought about certain aspects of this field. After mastering this, you'll not need trickery, although he does go into ways to use it to show something more spectacular yet near the end of a reading. Finally he gives some valuable info in the Appendix. I feel this is the best book I have ever read on a field which always left me somewhat confused.
Artful Mentalism: Three Secrets
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Alexander Wolf (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 25 June, 2020)
I love to listen to Weber and Cassidy. And if you think you only get three secrets.... you get very much more than that. Just Enjoy.
Laboratory Conditions
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Alexander Wolf (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 25 June, 2020)
I love this method. Its so good. I don't want anyone to buy this because its so great.
The Mastermind Papers
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Alexander Wolf (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 25 June, 2020)
Billet Work, impromptu mentalism, and behind this is the mind of Bob Cassidy. I don't have to say much more.
The Psychic Tarot
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by James Sadler (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Monday 25 July, 2016)
I've been looking for a book with a concise, no nonsense approach to learning the cards. I couldn't be happier with Bob Cassidy's The Psychic Tarot.
Sleightly Mental
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Fisanick (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 09 June, 2016)
Way too many mentalists--especially those not coming from a straight magic background--overlook the use of sleight of hand in mentalism effects. If you are a good performer, an arsenal of a few good sleights will transform you into a dangerously deceptive performer. Why? Because if you are a proficient mentalist, no one is even thinking that you are using anything close to sleight of hand. That's the stuff of magicians. Bob Cassidy, of course, understands just about everything about mentalism and in this unique work, combining an ebook with some short demonstrative videos, he gives you the tools. And he has selected the small lot of them well. No, you aren't going to be the next Ed Marlo, Ekaterina, or Shin Lim with cards, but you will be able to do some amazing things. For example, I smiled knowingly to myself when I saw that Bob also uses a false shuffle that I learned as a teenager in the 1970's from Henry Hay's obscure but spectacular book, The Amateur Magician's Handbook. (Bob is a huge fan of Hay, which is only fitting; that book boggles my mind every time that I look at it--so very, very good, a lost classic.) With some practice, this is great stuff, particularly for the current generation of mentalists who may not have the grounding in straight magic or learning stuff out of old, classic books. Get $25 together and spend it now. (And while you are at it, buy Hay from here as well for $25.) And, as usual, thank me later.
Fundamentals
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Chet Cox (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 15 July, 2012)
My only complaint is that the rating system here at Lybrary.com only goes up to "good." This should be rated "outstanding" at the very least.
There are only two books you NEED to read to become a good mentalist. This is one of them. Add Osterlind's "the Principles of Mentalism" to Cassidy's "Fundamentals" and you have available to you the best advice gleaned from the best experience of two lifetimes.
If I had to pick just ONE to start with, it would be "Fundamentals." (But don't cheat yourself. Get both.)
Within these pages, Bob recommends a different book for those who want to really learn to perform mentalism well. He's wrong, but it wasn't his fault. "Fundamentals" hadn't been published yet - and "Fundamentals" is the first book you want.
Best of luck finding a mentalism book BETTER than this one.
The Real Work of Cold Reading
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Craig Browning
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 29 April, 2012)
This treatise should be required study for anyone getting involved with Mentalism but most especially those that plan on doing a Q&A styled act and/or One-on-One Readings. Bob cuts through the B.S., rips apart the theories and gives the student one of the most fair and least biased perspectives on this skill that you're likely to find. I recommend this book to ALL of my students as well as the various newbies I find posting questions on the subject on the forums.
When it comes to the Cold Reading skill-set I only recommend a small handful of writers, Richard Webster towering well over the heads of most with John Rigg's taking up 3rd place, which puts Bob in the middle as the #2 guy to trust. There are others (Ron Martin, Larry Baukin, Loren Tindall and Jerome Finley to name a few) but you owe it to yourself to start with Bob and leave the more questionable material that's out there, alone!
Bent On Strange
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Ron Martin
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 25 April, 2012)
What a GREAT ROUTINE to have on hand for that perfect moment! You can easily have everything you'll need - a key or two to bend - if your participant(s) don't have one. Just carry them on your keyring.
Bob's routining is perfect! The handling of the key(s) makes the bend invisible. You can show the key as straight, IMMEDIATELY put it in THEIR hand if you wish . . . and the strangeness can occur there! Either before and/or after - the key is bent, it is shown to be a strong one and is demonstrably NOT going to bend using their fingers.
And best of all? NO gimmick to be caught with! The cleanest of clean routines.
I think this is a perfect one-on-one effect when you feel that doing something very strange is called for. Bob also explains how to use this effectively in a group setting, as well.
3 Miracles
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Carlos La Borde
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 02 December, 2009)
This is easily the best purchase I have ever paid $25 for.
Impossible Switch is like something that I came up with, and has Unlimited mind reading potential, but Quarterforce takes the prize for the value of the book.
Absolutely fantastic card mind reading with the least amount of pumping out of any of the magic decks I have ever bought/made.
Highly recommended.
Laboratory Conditions
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by E M
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 09 January, 2008)
A straightforward, simple idea, easy to do the mechanics and all done using easily available materials. The selling of the idea is up to you, but then that's kind of the point of mentalism, isn't it? I like this and I'm glad I bought it.
The Moldavian Switch
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by John Wells
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 26 April, 2007)
While this is very similar to a switch published by Walter Gibson, it has the touches that are only learnt in performance. This is a very good switch to have in your arsenal.