Reviews of products by John Brown Cook
1 ★★★★★ reviews
1 ★★★★★ reviews
Gems of Mental Magic
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Gregg Webb (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 03 May, 2026)
This book is from 1935, so you need to update a few things here and there. For example, carbon paper is used in one trick, but you don't see it around much today, but rest assured there is a very good type in art supply stores for transferring a drawing to the canvas for a painting...in fact it looks like it was drawn with a pencil, so is useful to mentalists, and there are more modern papers to make a copy with no visible method, etc. But in general the book outlines some very good mental feats using some very good mentalism principles, explained very well. There are codes and systems that must be learned, and in fact a whole system for memory taught. Bear in mind that these feats require a real show, and a stage, and at least one assistant required for most of the "experiments". But if doing a big show of a mental nature is for you, you really need to have this download. Arthur Buckley is known for his thinking and explaining, and Mr. Cook brings his own expertise to the mix. Remember...not for walk-around strolling, or close-up, or small groups. Stage-size mentalism.
Gems of Mental Magic
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Sean Hoade (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 24 July, 2022)
Good, old-fashioned effects ... but the emphasis is on the historical. Very, very entertaining, however!
Gems of Mental Magic
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Chet Cox (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 17 April, 2015)
One of the richest mine of mental magic/mentalism, still in use. Copperfield's Graffiti Wall? The principle is in here.
By focusing on principles instead of doing your thinking for you, it opens up the possibilities of making YOUR version of any effect being different from anyone else's - and uniquely your own.
Gems of Mental Magic
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by David Nicholson (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 05 March, 2015)
I really enjoy mining through old magic books to find Gems and this book is a real delight. There are many principles within this old book used in modern magic today which are a joy to discover and fuel your creativity to adapt them to your own magic and mentalism.
Very often when I am playing with an idea and need a solution to make the effect work I will quite often find the answer lies in adapting principles already firmly established.
Yes a lot of the effects are to be used with confidents and stooges but not all! However read between the lines ...discover those gems and adapt them to fit your modern audience. Everything old is new! This book is a minefield .....enjoy.
Nic Holson
Gems of Mental Magic
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by e c
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 11 July, 2013)
The majority of effects in this book are for 2 people working together. The rest use gimmicks/apparatus that are very outdated. I would not recommend it at all, even for it's cheap price.