If you take the time to read some of the older entries on the blog, you’ll notice I’ve written quite a bit about Richard Osterlind’s L&L Publishing release, “Easy to Master Mental Miracles.” Until recently, I’ve written about the response by others to a set of DVDs that weren’t even released. Frankly, I’m still awfully amused by the hue and cry. But having viewed all four discs, start to finish, I have a new perspective to cover. (More on that later.)

Without covering the same territory again, Richard Osterlind has earned my deep respect as a direct result of primarily two things: the quality of the work he’s made available to this relatively small world of magic and mentalism, and my personal dealings with him. I’ve found the books, videos and tricks he’s made available — especially since partnering with Jim Sisti — are carefully crafted, demonstrating a high level of attention to detail, useful content, and overall quality. My personal dealings with him convince me Richard is a good and decent man of integrity. To my mind, integrity is the cornerstone of every good quality a man possesses.

These two things shape my expectations of anything with his name affixed to it, these DVDs being no exception.

As I’ve mentioned before, as much as I value and work at the art of mentalism, my introduction to it followed in the well-trodden footsteps of my introduction to many other deeply interesting and loved interests in my life. Which is to say, kicking and screaming. (Not an attractive way to go through life, I’ll tell you.)

In the introduction to the DVDs, host Jim Sisti notes:

Mentalism has been called “magic’s last frontier.” It’s really the only form of the art left where the audience can think that what they’ve just seen is, perhaps, real.

Ah, yes: leaving the audience thinking that what they’ve just seen just might be the real thing. It would be understatement to say I “had a problem with that concept” in the same way it might be considered understatement to say Beethoven was a little hard of hearing, or Donald Trump is a bit egocentric, or that hip-hop is just mildly annoying.

It was in the early to mid-90s, thanks to the miracle of computers and BBSs (bulletin board systems, like MAGIC! and GeMiNi) that I was able to interact with people likewise afflicted with the bite from the magic bug. One of those people was T.A. Waters, surely not an unknown name in the world of mentalism.

The Reader’s Digest version of the story is I found myself in a “spirited debate” with Waters over the very concept that some performers did not provide a clearly stated, cut-and-dried disclaimer before performing a mentalism show. It’s not that I thought there were custom designed bucket seats already being warmed in the pits of hell for mentalism performers who refused to overtly state that what they were doing was just a bunch of tricks, but I may have harbored the secret desire that, at minimum, measurements were quietly being taken.

T.A. was kind and generous with his time and infinite patience and, without drawing a single drop of blood, brought me over to The Dark Side. Waters, Bob Cassidy, Banachek, Paul Alberstat, Max Maven, and Ted Lesley have all, over the years, been kind with their time and help and guidance as I worked my way into the world of the performance of mentalism. Over the last two years, I’ve added Richard Osterlind’s name to that list.

Like most people who truly jump in with both feet to seriously wade through the waters of those things that make up the foundation of mentalism, I became a student of Theo Annemann, obtaining a set of The Jinx reprints. Truth be told, I still grab those reprints, sit back in a comfortable chair, and start on page one and just read for hours.

I obtained a copy of Corinda’s “13 Steps to Mentalism” and actually read it cover to cover, which is not an insignificant thing to do, I assure you. I’ve since read it many, many times and in each reading I find a new angle to something I had never before considered. It’s like magic when those things leap off the page.

To those I added manuscripts by Phil Goldstein, books by George Anderson, and a trip back to my Tarbell Course in Magic.

Over the years since I started that serious study curriculum, I’ve added an embarrassing number of titles to the mentalism section of my library. T.A. Waters’ “Mind, Myth & Magic” still holds a special place, for several reasons; Bascom Jones’ “Compleat Magick”; Larry Becker’s “Stunners!” — as well as a copy of the updated “Stunners! Plus”; Ted Lesley’s “Paramiracles”; Banachek’s “Psychological Subtleties”; Al Koran’s books; more Phil Goldstein; the list goes on and on and on.

But I return most often to Annemann and Corinda. “There’s gold in them thar hills.” And you don’t have to dig too far to find it. But you do have to do something I suspect many today haven’t: you have to open the books and read them.

So. Considering my deep love for these books, why would a set of DVDs containing classic pieces of mentalism — fourteen of which are attributed directly to Annemann and Corinda — be something about which I can get excited?

The first instance of the public being put on notice that these discs were on the way was by a post to The Magic Cafe from Tim Trono. It didn’t take long to witness the first shots across the bow; some people were getting their panties in a knot over the very idea that Osterlind would gather together in one place such a mother lode of mentalism.

You know, it’s not so much getting beginners to mentalism to acknowledge the importance of Annemann and Corinda; it’s getting them to embrace the relevance.

On his web site in the “mentalists only” section, Bob Cassidy posted an essay that deals with a list of books that would make up a well-stocked mentalist’s library. At the beginning, he wrote:

It saddens me when I hear newcomers to the art advising neophytes that classic texts on the art are “outdated” – these are usually the same guys who are surprised when they learn that the latest “miracle” on the market was actually introduced in a 1939 issue of Annemann’s “Jinx,” or that the actual inventor of the “missing puzzle piece “effect – a current controversy among those unfamiliar with “outdated” material – has been dead for several years now. He introduced the effect almost forty years ago.

So, why did Osterlind put together this set of DVDs to release to the world of magicians and mentalists?

Some people have actually suggested he did it for the money. Of those people suggesting such a thing and who do not smoke crack on a regular basis, I assume the reason they suggested such a thing is simply because they have no clue how much money exchanges hands on DVD projects for our weird little world. (For the remaining two of you still wondering: not much.)

Gee, I don’t know — how about we let Richard tell us, in part, his reasoning. In a post on The Magic Cafe, Osterlind states:

When I was approached with the idea of doing them, my reaction was “GREAT!” There are so wonderful great effects in the literature that people pass by and now I had the chance to demonstrate them. My approach was to not try to change much and to not try to inject too much of my own personality into them. I did add a few working points that I have learned over the years and it is impossible, of course, not to be yourself when performing. The main purpose was to show how direct and powerful these effects can be.

So why do you suppose it took all of five seconds between the announcement of these videos, and the commencement of some people ripping Richard to shreds over them? Well, take a look at this post to alt.magic. It’s a rare (and embarrassing for some) look inside the world of a private organization of psychic entertainers, many of whom are professional performers and, ostensibly, peers of Richard’s.

When you read through that post you can’t help but get the feeling that the secrets of mentalism discovered and invented and presented by Annemann, Corinda, Koran, Hoy and others are somehow now the property of the members of a private organization rather than the entire width and breadth of the world of mentalism — or at least those who take the time to learn them. I find that a troubling point of view.

Another theme seems to be that these secrets are being “exposed” to the world. Really, now.

Last I checked, L&L Publishing’s instructional DVDs are aimed primarily at the world of magicians, which — I could be wrong — would not be classified as “the whole world.” You aren’t likely to walk into your local bookstore and find “Easy to Master Mental Miracles” on the shelf.

On the other hand, you can walk into your local bookstore and likely find Annemann’s “Practical Mental Magic” on the shelf right next to copies of “Art of Magic“, Mark Wilson’s condensed version of his “Course in Magic” — among other titles aimed at magicians.

Those myopic sentiments probably explain away much of the rancor, hysterics and disgraceful ad hominem attacks on Osterlind over these DVDs. Once these members were introduced to the texts of Annemann, Corinda and others and learned of their value, now the door should be shut on the Great Unwashed Masses that are magicians? I wonder how many of those people remember their own humble beginnings as “lowly magicians.”

Disgraceful.

But the tenor and pitch of the wailing and gnashing of teeth should bring something to your attention: the contents of these DVDs represent the core of what makes up the foundational aspects of great mentalism. That is powerful stuff and, the prospect of such information falling into your hands bothers some people. Consider that for a moment.

So, do the DVDs live up to the excitement kicked up over their impending release? In a word: yes. In another word: absolutely.

I won’t go into a detailed the list of tricks covered in the DVDs, you can see those on L&L’s web site, or in the full color ads in either MAGIC Magazine or Genii Magazine. (You do subscribe to both publications, right?) Suffice it to say, though, that these four discs make up almost seven hours of truly mind-bending, exciting pieces of mentalism.

As I sit here I find it very difficult to single out some of the tricks for special mention. In a way, and perfectly fitting given the title of the series, it’s a lot like asking me to mention my favorite tricks from Ammar’s “Easy to Master Card Miracles” discs. How do you single out items from a list of tricks that itself represents singled out items?

That said, I have a special place in my heart for Al Koran’s “Five Star Prediction” — one of the greatest card tricks I have ever performed. “El Numero” by Syd Bergson is, literally, a no miss hit. “The Trick That Fooled Einstein” and “Headline Prediction”, both by Al Koran; Annemann’s “Par-Optic Vision” and “Magazine Test” are particular favorites of mine. Also, if you learn Corinda’s “Impromptu Book Test” and David Hoy’s “Hoy Book Test” you can save yourself literally thousands of dollars in commercially available book tests without trading away an ounce of mystery entertainment.

One more special mention: Richard’s performance of the original version of Ted Annemann’s “Seven Keys to Baldpate” proves that it’s awfully hard to improve some tricks as so many have tried over the years. (By the way, if you chose to do this version, you can get made for you the same style bag Richard uses in the video. Order it from Sandra Sisti. I know how much work and detail goes into making these things. The asking price is a steal.)

I think the selection process must have been tortuous — and probably torturous — to whittle down. Having watched every minute of the discs I can say I didn’t see a single piece of puffery or filler; these are all solid, classic performance pieces that should serve as a basis of your own routining. They should also serve to cause the viewer to blow the dust off of their copies of Annemann and Corinda, seek out Koran and Hoy and Becker and others, and learn some new old stuff. These DVDs prove Richard’s point that the classics — even done as they were written — play as strongly to today’s audiences and they ever did in the past.

And these pieces play as well to a room of a few people as they do to a room of a few hundred or a few thousand people. That’s one of the wonderful aspects of mentalism: the real magic happens between the ears. (Half-nekkid wimmin jiggling on stage next to you is optional, but not prohibited.) So long as the mentalist clearly communicates effectively great tricks, there’s not a bad seat in the house. Compare that to much of magic performance and you can see the draw towards mentalism.

One almost legitimate complaint is the title of the series: Easy to Master Mental Miracles. I say almost because, in reality, anyone who thinks any legitimate performance of magic or mentalism is easy to master clearly hasn’t bothered to notice the caveats found in most magic texts that demand the reader put in the time to learn how to perform. The performance aspect of what we do is the larger part; the actual mechanics of tricks themselves is not. And, in fact, there is very little that is truly difficult to master.

What you are spared is the selection process of great, professional quality pieces of mentalism you can perform — the rest is up to you.

Together with Richard’s first set of DVDs — Richard Osterlind’s Mind Mysteries — you have a wonderful introduction to, as Jim Sisti put it, one of magic’s last frontiers: the world of mentalism. And you are taken by the hand by one of mentalism’s great teachers and true gentlemen.

I don’t recommend many products but I have no hesitation in suggesting you buy a set of these DVDs.