Dracula Book Test

THE BLURB:
Not all book tests are created equal. Without the
directions, you and your audience will have one thing in
common -- you'll both be stumped! No kidding, this book is
amazing. Unlike other so called "book tests," this is a
real book; it even has an ISBN. This is the actual 1897
version of dracula by Bram Stoker, except for the devilishly
cleaver gaff woven into its 440 pages of text. Everybody
knows Dracula, which means they will never suspect it.

Here's the deal: No spontaneous stooges; No forced pages or
words; No directions printed in the book; No glimpses
required; No sleights; No writing; No counting; No skill is
needed. It is easy to perform—a real reputation builder. And
as if this wasn't enough, The dracula Book Test is
affordable! It is a mentalist's dream come true—a wonderful
classic effect with a whole new look and feel. This is your
chance to create miracles.

Imagine this: A participant is freely chosen from the
audience-she is in no way a prearranged confederate, or for
that matter, a spontaneous stooge. The participant is
ushered onto stage with applause. She is utterly unprepared
for the astonishment that she will soon encounter and the
wonderment she will experience as you read her mind.

The eager participant is given the opportunity to choose a
book from among others placed on a table. It is then shown
to the audience—one, two, or even six people—get the chance
to handle and examine the book to prove that it is real; it
easily passes close-up examination 100% of the time. Its
authenticity is undeniable because it is a classic
well-known title in circulation throughout the world.

You are then blindfolded and without any obvious means
whatsoever, you read her mind and reveal the word. But wait,
you have her pick yet another page—just to be sure—and then
you name that word too!

Once again, there can be free choice of page number at every
stage. There are no prearranged confederates or spontaneous
stooges. You don't need an assistant. There are no cribs; no
complicated anagrams; no reflectors or mirrors; and no
electronics. It's very easy to use!

MY COMMENTS:
This is a well-made, yet gaffed, edition of a classic novel.
There is some memory work, but it's not difficult and you
can certainly use a crib, if necessary. What's nice is that
there is a well thought-out mnemonic that makes the
necessary "work" easier to remember. Also, the word the
participants look at is the first word or last word on the
page, and both words are different. As the blurb says, the
book is totally examinable and it's very easy to use.

The closest book test to compare this to in terms of price
and methodology would be the Economicon. The methodologies
are similar. The Economicon has more word choices, two
books, and you can have someone choose a word from anywhere
on the page. It also has a nice crib built into the back
cover. The advantages to the Dracula Book Test is that the
single book is much more recognizable and there are twice as
many pages. Also, with fewer word choices to remember, it's
a bit easier to do. Were I to pick just one book test of
the two, I'd have to pick the Economicon for versatility,
but that's only if I have to pick between the two.
Fortunately, I have both book tests now in my arsenal as I
like both of them.

I must also point out that the methodology is not new. You
may already have a book or two that utilizes this principle
(like Economicon). But it's a good principle. Laymen (and
even some mentalists and magicians) are fooled by it. So
this isn't a criticism, just an observation about the
methodology that some may be concerned with.

Finally, according to the back cover of the instruction
manual, more classic books will follow. Titles include
Pride and Prejudice, War of the Worlds, and The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn. This is really exciting news because,
if the others are made the same way, then this will provide
a very nice little library of gaffed classics that will be a
wonderful addition for any mentalist's library.