Price$99.95
Media TypeOnline Instructions, Gimmick(s)
CategoryMentalism
Date AddedNov 14, 2023
13 Steps To Mentalism Special Edition Set
Corinda; Murphy's Magic
Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.
(Based on 2 reviews)
- Pete Turner - 2023
Tony Corinda's 13 STEPS OF MENTALISM has long been considered the bible of mentalism. Murphy's Magic Supplies is proud to present the 13 STEPS TO MENTALISM SPECIAL EDITION SET! Now, for the first time, you will receive everything you need to start performing mentalism like a pro all in one set!
First, you will receive over 12 HOURS of professional mentalism taught by Master Mentalist Richard Osterlind. Each effect is performed before a live audience, then Richard along with master magician Jim Sisti takes you behind the curtain to teach you EVERY detail, step by step.
The effects taught in the series are TIMELESS! No other mentalism set on the market offers this level of teaching, detailed, professional effects as well as high-quality materials.
Here are just SOME of the materials you will receive:
- Specially printed (Gaffed) ESP cards
- High-quality, techno-color card set
- Knights tour
- Deluxe blindfold
- Ghost deck marker
- Billets, plus all the secret gimmicks, tools and special materials you need to start performing immediately.
Here are just SOME of the effects and topics taught:
- Swami Gimmicks
- Dartboard Prediction
- Living and Dead Tests
- Muscle Reading
- The Ghost Deck
- Memory Tests
- The Magic Square
- Sightless Vision Act
- Presentations
- Q&A act
- Knight's Tour
- Simple Card Systems
- Predictions
- Billet Knives
- Pencils
- Indexes
- A Million to One Test
- The Prophesy
- The Hanging Prediction
- Mental Masterpiece (Fogel's Newspaper Prediction) Billets
- The Center Tear
- Dr. Jaks' Crystal Locket
- My Word
- The Missing Link
- The Crossword Puzzle
- Mediumistic Stunts
- The Cold Hand
- Zarkamorta II
- Spirit Slates
- Photo Memory
- The Incredible Slate Test
- Blind Coincidence
- Two Minds
- Before Your Very Eyes
- Publicity Stunts
- Headline Predictions
- Opening Effects
- The Sujan Location
"The 13 Steps Special Edition Set has some of the most coveted methods and secrets in all of mentalism. Richard Osterlind is one of the most influential mentalists in the world. Osterlind's vision and subtleties on Corinda's work in this monumental project will not only provide you with a solid foundation to becoming a professional level mentalist, but the direct nature of the material within is a MASTERCLASS in making mind reading entertaining! Plus you get loads of cool shit in the box!!"
- Dee Christopher
"The 13 Steps to Mentalism Special Edition Set is fundamental for anyone that want to get started mentalism, but also for seasoned performers that want to go back to classics in a new light. Richard is a fantastic teacher and the high-quality props & tools included will allow you to perform these routines straight out of the box!"
- Luca Volpe
"Murphy's Magic has Created the DEFINITIVE mentalist's toolkit! This is perfect for beginners and professionals alike. You'll never have to buy another mentalist book, tool, or prop for the rest of your career!"
- Jeff Stone
"I absolutely love how the special edition set includes everything you need to start learning and performing the art of mentalism from one of the greatest books on the subject to EVER EXIST! I often refer to Corinda's work for inspiration. And with 12 hours of instructional video from one of mentalisms most creative thinkers, Richard Osterlind makes this a dream. Plus, all the gimmicks and tools being included takes this set over the top! The 13 Steps Special Edition set is a no brainer!!"
- Josh Zandman
"The '13 Steps' is the cornerstone of mentalism. It belongs on every mentalist's shelf and deserves to be thoroughly studied. We all owe Corinda a huge debt of gratitude for it. That said, to have the opportunity to have one of the giants of mentalism, Richard Osterlind walk you through this monumental work, giving you the benefit of professional insights and decades of experience along the way, well, that's an opportunity that shouldn't be missed. And NOW, with the addition of having so much of the accoutrements that you need for the journey included, all in one package? This is no-brainer territory. You owe it to yourself to get the 13 STEPS TO MENTALISM SPECIAL EDITION SET and get the very best of the '13 Steps' experience that has ever been offered."
- Mark Strivings
"The 13 Steps to Mentalism Special Edition Set is an incredible treasure trove of mentalism knowledge. Richard Osterlind's exceptional teaching style coupled with all the secret gimmicks and tools makes this an indispensable fusion of wisdom and entertainment that is an absolute must-see for anyone interested in mentalism."
- Joel Dickinson
"I was delighted and surprised when our friends at Murphy's Magic sent over a 13 Steps Special Edition Set to go along with my Corinda's 13 Steps to Mentalism video series. Jim and I spent over a year preparing for the project and this package would have been invaluable at the time. The blindfold is magnificent as well as the Knight's Tour, Billet Knife and other items which fit perfectly with the work we did. You won't have to run around trying to assemble the materials to work the effects shown on the recordings as many of them are right here in this package. Whether you are new to mentalism, or an advanced pro, you will find this kit to be priceless. I congratulate Murphy's Magic for their work in assembling these props and making them available to augment my recordings and, more importantly, to aid in bringing to life Corinda's magnificent creation of what is known as the bible of mentalism!"
- Richard Osterlind
"Unboxing the new 13 Steps to Mentalism Special Edition Set, I had a strong feeling of déjà vu, harking back to opening my first magic kit as a kid. As I removed the lid and began to explore the contents, it invoked similar feelings as I turned over the props in my hands and imagined what wonders they could create. If you're thinking of making the jump into mentalism but have been hesitant due to the sheer amount of material available and lack of a clear starting point, this new offering from Murphy's Magic is your answer. Coupling Richard Osterlind's authoritative updated performances and instruction on the most important parts of Corinda's seminal book with a good number of the necessary props to get you started is a wonderful idea and Murphy's Magic has executed it brilliantly."
- Jim Sisti
"This is a full career building kit!! As far as mentalism goes this doesn't get any better. A masterclass in mentalism.."
- Paul Romhany
Reviews
(Top ▲)
Overview
This review of 13 Steps to Mentalism, re-released by Murphy’s Magic from the L & L Library is going to start with a disclaimer. This project and its associated accessories is such a massive project for a magic release, I could not review it as thoroughly as I would like for practicality purposes in written form. Obviously, the review will follow the normal format but for a truly in-depth analysis of the props themselves I will refer you to Jeff Stone’s excellent video review where he dissects each prop and rates it for its quality and practicality. My review will be an overall review as someone who has purchased a lot of magic (including the original 13 Steps DVDs) and what I feel you receive for your hard earned money.Effect
There are certain books that have been the cornerstone of many magic genres. For Mentalism it is Practical Mental Magic by Annemann and The 13 Steps to Mentalism by Corinda. Most if not all mentalism routines can trace their origins back to something that has been printed in either of these two books. For mentalist Peter Turner, Annemann has been his major influence. For Richard Osterlind the 13 Steps to Mentalism by Corinda has been his major influence. In this release, numerous routines will be performed and explained. Not every routine will you like or find practical. However, there is so much offered in this project, if you find just a few you would like to perform, you can build a solid mentalism show with that handful.Method
The methods, which are too numerous to mention, are your traditional mentalism techniques. From applying mathematical principles, covert obtaining of information, mnemonics, memory techniques to gimmicks, all is fair game when it comes to magic and mentalism. All these methods are original approaches before the existence of modern electronics. They will require the use of linguistics, some sleight of hand and your own mind for them to be successful.Product Quality
When it comes to the issue of quality, this is where I may diverge from some others who are a bit more critical than myself. I had purchased The 13 Steps DVD set from L & L years ago for more than the current asking price that this Special Edition set is being sold for. I would have been thrilled to have received the 15 individually packaged items that come with the Special Edition set. Instead, if I wanted to perform something I would have to either purchase the required items or make them myself. However, before I continue discussing the items provided, let’s talk about the instructions first. With this project you will receive over 12 hours of video which covers everything you need to know about each and every “trick” discussed. Almost 40 different routines are presented and explained in an easy to follow and well-paced manner. Richard Osterlind and his business partner Jim Sisti does an excellent job presenting the material. The more than 12 hours of material is presented in 65 different segments so you can start and stop at will or if you so wish, jump to what you feel you would be interested in most. I suggest you watch the video from start to finish. As far as the gimmicks go, there has been criticism on the quality control of the items. I would like to go back to the fact that when this DVD set was released a decade ago, it was released at the same price this entire Special Edition set is now. In effect, I would look at it as I am getting all the gimmicks for free. If I look at it that way, I cannot be too critical of what is provided. As someone who has been in magic for a while, I would perceive these items as a first car. In learning to drive a car, one would not go out and buy the most expensive car. One would buy a “learner” car then move up to a better one. I see the props provided in this kit the same way. Try them out, and yes, they may not be the best but then as you progress through the ranks, replace them with a better quality version. For example, the billet knife is only fair but will they give you a $200 billet knife to start out with? So what do you receive besides the video instructions? The following is what is in each individually sealed package. (1) A package of ESP cards (2) 50 index cards (3) a needle (4) two nail writers and leads (5) a band writer (6) 25 sheets billet paper (7) an elastic pull (8) 25 sheets of large billet paper (9) 25 small envelopes (10) 25 large envelopes (11) touch reading envelopes (12) tele-colour cards (13) Blindfold (14) Knight’s Tour paper chessboard (15) wood billet knife.The package “as a whole” is a tremendous value and I would highly recommend this to anyone who is starting out on the mentalism trail.
Ad Copy Integrity
The product is presented in a truthful manner and you do receive a lot for the money. The ad copy is very thorough as far as what you will receive. In fact, you receive more than they actually do list. The 13 Steps to Mentalism Special Edition is a tremendous value.(Top ▲)
Overview
1 billet knife, 1 blind fold, 1 swami gimmick, a bunch of other props, 12 hours of video instructions, $99.95, and 1 13 Steps to Mentalism Deluxe Edition Review. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.This review will broken into two(ish) main categories.
- The video instruction
- The props in box
The Videos
Probably the best way to review the videos is to refer you to my review of the 6 DVD set. Spoiler Alert: I gave it 5 stars with a Stone Status of "GEM!"
Once you've read that, I'll give you a few extras here. With the Deluxe Edition the videos are YouTube videos (unlisted) that you are given links to. Additionally, you receive a link to a Dropbox page that allows you to download all of the videos.
The videos on YouTube have chapters so you can easily skip around and pick and choose which parts you want to look at.
Keep in mind that these videos filmed nearly 15 years ago (2009) by L&L Publishing, so they were made without the thought that someday there would be a deluxe version with all of the "goodies" listed below.
When Louis Falanga of L&L died, Murphy's Magic purchased L&L Publishing and all of their products. They own the rights to these Osterlind DVDs / videos. The created the deluxe kit and included it with the videos. Keep that in mind as we go along.
Because of that, there aren't any specific instructions on how to use the specific included props (other than the billet knife). The instructions in the video (and the book for that matter) are just general or assume that you'll be making / purchasing any props you may need to peform the effects in the book.
Lastly, the original 6 DVD set is $119.95, and the download version is $119.95. However, this, the Deluxe edition is only $99.95. That includes all of the downloads that are included in the $119.95 version, plus you're getting (in the Deluxe edition) all of the props we're about to discuss momentarily.
So on that alone, it's probably easy for anyone to justify the cost.
What Comes in the Kit
So let's look at the props. Below describes what props you get and which of the 13 steps the prop(s) is related to along which page in Corinda's 13 Steps to Mentalism the effect under discussion appears on. For details about the products in the kit and their quality, see the "product quality" section below.Step 1 (Swami Gimmick):
You get three different swami gimmicks plus three pieces of one-inch-long lead. Two of the gimmicks are of the "type C" style (see page four of the Corinda book).
The other one is of the boon type.
Step 2 (Pencil, Lip, Sound, and Muscle Reading):
In the Touch Reading section there are three effects that have the props supplied.
- The "special stuff" for Just Chance (Impromptu) (p. 43) is included. You get the envelopes and the "special something" that allows you to know which envelope contains the money. In the kit it's labeled as "Touch Reading."
- Next you get a blunted sewing needle for punch marking cards for the effect Ghost Deck (p. 45 "Marked Playing Cards")
- Lastly, you get the specially made colored rectangles for the effect, Sujan Location (p. 43). In the kit it's labeled as "TELE-COLOR-CARDS"
This kit includes a bunch of orange stickers (about the size of a dime) along with a printed out grid that (sort of) represents a chess board, and the cue sheet for the page 67 effect, A Knight's Tour.
Step 4 (Predictions):
Included in the kit for this step is a billet knife for various effects. Billet knives are largely discussed on pages 87 - 89. With the billet knife you get about 6 paperclip-esque things for clipping the billet. The billet knife, as mentioned in the ad copy, is magnetic, so the clips work with the knife (details in the "Product Quality" section).
Also, included is a 20 minute video on how to use the billet knife.
The second thing you get is the "stuff" for performing The Third Choice (p. 116). You get the gimmicked ESP cards, and the envelopes needed to perform the effect.
Step 5 (Blindfold and X-Ray Eyes):
Supplied for this step is a silk (?) blindfold.
Step 6 (Billets):
Supplied are 25 3.5 x 2.5 inch billets (i.e., pieces of thicker-than-normal paper), and 25 3 x 2 inch billets, and a special something to make a billet secretly vanish (useful for switches). This special something is item #10 on page 178 in the Corinda book.
Steps 7 - 13:
There aren't really any props supplied for the rest of the steps. However, there are 50 3 x 5 inch white file cards, 25 2.88 x 5.25 inch manilla "coin" envelopes, and 25 4.5 x 5.5 inch envelopes.
These have a variety of uses throughout many of the steps. They can be particularly useful in Step 11 (The Question and Answer Act).
Lastly, of course, you get a 3 x 5 "postcard" with the access to the site with all the videos.
Product Quality
Here's where we get into some grey areas. Let's examine each "thing" included with this product.The Videos
Nothing to see here. As already discussed in the original review, and with the added details above, the product quality here is outstanding.In addition to the 2009 videos from Osterlind, there is one new video from Murphy's Magic that explains how to use the billet knife. This video is well produced, and well shot, and poorly scripted.
A lot of good ideas are mentioned, but none were demonstrated. The only thing demonstrated was loading a billet with the knife, but as you'll soon discover (see below under "billet knife") that part of the video was sketchy as well.
Javier gives some great ideas and uses for the billet knife, including the use of mulitple outs / an index, but doesn't give enough detail to clearly show how it would play out in performance. As he's "mentioning" the ideas, question arise (at least they did in my mind) that go unanswered.
So there is a bit of a product quality hit here.
The Props
SwamiWell . . . the lead does not fit into the boon gimmick at all, not even close. I imagine the diameter needs to be shaved down, but I'm not sure how to do that, and all I ended up doing is break the lead.
The two "non-boon" style gimmicks hold the lead, and I'm assuming you're supposed to just load the lead in, and break off what you don't need.
As for how effective they are, my thumbnails are way too short at the moment, so I can't really test them. In a couple of weeks, I'll update this part of the review once my nails have grown out a litte.
Just Chance
The props for this are just fine, and are very similar to what Corinda recommends in the book. They work perfectly.
Sujan Location
These are the custom made different colored rectangles. They're made of some sort of plastic-ish material, and they function exactly as explained in the book and as Richard Osterlind explains in the videos. No issues here.
Ghost Deck
This is, as mentioned earlier, a bluted sewing needle. It's good quality and will do the job of "punching" a card just fine. No issues here.
Knight's Tour
The Knight's Tour has a couple of issues/warnings. During the effect an 8 x 8 grid numbered (in each "cell") from 1 to 64 is displayed. The spectator is given the orange dots to mark each square as you call it out (this makes more sense if you understand the effect).
However, the orange stickers are permanent. I found that out the hard way by getting a sticker "permanently" stuck on my board. I was able to scratch it off and slightly ruin my board.
There is no warning anywhere about this. You'll need to get different stickers, or laminate the board or something.
Also, strangely, although it's an 8 x 8 grid, it's not square. The paper with the grid is 11 x 8 inches. It looks nothing like a chess board unfortunately.
Billet Knife
This is probably, sadly, the worst part of the kit. The magnet in the knife way too weak. Also, it's supposed to be (in the audience's eyes) a letter opener. It's more like a letter destroyer. Even in the video that shows how to use it, Javier wasn't able to get a clean tear.
Further, the billet has to super small to hide behind the knife. In the video Javier suggests finger palming the billet and loading it onto the knife as you pick it up. The problem is that the billet is so small that it's very difficult to finger palm without looking awkward.
Admittedly, this may be a function of the size of my hands, so I'll offer this: If you can finger palm an American dime without your hand looking awkward then you'll probably be okay with palming the small billet.
The reason the billet has to be so small is because of the magnet. The billet tends to slide around and sort of pivot / swivel while on the back of the knife. This can cause it to poke out and expose itself.
The Third Choice
This effect uses 5 (gimmicked) ESP cards, and 5 envelopes. The ESP cards are meant to go into the envelopes. Unfortunately, however, the cards are essentially the exact same size as the envelopes kind of buckle when going into the envelope, and are darn near impossible to get out of the envelope without ripping the envelope.
This may be partially forgivable because the stack of 25 manilla envelopes provided for miscelaneous use work just fine for this effect.
The ESP cards, however, are of poor quality as well. They're kind of plastic-ish and the stick together. Overall this is probably the second "worst" of the items in the kit (billet knife being number #1 worst).
Blindfold
The blindfold is groovy. Is soft, silky, and solid. And it will fit anyone's head (except for maybe Shaq and Andre the Giant). No issues here.
Billets
The billets come with what appears to be a "back" that you could use to rubber cement the ends together and create a sort of "notepad" that you can use and tear off a sheet as needed during the performance.
Nowhere is this stated, I'm just kind of assuming it. That aside, the billets are a common size, and are of a "correct" thickness. They're somewhere between a file card and a piece of printer paper as far as thickness goes. They are opaque and tear easily (i.e., center tear). No issues here.
Envelopes and Cards
While the envelopes and cards are no explicitly related to any particular effect, as a mentalist they are common props. However, The two envelope types supplied (coin envelope and "greeting card" envelope) appear to be made out regular printer paper. They're very thin and flimsy and don't handle as well as "normal" envelopes of that size.
Further, none of the envelopes are gummed, so have (ahead of performance) put some double stick tape (not supplied) or something of that nature on the envelope.
In the billet knife video, Javier used the "greeting card" size envelope to load the billet. However, due to the poor quality of the knife, and very small / short flap on the envelope along with the flimsiness of the envelope, tearing open the envelope (with the knife) and loading the billet was a bit awkward.
Ad Copy Integrity
The ad copy is simple and clearly, directly, and honestly states exactly what you get. I have no issues there.Final Thoughts
This is a tough one to rate. On the one hand, I gave just the videos (for a higher price) 5 stars. So in theory, if the deluxe kit was only the videos for $99.00 how could it not be 5 stars.But on the other hand some of the stuff in the kit is not good. So it would appear that taking a 5 star product and reducing the price keeps a 5 star rating. That makes sense. But somehow adding extra stuff to the 5 star product lowers the rating?
The way I see it, there are two main issues here.
- Some of the props should have had a video explaining them in a little more depth.
- Some of the included props are poor quality.
However, maybe a video about the specific swami gimmicks and how to load the lead would have been handy. Also some brief information about the intention behind the specific envelopes and their sizes could have been useful.
I think even a single (less than an hour) video of just an unboxing and explaining what each thing is along with any specific things added by Murphy's. A warning about the Knight's Tour stickers on such a video would be useful, etc.
This kit and the supplied stuff assumes you own the book, I think. That's not a terrible thing, but a video as suggested above could fill in some gaps between Osterlind, the book, and what Murphy's provided.
Lastly, some of the props in the kit are labeled as things that are not actually in the book. Luckily I was familiar enough with the book to recognize the props, so I've (hopefully) clarified that above.
Let's Rate each prop and see if we can wrap this thing up:
Swami
Some issues. Star rating: 2.5 / 5
Just Chance
No issues: 5 / 5
Sujan Location
No issues: 5 / 5
Ghost Deck
No issues: 5 / 5
Knight's Tour
Big issues: 2 / 5
Billet Knife
Big issues: 1 / 5
The Third Choice
Some issues: 2.5 / 5
Blindfold
No issues: 5 / 5
Billets
No issues: 5 / 5
Envelopes and Cards
Some issues: 3.5 / 5
The props have an average of 3.65 out of 5 stars. I thing that seems about right.
The billet knife video is about a 3.5 out of 5.
The Osterlind videos are 5 out of 5
If you average all of the together you get 3.75 stars. Considering that videos alone at $119 rate at 5 stars, and with this you're getting the same videos for less money plus a bunch of good props (and a few not-so-good) props, I think rounding up to 4 stars is valid.
Final verdict: 4 stars with a Stone Status of Gem.