Streetwise - New book test

[John Archer]

Hi guys.

Just a heads up that I have a new book test coming out in the next couple of weeks.

STREETWISE

A book test that is so much more. It could be remote viewing, a bizarre ability to outdo a London cabbies knowledge or plain simple mindreading. Several strong effects in one simple London Map book.
* A street, road or lane is thought of from the index and you can name it.
* Several areas of London are thought of by 3 or 4 members of the audience and you can name them all.
* Any road/street etc, on any of the map pages is again merely thought of by a spectator and you know exactly where they are.
And best of all - It makes sense to use the book.

It is an idea I have had for six or seven years now but because of the work involved in designing the actual book it has taken a long time to come to fruition. I am just waiting on my proof copy to check that it looks as good as I hope. I have always thought that if a book needs to be given to a spectator for the purposes of a book test then the reasons for that should be clear. Hopefully with streetwise the issue is clear that you want them to think of streets or area's of London that are not the obvious or most most popular choices (Oxford Circus Leicester square etc) then handing them a map book makes sense. Presented correctly it will be more about your knowledge of London than the simple reading of a word.

The book will be a 206 page paperback map-book of London, very similar to the A-Z of London and others of that type. The first 99 pages are maps and the rest is the alphabetical index.

Why London? Well it is an internationally known city so that in the presentation you can say that you have just returned and spent a lot of time travelling by taxi through the old and indeed new streets, gaining an uncanny ability, strong sense of direction or however you choose to get into it.

I have lots of thoughts on the presentation and routining which will be well covered in the accompanying instructions.

Any questions (within reason) then please fire away.

Oh price will be 95 direct from LULU Publishing. Or 85 from myself direct (This method will probably take longer though depending on if I have stock and where I am in the world when you order it.)

Cheers,

John.

[Dick Christian]

I was privileged to have recently received a sneak preview of John's new book test (not the finished product, but a few pages and details of methodologies employed and and how they are applied). Based on that information, "Streetwise" sounds like a useful addition to a working mentalist's repertoire and I look forward to obtaining a copy when it is available.

Bear in mind that while it uses street maps of London, that should not necessarily limit its usefulness to performers in Europe or the UK.

[John Archer]

Thanks Dick,

Until people have seen it and had a play we will have to wait and see. ;-)

John

[Danny Archer]

What a clever idea... looking forward to seeing this...

[John Archer]

Thanks all, Well it is now live so visit the magician's page of my website http://web.me.com/johnarcher/John_Arche ... _page.html
(Username: elmsley Password: burger)

Or wait till someone else has got it and see what the reviewers say. ;-)

John

[John Archer]

It can now also be ordered from Alakazam Magic here: http://www.alakazam.co.uk/

[John Archer]

Hi guys,

Luke Jermay has kindly written up his planned routine for STREETWISE which he calls 'The Knowledge'. The routine cleverly uses additional map books which could be from any cities around the world as well as some typical Jermay touches to take it up a level. I will certainly be employing some of these touches to my own routine.

I have decided to include Luke's routine with the instructions I send out for future purchases and I have sent the routine to as many of you who have already purchased. However some may have purchased via Alakazam direct and I don't have your email. If this is the case please contact me with proof of purchase and I will email Luke's routine to you. It's all free don't worry. :-)

Here is a snippet from Luke's introduction to his routine, where he very kindly speaks highly of STREETWISE. (Why else would I post this ;-)

"I had first seen John perform his routine during the taping of his second DVD project with Alakazam Magic and was instantly a fan.
One major reason for my fondness for Johns effect stems from the fact that despite the fact the book operates with the mechanical methods we associate with a book test it is not a book test in the perception of those watching. I have in the past written about my general dislike for book tests, so seeing John perform his StreetWise routine was a refreshing experience as it felt like something very removed from the normal run of book tests we see and in the process pretty much removed most of my concerns about classical book test style routines.

StreetWise provides a logical reason for the introduction of a book. In a normal book test we see the performer ask a spectator to think of a word, however for some unknown reason they are handed a reference tool for this taxing task in the form of a novel. Often we see justifications in performance however I can not imagine that anyone thinks anything other than its a trick book in my mind the task of thinking of a single word is so simply, so immediately undertaken by everyone in the room and so easy to do without the need for a reference tool of any type that no amount of justification is going to work around this inbuilt conceptual problem with the traditional book test. What John has done with StreetWise is cleverly circumnavigate this problem, he has realized that the nature of a reference tool is at the heart of all book tests but rarely are they required.

By switching the content of the book in use to a genuine, real and easily accepted reference tool, an A-Z book of street maps, he has in my mind successfully justified the introduction of the book.
The other thing that strikes me about seeing John perform the routine is the fact that while we are seeing methods from the world of book tests at no point does it feel this way. Rather we are seeing an imaginary trip, the focus of the reveal never really being at the street name itself, but rather the focus being framed around this piece of information as John reveals details that seemingly exist only within the mind of the spectator as they take an imagined journey around the streets of London....... "

Regards,

John.