Hull, Burling: Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mentalism Volume 2
©1973 Bulring Hull, Micky Hades Enterprises, Canada
Hardcover, ring-bound, 10"x11.5", 206 pages
All are in good condition, with some underlining and hand written notes throughout.
Burling "Volta" Hull was an all round magician, mentalist, escape artist, performer, TV star, and promoter. These books have a huge assortment of his most powerful mentalism effects that created awe for years, with his huge audiences. Anyone can perform these effects. These books are extremely rare, especially as a set. Many of these effects could easily sell for $100 or more for each effect. If you had to buy each of these effects individually, you would probably be looking at tens of thousands of dollars. These books are for professionals, or aspiring professionals.
These 3 volumes were the largest compilation of Mentalism sleights, gimmicks, effects, patter, and illusions in one collection up to that date. Many, many illustrations to make the effects easy to understand. Also includes mentalism effects of other professional mentalist performers from around the world. Also, plenty of information for showmanship for sensational presentations. Full details or effects as seen by the audience and secrets on how they are done. There is more than enough information in these volumes for a professional lifetime mental magic career on stage and television.
Volume 1: Over 100 mentalism routines, effects. Including: Billets, Add-A-No., Predictions, Book Tests, Blindfold Street Drive, Spirit effects, Slate effects, Memory Expert, Nail Writers, Crystal Gazing, Thornton Effects, Psychological Reading, etc.
Volume 2: Over 90 mentalism routines, effects. Including: Predictions, Book Tests, Ghost effects, Dr. Q's Hypnotic Act, Dr. Q's Sight Unseen, Lecture for X-Ray Act, Supernormal Vision, "Ultra Question Answering Act" with no questions written, Robert Nelson's Miracle Prediction of the Age (Nelson's Miracle Newspaper Headline Prediction in a loaf of bread publicity stunt), Billet Reading, Gilbert Bonus Section, Giant Memory, Slate Writing, Yogi Eyes, etc.
Volume 3: Over 120 mentalism routines, effects. Including: Abnormal lift and Resistance Secrets, Predictions, Blindfold acts, Billet acts, Calendar Feat, Dante's Life Span Readings, Clipboards, Automatic Writing, Slates, Great Hypnotic Blood Test, Book Tests, Instantaneous Card Memory, Post Hypnotic Suggestion, Psychic Touch, Raja Yoga, Dr. A's Secrets and Demonstrations, 16 Magic Square Acts, Tell any single number thought of, Sensitized Touch, Thought Pictures, etc.
Some Interesting facts about Burling Hull:
52 published books to his name in the field of Magic and Mentalism
Sensational showman
Brilliant marketer
Recipient of many awards in the Magical profession
Creator of 100's of original magical effects
He appeared for record breaking runs for months in various venues throughout the world
Known professionally as "Volta", The Man with the Radar Mind
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| Read It |
No |
| Location |
Magic Library (Home) Shelf M |
| Condition |
Fine |
| Owner |
Bryan-Keith Taylor |
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Burling "Volta" Hull was an expert manipulator, mentalist, escape artist, illusionist, night-club performer, TV pioneer, and master marketer.
Burling Hull (September 9 1889 - November 1982) (alias "Volta, "Volta the Great", and "The White Wizard" ) was an inventive magician, self-styled "the Edison of magic," specializing in mentalist and psychic effects. During the greater part of his life he lived in DeLand, Florida.
In his earlier years he performed a skillful manipulation act, making billiard balls and silks vanish, multiply and reappear, while dressed entirely in white. [1]
Hull claimed to be -- and is generally credited as -- the inventor of the Svengali deck of cards, which he patented in 1909. He was a prolific writer, with 52 published books to his name. He wrote on a wide variety of magical subjects, including card tricks, mentalism, escapes, razor blade swallowing, sightless vision, billiard ball manipulation, silk magic, publicity and showmanship. His 33 Rope Ties and Chain Releases, written in 1915, is still popular today.
A shrewd businessman and marketer, Hull not only produced many titles about magical effects, he gave talks to magic conventions on business methods for entertainers. He was active in the movement to protect magic trade secrets by both patent on the gimmicks and copyright on the texts, as applicable, but he undercut his own ethical stance against plagiarism by publishing secret material from other magicians who had stolen from him, in order to get revenge for having been plagiarized.
Hull's weighty three-volume Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mentalism, published in 1961, was the largest compilation of mentalism sleights, gimmicks, effects, patter, and illusions in one collection up to that date. This work was also notable as the venue in which Hull carried out his excoriating feud with the equally famous mentalist Robert A. Nelson, whom he accused in print of teaching mentalism to gamblers and racketeers in order that they might commit what Hull called "thievery of the public", and whom he criticised for selling hoodoo folk magic curios that Hull said were used in rituals of "black magic and Devil worship". [2]
In the late 1950s he published a sort of newsletter called The G_d D__n Truth About Magic, mainly for the purpose of criticizing Nelson and supposedly written by one Gideon ("Gid") Dayn, but it didn't take much imagination to know what the first words actually stood for. [1]
In his final years he lost his eyesight, a loss he never learned to accept, and he died at the age of 93 in a nursing home. [1]
References
1. a b c Francis Marshall in the introduction to a reprint of The G_d D__n Truth About Magic.
2. Hull, Burling. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mentalism. 1961.
