This week I want to share a really neat book test idea that came to me while I was writing up last week’s ACAAN content. 

Imagine this…

Your audience chooses a book from your shelf. 

You tell them they’re going to use the book to pick a card, in a totally fair way. 

They flick through the first 52 pages, and can stop on any one of the pages. Whichever page they stop on, they note the page number. They also note the first word on the page. Whatever that number is, they deal that many cards to the table and stop on the card they come to. 

(you’re not even in the room for this whole part!)

Once you return, there’s surely no way you could know the card. 

Yet, not only do you reveal the exact identity of the card…

You also tell them the WORD they were thinking of!

This method exists, admittedly, in my imagination only. But really, it was too much fun not to share. 

Let’s get into the method. 

First of all, you’re going to need to do some prep work. 

You’ll need to take a complete deck of cards, and stack them in memorized stack order, 1-52. Next, select a book. You’re now going to go through each of the pages, from 1 to 52, and write down the first word of each page on the back of the corresponding card. 

For example, you’ll write down the first word of page 1 on the back of card #1 in your stack (4C in Mnemonica), and you’ll write down the first word of page 18 on the back of card #18 in your stack (KC in Mnemonica.)

Once you’re done, you’ll have a deck that corresponds with the first word of each of the first 52 pages in the book. 

You’ll also need a marked deck. Make sure it’s in stack too. 

Get the book up on your shelf, stacked deck with the page words in your pocket, and the marked stack on the table. 

You’re now ready to impart some serious amazement on your audience…

1. Force the book

I would go for a timing force here. 

(a good equivoque would work too.)

However, if that seems too risky for you, start with the book already out on the table. 

1. Explain the procedure

Tell them that you’re going to leave the room. While you’re gone, they need to…

1. Riffle through the pages and stop somewhere in the first 52 pages
2. Look at the page number (and the first word)
3. Take the deck and deal that number of cards into a pile, turning the last one face up and remembering it
4. Turn the chosen card face down and place in the middle of the packet they just dealt
5. Place the packet they dealt beneath the rest of the cards 
6. Leave the room while they do this

NOTE: Only do this once you’re absolutely sure they understood your instructions. If they do something wrong, you won’t be there to correct them. 

1. When you return, simply glance at the facedown card on top of the deck

Since they dealt cards from the top of the deck into a new pile, and then placed the new pile beneath the remainder of the deck, the card on top of the deck is the card that comes AFTER whatever their chosen card is. 

Since you’re using a marked deck, just seeing the top card will therefore tell you the identity of the chosen card. 

Let’s suppose the top card is the 10D. The 10D is card #49 in the Mnemonica stack. 

Therefore, their card is the QS (card #48 in the stack.)

1. Tell them you’re going to find their card in your pocket—even though they haven’t even named their card! 

In your pocket, countdown to the number you know the card is at. 

(in our case, the QS is the 5th card from the bottom, so we would simply count up from the bottom.)

If this seems challenging, you could turn every 13th card on its side. That way, you’ll only ever have to count a maximum of 12 cards with your fingers. For example, if you were trying to reach the 31st card, we know that the 26th card is the second horizontal card, so we just count 5 cards past that. 

(somewhat similar to a ploy that Juan Tamariz talks about in Mnemonica, page 148, contributed by Adrián Guerra ‘Ramblar’)

Alternatively, remove cards one by one, but simply make sure you take them out with the faces toward the audience and lay them on the table face up. Stop before you get to their card and tell them the next card will be their card. Personally, I prefer the handling outlined above. 

1. Show them the card 

This is the clever part. 

Bring the card out with the face of the card toward the spectator 

While you show them that you indeed predicted the right card, you can simply look at the back of the card. 

Thanks to your earlier prep work, the back of the card will have the word they’re thinking of written across it. 

1. Reveal the word

Act as if the effect is over. 

Then, suddenly you recall that they also thought of a word. 

Now, reveal that word in any way you like—as long as you really play on the power of the moment. 

Man, I don’t know about you but I’m in love with this effect right now. 

It’s got a lot of great things going for it, in my opinion. 

Let me know what you think!