Ted Lesley's Paramiracles

Ted Lesley' s Paramiracles, English language version by Hermetic Press, Inc. 1994. First of all, let's have a look at the contents of Paramiracles.

Gimmicks

Describes various ways to prepare cards for tricks involving ridged cards.

The Kismet Connection

Spectator chooses a card from a new deck which matches a card previously placed into an envelope.

Two Decks with But a Single Thought

In a test of psychic compatibility, two spectators, preferably a couple, randomly select cards from two decks. The cards match.

The More Frequent Miracle

First phase: Two spectators deal cards one at a time and face up from two shuffled decks in unison, stopping when the cards match. A reversed card in a sealed deck is revealed to be the same as the coincidence-matched pair.

Second phase: A new card is reversed and the deck resealed. The two spectators each randomly select a card from their reshuffled decks. The three cards are identical.

Medium in Your Pocket

A card is randomly chosen from a shuffled deck, out of sight from the performer. A medium, who is contacted by phone, is then able to divine the freely chosen card.

Alpha

Six or seven cards are randomly chosen by spectators from an alphabet deck. The performer successfully divines a word that the spectators have formed from these chance letters.

Nap on the Ridge

Lesley's version of the Nap Hand Deal.

The Out of Sorts Variations

A spectator thinks of a card. The performer is able to name that card, without asking a single question. Two variations of Out of Sorts are described as well.

Seer of the Trivial

The correct answer to a randomly chosen Trivial Pursuit question is predicted.

Princess of the Opera

An opera is chosen randomly and a prominent melody imagined by 5 spectators. Whilst in a psychic trance a pianist is able to sense telepathically the melodies being concentrated on.

Thoughts Untouched

The performer is able to divine a symbol and the name and personal information of a spectator's friend, which have been written on cards.

Black Magic

A method for secretly gaining written information.

Dissertation on the Centre Tear

Lesley's thoughts on the use of the centre tear.

Spare Change

A description of a ploy that may be used with any effect in which the change in a spectator's pocket is divined or predicted.

The Working Performer's Switch Pad

How to prepare a switch pad using a common writing pad and how to use it.

Border Intelligence

Another utility idea using a common writing pad.

Dream Decks

An explanation of the principle behind Koran's version of the force deck and its basic function, plus several ideas on how to use it.

Symbolico

A description of a symbol forcing deck and effects to use with it.

Effects for an Invisible Author

Some mental magic ideas using invisible ink markers that can be found in toy and stationary shops.

The Mentalist's Close-up Corner

A detailed description of Lesley's Close-up Corner – a portable theatre used to perform close-up mentalism at functions.

The Mentalist's Tablecloth

How to construct this item and use during close-up mentalism. Includes four applications of this special cloth: The Dung Beetle Revelations, The Living Dead, Greased Ghost, and Grand Mal Geller.

Pro-monition

Lesley's version of Eddie Joseph's “New Premonition”, in which the performer is endowed with supernormal abilities. A spectator thinks of any card and names it out loud. The thought-of card is then discovered by the spec to be the only card missing from a deck of cards resting in a bucket. The missing card is found in the performer's pocket.

Technicolor Graphology

An effect in which the performer is able to reveal various characteristics about and identify five individuals from their handwriting.

Cimmerian Psychometry

An effect in which the performer is able to reveal identify five individuals from personal objects.

Black Magic ²

The spectator thinks of a number. The performer then constructs a magic square that adds in all directions to the total stipulated by the spectator.

Serial Killer

A bank note is randomly chosen by a spectator, sealed in an envelope and given back to its owner. The performer then divines the serial number on the sealed bill.

Sign Onboard

A playing card is selected in the audience and signed. The performer then teleports the signed card from the deck and into a previously sealed envelope, which the spectator has been holding since it was sealed.

Herald from the Invisible Realms

A mentally selected number is written on an imaginary label stuck onto the back of an imaginary card, which has also been mentally chosen by a spectator. An empty envelope is then given to the spec, who seals his invisible card inside. When the envelope is opened, a card with a label matching the selected card and number has materialized.

The Sough of Horses' Wings

The performer teleports a page selected by a spectator into a previously empty envelope.

Construction of the Teleport Envelope

Instructions on how to make a teleport envelope.

News Time

A random time is selected on a watch by a spectator. It matches a time predicted by the performer.

My Telephone Directory Test

The performer predicts the names, professions, street addresses and telephone numbers chosen from telephone directories by several spectators.

Mind Over Meniscus

The performer supports wine in an upturned glass, held by a spectator, through sheer force of will, until a spectator calls out for the performer to release his hold.

Guiding Star

Twelve cards bearing the signs of the zodiac are dealt face up. The spectator places a pillbox on top of the card with her personal astrological sign. The spectator's astrological sign is revealed on a piece of paper previously placed inside the pillbox.

Pay Blaze

The performer psychically guides a spectator into choosing the one envelope out of five that contains his fee. The rest are burnt and the money revealed from inside the chosen envelope.

Early Edition

This effect is to be performed when engaged by large companies. Two methods are explained. The head of the company receives a prediction by post several weeks before the performance. When opened during the performance, it is revealed that the prediction matches the newspaper headlines of that day. Note that neither the envelope nor prediction are switched.

Mind Bender

The performer is able to visibly bend the stem of a glass taken from a spectator's table and placed on a pile of books. The stems on other glasses in the audience, that the performer has never touched, are also bent.

Verdict

Ted Lesley's Paramiracles is a modern classic and very good value for money. Even though you may not perform all the effects in the book (who does perform all the effects in a mentalism book?) you'll enjoy exploring Lesley's ideas.