Volumes 2
Hull, Burling: The New Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mentalism Volume Two
©1988 Burling Hull, Micky Hades Enterprises, Canada
Hardcover, ring-bound, 10"x11.5", 206 pages
Comments: "A Gigantic collection of complete mentalism methods, secrets, instructions, routines, acts, programs, shows." Part Two of Three volumes. From the foreword, "Since publishing the ENCYCLOPEDIC DICTIONARY OF MENTALISM a year ago, we have been deluged with letters requesting more such valuable information. As Burling Hull had foreseen the need of a work such as thi6, he had already assembled a large number of effects for a second volume."
Contents (from book):
4 Number-Vision Flight (Burling Hull)
5 Ghostly Influence (Clettis Musson)
9 The Interrupted Spirit (Robert A. Nelson)
11 Mental Stunners
11 (#1) Magazine Prediction Test (John Malone)
11 (#2) Alternate Book Test
12 (#3) Blindfold Cigarette Test
13 (#4) Breaking a Cocktail Glass by Thought Waves
14 Numiracle (E.C. Grant)
16 Other Tests
16 - The Three Coin Test
16 - The Thought Card Test
17 Sensational Telephone Trick - "No Questions Asked" (Richard Himber)
18 "A Medium Calls" (Inzani-Henley Magic Studio)
20 Twin Prediction Miracle (Balducci)
22 Dr. Q's Sight Unseen
26 Abe Gordon's Sealed Prediction
27 Dr. Q's Hypnotic Act
29 Dr. Q's Own Hypnotic Act
31 Challenge Hypnotism
33 Incredo Book Test (Orville Meyer)
34 The Al Baker Dictionary Test
36 Al Baker's Mindreading
37 Grant's Vest-Pocket Book Test
38 Master Mental Divination (Dr. H. Walter Grote)
41 Bookie Book Test (C.L. Boarde)
46 Man from Tomorrow (L.W. Brabant)
47 The Modern Seership Act (Del-Arde)
48 The Phantom Card and Slate Mystery (Mystic Clayt)
49 Lecture for X-Ray Eye Act (Robert Nelson)
52 One Man Mindreading Act (Robert Nelson)
54 Flame Thought (Jim Herpick)
55 Sam's Spell-Bound (Sam Dalal)
58 "Concentration" - A New Mental Telepathic Act (Thayer)
60 Telepathy Extraordinary
63 Mindreading Supreme (Orville Meyer)
65 The Mysterious Seance (F.G. Thayer)
68 Think-O (Fred Ledoux)
69 Supernormal Vision (Robert Nelson)
73 Mental Exploits (R.A. Nelson)
77 Directions for Bert's Ultra Mental Deck
78 Bombshell Prediction
79 Outer Space (Ken Allen)
81 Decision Control - Addendum (Bob Brethen)
82 Richard Himber's Magazine Test
82 Century Midnight Ghost Show (Robert A Nelson)
93 "The Ultra Question Answering Act" - With "No Questions Written" (Burling Hull)
100 The Million to One Prediction (Fantastic Magic Co.)
101 Miracle Prediction of the Age (Robert Nelson)
116 Ed Mellon's Spectra-Mental (James Swoger)
118 Book of the Mind (Peter Warlock)
120 Auto-Magic Clip Board (Abe Gordon)
121 A Word in Thousands (Al Koran)
123 Divining Rods
124 Predict-O (Harry Lorayne)
128 Mental Choice (Audley Walsh, George Brand)
130 Dr. Anthony's Biblical Divination (Anthony J. Rybakowicz)
132 Invisible Dice Prediction (Frank Garcia)
134 Voodoo Ritual (Larry Knecht, James Swoger)
139 Appendix for Billet Switch
141 Bonus Section B.L. Gibert Secrets
142 Anna Eva Fay Message Test
143 Baffo Sealed Letter Test (Gysel)
144 Cagliostro Billet Heading Test
146 Demon Thought Projection
147 Giant Memory Trick - Simplified Method
150 How to Read Sealed Messages
152 The K Sealed Letter Test
153 Living or the Dead
154 Lulu Hurst Broom Test
155 Madam Normand Outdone (C.J. Maly)
157 Mephisto’s Prediction
158 Mind Over Matter
159 Migrating Music of the Spooks
161 Mind Reading Par Excellence
165 Mysteries of the Zodiac
169 Mysterious Apple, Egg and Orange
171 The Mysterious Paintings
172 New Book Test
173 New Scaled Envelope Force (Thayer)
175 New Spirit Reading
176 Nitram Aro Mind Reading Act (Lieut. Ora A. Martin)
181 Oriental Prophecy
183 Perfection Miracle Slate
185 Pulse Test Extraordinary
186 Satanic Book Test
187 Satanic Prophecy
188 Second Sight Dice Trick
190 Single Party Slate Writing
191 Single Person Mind Reading Act
195 Spirit Card Reading
196 Spirit Reading Extraordinary
197 Thirty Dollar Sealed Letter Test
198 Two Person Seance Act
200 Wonderful Spirit Slate Secret
201 World’s Greatest Spiritualistic Masterpiece
205 Yogi Eyes
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
| Owner | Bryan-Keith Taylor |
|---|---|
| Location | Magic Library (Home) |
| Index | 4725 |
| Added Date | Jul 01, 2017 03:06:55 |
| Modified Date | Apr 06, 2026 14:22:44 |
| Book Condition | Fine |
|---|
Burling Hull
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Burling Hull
Born September 9, 1889
Died November 1982 (aged 93)
Occupation Magician
Burling Hull (September 9, 1889 – November 1982) was an inventive magician, self-styled "the Edison of magic," specializing in mentalism and sleight of hand effects. During the greater part of his life he lived in DeLand, Florida. His aliases and stage names included: "Volta the Great", "The Man with the Radar Mind", "The White Wizard," and "Gideon ('Gid') Dayn."
Career
Hull claimed to be — and is generally credited as — the inventor of the Svengali deck of cards, which he patented in 1909. He claimed to have invented more than 500 magical effects and he was a prolific writer, with 52 published books to his name, including Sealed Mysteries and Sleights, The Encyclopedia of Stage Illusions, Sealed Mysteries, and How to Answer Questions for Crystal Gazing and Mind Reading Acts. He wrote on a wide variety of magical subjects, including card tricks, mentalism, escapes, razor blade swallowing, sightless vision, billiard ball manipulation, silk magic, second sight acts, publicity, and showmanship.
Hull not only produced many titles about magical effects, he also performed and taught magic for more than 80 years. In his earlier "White Wizard" years, he performed an act dressed entirely in white in which he made billiard balls and silks vanish, multiply, and reappear.[1] In later years he gave talks to magic conventions on business methods for entertainers.
Hull was active in the movement to recognize that there are intellectual rights to magic methods and he was a strong advocate for the protection of magic trade secrets by both patents on the gimmicks and copyright on the texts, as applicable. However, he undercut his own ethical stance against plagiarism by publishing secret material from other magicians who had stolen ideas from him, in order to get revenge for having been plagiarized.[2]
In the late 1950s, Hull published a newsletter, The G_d D__n Truth About Magic, mainly for the purpose of criticizing the equally famous mentalist Robert A. Nelson, known on stage as "Korda RaMayne." Hull used the pseudonym Gideon ("Gid") Dayn to expose Nelson's effects under the pretense of "reviewing" them.[1]
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 continued to carry out his excoriating feud with Robert Nelson, whom Hull accused in print of teaching mentalism to gamblers and racketeers in order that they might commit what Hull called "thievery of the public." He also criticised Nelson for selling hoodoo folk magic curios that Hull said were used in rituals of "black magic and Devil worship".[2]
In his final years, Hull lost his eyesight, a loss he never learned to accept. He died at the age of 93 in a nursing home.[1] Hull's life and his impact upon the world of stage magic were described in a 1977 biography, The Edison of Magic and His Incredible Creations, written by Samuel Patrick Smith. Both his Svengali Deck of 1909 and his 33 Rope Ties and Chain Releases, written in 1915, are still popular today. While living in DeLand, the same town as Herbert L Becker, Burling and Becker worked together on illusions for Becker’s tour with Alice Cooper
Correspondence with Harry Houdini
Hull was the author of 33 Rope Ties and Chain Releases (1915). It was alleged that the magician Harry Houdini had borrowed information for his own Magical Rope Ties and Escapes (1921). However, a 1947 edition of Hull's book has an introduction titled "Houdini Did Not Steal This Book".[3] According to Hull:
"It is true that a book DID appear with the name of Houdini listed as the 'author', which did steal the entire contents of my original book. It purloined the original 'Patter" and the original presentations for the tricks and even reproduced exactly several of the illustrations. In addition this counterfeit book deliberately changed the names of the original tricks bearing my name and avoided giving any credit to the original author and inventor ... But Houdini explained away the matter [and] paid me a fair but moderate sum ... I accepted his explanation as plausible and ... we remained good friends."[4]
Similar to Houdini, exposing the tricks of spiritualist mediums interested Hull. His writings on this subject were collected and published in 1977 under the title The Billion Dollar Bait.
Publications
Expert Billiard Ball Manipulation (1910)
Sealed Mysteries (1911)
A Modern Handkerchief Act (1914)
Bulletin Of Latest Sleights And Tricks (1914)
Great East Indian Rope Trick (1914)
Master Sleights With Billiard Balls (1914)
The Art of the Stage (1914)
Sleights (1914)
33 Rope Ties and Chain Releases (1915)
The Challenge Handcuff Act (1916)
The Real Secret of the Stage Second Sight Act (1916)
How to Answer Questions for Crystal Gazing and Mind Reading Acts (1927)
The World's Cut and Restored Rope Tricks (1927)
Expert Manipulation (1928)
Sealed Message Reading Acts (1929)
The Volta System For The Feat Of Reading Sealed Messages (1929)
The Miracle of Floating Light (1931)
The Last Word Blindfold Methods (1932)
Thirty One Man Mind Reading (1935)
Burling Hull's Three Wow Card Hits (1939)
Annemann's Card Miracles And Annemann's Mental Mysteries (1940)
The Dictionary of Mentalism (1961)
The Billion Dollar Bait (1977)
The Edison of Magic and His Incredible Creations (1977)
References
Francis Marshall in the introduction to a reprint of The G_d D__n Truth About Magic.
Hull, Burling. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mentalism. 1961.
"33 Rope Ties and Chain Releases". Retrieved 30 May 2016.
"A Selected Bibliography on Escapology". Retrieved 30 May 2016.
vte
Academy of Magical Arts Creative Fellowship
vte
Academy of Magical Arts Special Fellowship
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
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]
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