Max Maven's Book of Fortunetelling
R**G
A very interestimg book, by Max Maven, presenting methods used for divination & fortine- telling.
The book lists many methods of fortune-telling & divination, and how to use them. An interesting read.
M**N
"A mighty big river ... and that's only the top of it."
Since it was written by a renowned magician/mentalist, I expected this to be a book on cold reading - the psychological tricks some professional psychics use to convince their clients of great powers.But I was surprised. Max Maven presents an unbiased survey of darn near every form of divination one can think of throughout history. Even the Chinese Zodiac is covered in the section on astrology. Meditation and dreams are discussed thoughtfully. Maven's attitude is that these things might be keys to tapping the unconscious mind; you'll find much the same thinking in Carl Jung's writing. And Max argues that however "real" the tarot or other forms of divination may or may not be, they can still be interesting and fun.And I agree. If fortune cookies don't satisfy your appetite for that kind of fun, then this book is ideal, whether you want to explore reading fortunes for your friends or for yourself.This isn't necessarily a book everyone will want to read from cover to cover, but even skipping around to the parts that interest you will allow you to glean much about history and mythology. It manages to be both fun and profound.
T**O
Well-written and informative, but not what I expected
As usual, Max Maven is highly knowledgeable in the world of magic, mentalism, etc. He's a brilliant man and an innovative thinker. However, I must withold two stars, only because the book is not what I expected. I had assumed it was more of a how-to book, explaining more of how to achieve the illusion that one can read minds and predict a person's future, etc. Instead, it seems to be more of a historical book, detailing the various kinds of fortune-telling, dowsing, card-reading, etc. Nothing against Max, as his writing is very informative and thorough, as usual. I just thought it would include more information and suggestions on how to project the illusion of being a mentalist, etc. If you're not interested in that part of mentalism and fortune-telling, then I highly recommend this book.
N**Y
An encyclopaedia, no less!
Had my eye out for this book by Max Maven, and finally got it thanks to Amazon. The book itself is a collection of various types of fortune/future -telling techniques, written in Max's inimitable style. While this is written for the general public, the magician readers will find it equally (if not more!) interesting.
T**N
An Education in Contemporary Fortune Telling, and a History of Past Methods.
Better than described, well packed and timely sent. A great study tool. AA++ from me.
E**H
Not a reference book for magicians
This is a reference overview of many different divination techniques for lay people. No coverage of c*** r***ing, showmanship, or really anything of use to performers. Love Max Maven, just not this book, based on my misguided expectations.
P**I
Inclusive
A remarkably inclusive description of almost every sort of fortunetelling by a great mentalist and card magician: informative, and a handy reference
S**N
All about all methods of divination
A book by Max Maven is always worth the price. Here he gives a thorough overview of the different prediction methods
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