The Color Series of Mentalism

PRISM - The Color Series of Mentalism by Max Maven

PRISM is the collected edition of the famous Color Series of Mentalism by Max Maven, originally published under his former performing name Phil Goldstein.

The five individual booklets were published between 1976 and 1980:

Blue
Red
Green
Yellow
Violet

In 2005, Hermetic Press brought them together for the first time in PRISM: The Color Series of Mentalism.

The collected volume contains 53 effects and routines and is regarded today as one of the best-known works from Max Maven’s extensive contribution to mentalism.

Content and Style

PRISM is not a book devoted to one single system or method. The collection covers a broad range of classic mentalism themes and, above all, demonstrates Max Maven’s characteristic ability to turn simple premises into unusual and powerful presentations.

The material includes predictions, apparently free choices, mind reading, work with cards and paper, and effects that rely heavily on presentation, language and psychological audience management.

Many of the routines use relatively direct methods, but their real strength comes from their structure, dramaturgy and Maven’s distinctive approach to making choices and coincidences appear genuinely impossible.

Who Is PRISM For?

The book is particularly suited to mentalists and magicians who are interested not only in learning finished tricks, but also in developing ideas and adapting them to their own performing persona.

Beginners will find many accessible concepts, while experienced mentalists can benefit especially from the construction, presentation and thinking behind the routines.

PRISM is therefore less a book to read once and more a work worth returning to repeatedly.

The Original Booklets and the PRISM Edition

For collectors, the distinction is important.

The five original Color Series booklets were published separately between 1976 and 1980 and can now be considerably harder to find.

PRISM brings together the material from all five booklets in a single hardcover collected edition.

When buying, it is therefore important to distinguish between:

a single original booklet
a complete set of all five original booklets
the hardcover PRISM collected edition

These versions can differ significantly in collector value.

Bibliographic Information

Author: Max Maven / Phil Goldstein
Title: PRISM - The Color Series of Mentalism
Publisher: Hermetic Press
Publication year: 2005
Language: English
Length: approx. 240 pages
Contents: 53 effects
Illustrations: Ton Onosaka
Subject: Mentalism / Predictions / Mind Reading / Close-up & Stand-up Mentalism

Importance of the Work

PRISM is particularly interesting because it documents material from an important period in Max Maven’s career.

The original booklets appeared during a time when Maven, working as Phil Goldstein, published a large number of unusual mentalism ideas. Many of these concepts were later adopted, adapted and developed further by professional mentalists.

Today, PRISM is frequently regarded as one of the central books for performers who want to study Maven’s thinking and approach to mentalism in greater depth.

Collector’s Notes

The hardcover PRISM edition is considerably easier to find than a complete set of the original Color Series booklets.

With older copies, buyers should pay attention to the condition of the cover, dust jacket, binding and pages.

The original booklets have their own collector value and should not be confused with the later collected edition.