Prism The Color Series of Mentalism by Max Maven - Book

by Max Maven

After a quarter of a century, the entire Color Series of Mentalism, all 53 effects, newly illustrated by Ton Onosaka.

Genres: Magic

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jake Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am honored to be the first person ever to have a written review for this book. It was good. I took one thing from it and put it in my show and that's all you can ask for.

[Edgar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prism by Max Maven holds a special place for me because it’s the very first mentalism book I ever sat down and truly studied. It didn’t just teach me effects—it reshaped how I think about performance. At least five pieces from this book have earned permanent spots in my stage show and close-up arsenal, and they continue to hit just as hard as the day I first read them. The material feels timeless, practical, and deceptively simple, yet devastating in the right hands.

What Prism makes clear—better than almost any book—is that the hardest part of mentalism isn’t sleight of hand. It’s people. You have to be tuned into human behavior, language, pacing, and emotion. You need strong communication skills and the confidence to let silence do some of the work. With almost no props—sometimes literally just a pencil and paper—you can create moments that feel like real miracles. Max Maven was a legend, and this book is proof of it. I’m deeply grateful he chose to publish some of his best thinking and share it with the rest of us.

[Wally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a truly compelling book with many great concepts and ideas embedded within its pages. To those at my school (students and teachers) who are reading this, I would like to say that although it was an easy read, it challenged me outside of its pages (oh, and most of this will make minimal amounts of sense). The book is a complex book because it requires previous knowledge to be had. You need to know concepts (most notably the Centre Tear) and vocabulary that requires prior learning. Maven is great at explaining concepts and ideas central in mentalism and the effects that he teaches. It is a compelling read to anyone interested in adding a new level to their mentalism and showmanship.

So, overall, this book was a fun enjoyable read, and I would highly recommend it to the practiced mentalist. It will challenge you once you close it, and will give you many great utilities to use for the rest of your life.

[Rich Rosell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collected reprint of Max Maven's (aka Phil Goldstein) five 'color' mentalism releases has not lost any practical impact since the original release dates beginning in the late 1970s.

Chock full of time-tested routines with clear and concise explanations (though in fairness Maven/Goldstein assumes the reader already has knowledge of basic techniques (forces, false Shuffles, etc).

Sure - it's a niche title. But is it recommended? Certainly.