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The Magic Cafe Forum Index Penny for your thoughts Origins of the book
test(0Likes)

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Posted: Nov 15, 2010 10:36 am
Rebecca_Harris 0

I was wondering if anyone could help me. I'm trying to research the origins of the
book test. Who came up with the rst version and when. The earliest I've traced it
back to is the mid 1920s but there are plenty of hints that it goes back further than
that.

Veteran user I'd really appreaciate it if anyone can help

361 Posts
Thanks
Mentalism at The Enchanter's Emporium
Posted: Nov 15, 2010 10:53 am
Mr. Mindbender 0

From what I heard, Gutenberg was a weekend mentalist and after printing the Bible,
he printed "The Mother of All Gutenberg Bibles".

But if you want to verify that, you should really PM DIck Christian, he's the
Smithsonian Institute of book test knowledge around here.
Inner circle
1205 Posts

Posted: Nov 15, 2010 10:56 am

s3rg3 0

Dick Christian on this forum seems to be a very good reference on book tests.
 If he doesn't react on your post I think it is worth to contact him.

Rgds
Serge

New user
Belgium
72 Posts

Posted: Nov 15, 2010 11:47 am

Dick Christian 0

Rebecca,

Here is a brief extract from my award-winning article "Notes On The History Of Book
Tests" which appeared in the April 2008 issue of The Linking Ring (the ofcial
Inner circle magazine of the International Brotherhood of Magicians):
Northern Virginia
(Metro DC)
2623 Posts According to mentalist and magic historian Max Maven (a.k.a. Phil Goldstein)and F.
William Kuethe Jr., a noted collector of forcing books and book tests, the use of
books as props for magicians pre-dates the publication of Scots Discoverie Of
Witchcraft (1584, the earliest book in the English language to discuss methods of
conjuring) in which the blow book and its use by an early magician named Clarvis is
described in Chapter 33 of Book 13, along with how to make such a book or, if his
description is not clear, where to purchase one. From Scots description, it appears
that the blow book was similar to the contemporary magic coloring book trick
used by many clowns and childrens magicians today and derived its name from the
presentation in which the magician would flip through the pages, which might appear
blank, then blow on the book and flip through it again to reveal that pictures had
appeared on the pages or that the pages had changed color. According to Scot and
Prevost such books existed as early as 1450 only three years after Gutenberg
introduced the printing of books using movable type in Europe (1447 some 400
years after its invention by the Chinese).

Although the invention of the book test is most often ascribed to the noted 19th
century magician Johan Nepomuk Hofzinser (1806-1875) who is said to have
devised at least four such tests, the discovery by Vanni Bossi of the Italian
publication Il Laberinto produced by Andrea Ghisi in 1607, and now believed to be the
earliest known to be in print, is evidence that such tests existed some 200 years
before Hofzinser. An expanded English translation of it entitled Wits laberynth, or, the
exercise of idlenesse, published anonymously in 1610, was recently found by Bill
Kalush1 (co-author of the recently published The Secret Life of Houdini) and was
likely the inspiration for the book test in Nicholas Hunts Newe Recreations, published
in London in 1631 and specially printed to force a word.

The entire article is some 1,500 words (3 pages) in length and I will be happy to
forward a copy to you if you like.

FYI I have been collecting book tests and forcing books for over 30 years and
seriously researching the genre for over 7 with a goal of publishing the rst denitive
reference work on the subject by early 2012. Most people, even avid collectors have
no idea how many such tests have been produced or published. I currently have an
estimated 1,000-1,200 (400-500 individually published and marketed and another
 500-700 in various books, magazines, newsletters and manuscripts in my personal
library) dating from 1892 to 2010 in my collection and, based on a review of Potter's
Master Index of Magic in Print which (with supplements) only covers those published
through 1971, I estimate that at least 2,500 -- and possible twice that number -- have
been published and I am counting only those published in English. How many others
have been created in other languages or for the personal use of the performer and
never published are anybody's guess.

Hope this answers your question.

Dick Christian
Posted: Nov 15, 2010 11:58 am
entity 0

Dick:

I'd be very interested in getting a copy of your article.

Question: While the reference to "blow book" being used by magicians is of interest, is
Inner circle there any suggestion that the blow books were used to divine words, passages or
Canada
5057 Posts
pictures in their performance?

Also, is the term "book test" used only in reference to effects that use gaffed books?
If not, there are references to the divination of words or passages chosen from
written texts that far predate 1607.

- entity
email: tombaxter@cogeco.ca
Posted: Nov 15, 2010 11:59 am
ChrisWall 0

Wow that was quite the interesting read.

Thank you for working on creating this for I have no doubt it will be a fantastic
Regular user
addition to the magic/mentalism fraternity.
England
"Have your cake and eat it... there's no other reason to have a cake" - Derren Brown
102 Posts

Posted: Nov 15, 2010 12:40 pm

Dick Christian 0

Quote:

On 2010-11-15 12:58, entity wrote:

Dick:

Inner circle I'd be very interested in getting a copy of your article.

Northern Virginia
(Metro DC)
2623 Posts Question: While the reference to "blow book" being used by
magicians is of interest, is there any suggestion that the
blow books were used to divine words, passages or pictures
in their performance?

Also, is the term "book test" used only in reference to effects

that use gaffed books? If not, there are references to the
divination of words or passages chosen from written texts
that far predate 1607.
 - entity

entity,

I will be happy to e-mail a copy of the article to anyone who is not a member of the
I.B.M. and sends me their e-mail address (I.B.M. members can nd it in the April 2008
issue of The Linking Ring).

In answer to your specic questions, there is nothing to suggest that the "blow book"
mentioned in Scott's Discoverie of Witchcraft was intended to force or divine words,
pictures or phrases. As I recall, the precise use to which the book was to be put was
left open to conjecture. As re: your other question, my denition of "book test" is a
broad one that, consistent with the way the term has been used within the context of
magic/mentalism, is based more on the purpose of the test -- i.e., the divination,
revelation or prediction of a word, image, phrase, etc. -- apparently chosen at random
by one or more participating spectators or audience members, usually (but not
necessarily) from something appearing in print. Historically that has included not
only books such as novels but also Bibles, dictionaries and telephone directories,
comic books/graphic novels, books of crossword and other word puzzles,
magazines, newspapers and want ads -- even "imaginary books" (e.g., the "Billion
Monkeys Book Test" in Joshua Quinn's Paralies). Whether the printed material
employed is gaffed or ungaffed for the purpose is immaterial. Referring to such
effects as "word tests" would be more accurate as they are not strictly limited to
those using only books; however, by common usage the term "book test" has been
the appellation applied to the entire genre.

As re: whether or not there are any such tests that predate 1607, I can only say that if
there are, I am not aware of them; however, if anyone knows of any, I will be happy to
include the appropriate reference in the book I'm compiling.
Dick Christian
Posted: Nov 15, 2010 12:56 pm
Merlin C 0

As I understand it, the term 'book test' comes from Spiritualism and is one of a
number of tests of spirit contact including slate tests, billet tests, etc.

Another angle here is bibliomancy, the use (in Europe) most often of the bible in
divination.
Loyal user
237 Posts

Posted: Nov 15, 2010 01:32 pm

entity 0

This was cribbed from a post made by David Parr here on the Caf a while back. I
can't locate the specic link, but here is the text. While it is denitely NOT the rst
"book test", it may be the rst referred to as such:

"The "book test" was not invented by magicians; it was acquired from British actress
Inner circle and medium Gladys Osborne Leonard, through her work with the Society for
Canada
5057 Posts
Psychical Research in the early part of the twentieth century. The rst book test was
supposedly suggested by Mrs. Leonard's spirit guide, Feda. In a successful test, a
"spirit" would direct a sitter to retrieve, say, the ninth book from the left on the third
 shelf down. Upon opening the book to a page named by the spirit, the sitter would
discover that the text made reference to something that would only be signicant to
the sitter and the spirit."

- entity
email: tombaxter@cogeco.ca
Posted: Nov 15, 2010 01:49 pm
Merlin C 0

Yes, one (not particularly good) reference I have also mentions Leonard. Apparently
the Al Mann book The Foster Account refers to Charles Foster's book tests, which
would have been in the nineteenth century, but I don't know whether he used the
term.

Loyal user
237 Posts

Posted: Nov 15, 2010 02:32 pm

IAIN 0

I have an original book from the Society of Psychical Research from 1924 I think - I'll
dig it out over the weekend and see what references there may be in there too..
www.lulu.com/spotlight/uncle90

Eternal Order
england
15783 Posts

Posted: Nov 15, 2010 03:08 pm

Dick Christian 0

Quote:

On 2010-11-15 14:32, entity wrote:

This was cribbed from a post made by David Parr here on
the Caf a while back. I can't locate the specic link, but here
Inner circle is the text. While it is denitely NOT the rst "book test", it
Northern Virginia
(Metro DC) may be the rst referred to as such:
2623 Posts
"The "book test" was not invented by magicians; it was
acquired from British actress and medium Gladys Osborne
Leonard, through her work with the Society for Psychical
Research in the early part of the twentieth century. The rst
book test was supposedly suggested by Mrs. Leonard's
spirit guide, Feda. In a successful test, a "spirit" would direct
a sitter to retrieve, say, the ninth book from the left on the
third shelf down. Upon opening the book to a page named
by the spirit, the sitter would discover that the text made
reference to something that would only be signicant to the
sitter and the spirit."

- entity

Yes, book tests -- often involving the Bible -- were commonly used by Spiritualists in
the 19th century (and may well still be so today). That fact is mentioned in my article
 and my collection includes Al Mann's "A.M.E. Houdini Bible" which is supposedly
modeled after the gaffed Spiritualist Bible that Houdini owned and used in his
exposures of fraudulent mediums. I believe that at least one of the original so-called
Houdini Bibles (formerly in the William C. Kuethe collection) is now owned by
collector George Daily and another is in the famous Klosterman collection.

I am also aware of Mrs. Leonard's book test although, as you can see from the
historical information I provided in my response to Rebecca, and as you have noted, it
was hardly the "rst" book test nor do I believe it is the rst referred to as such,
although it may well be the rst described by the SPR.
Dick Christian
Posted: Nov 15, 2010 03:58 pm
entity 0

Dick:

Do you have any information on the rst usage of the term "book test", predating that
used by Mrs. Leonard?

Inner circle - entity

Canada
5057 Posts email: tombaxter@cogeco.ca

Posted: Nov 15, 2010 04:21 pm

Garrette 0

I believe the book test originated with Gilgamesh, but no one has been able to
replicate his riffling of steles to force the word.

Special user
924 Posts

Posted: Nov 15, 2010 04:27 pm

entity 0

An Epic mistake. From all reports Bilgames (his real name) couldn't read.

- entity
email: tombaxter@cogeco.ca

Inner circle
Canada
5057 Posts

Posted: Nov 15, 2010 04:37 pm

Garrette 0

But boy could that man write!

ETA: Bilgames? Really? I didn't know that.

Special user
924 Posts

Posted: Nov 15, 2010 04:55 pm

entity 0

That's what he was called in the earliest found Sumerian accounts.

 I may be wrong, but I don't think he wrote the Epic. It was written by someone else
with him as the central gure. That's all I remember. I studied this in uni about a
thousand years ago.

(What's ETA?)
Inner circle
- entity
Canada
5057 Posts email: tombaxter@cogeco.ca

Posted: Nov 15, 2010 06:35 pm

robwar0100 0

Dick Christian is the man when it comes to the history of book tests.

Here is a shortened link to a search of this site for all of those pages containing the
phrases "Dick Christian" and "book test."
Inner circle
Buy me some
http://bit.ly/d3ZCxI
newspapers.Purchase
for me 1 Gazette and Bobby
1734 Posts
"My denition of chance is my hands on the wheel," Greg Long.
Posted: Nov 15, 2010 06:42 pm
gmeister 0

Those could be compiled into a meaty book on book tests methinks!

Inner circle
The 18
1523 Posts

Posted: Nov 15, 2010 06:44 pm

Garrette 0

I knew Gilgamesh/Bilgames didn't write the Epic; I just didn't know the other version
of the name.

ETA = Edited to Add

Special user
924 Posts

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