Harry Lorayne's
MATHEMATICAL WIZARDRY
$44.95
Sorry, no discounts on this product.

THE BLURB:
How to perform feats of MATHEMATICAL WIZARDRY!

They'll marvel at your amazing number tricks, games,
lightning calculation, your magical knowledge. They'll think
you're a genius!

You are going to love the things this book will teach you.
Absolutely nothing to carry, no gimmicks! Just great number
magic! These are, anywhere, anytime, on the spot number
miracles.

Sample Effect

A member of the audience multiplies two 3-digit numbers
together, and then reads you every digit in the answer
except for one of them, and you can instantly name the
missing digit!!! (This can be done as a mind-reading, a
memory or a lightning calculation feat)!

And, that's only one of so many amazing, mind-blowing feats
of lightning calculation. Harry's selected only the most
entertaining effects! He's also introduced new touches to
improve presentation for many familiar routines.

Armed with this book you can become the "life of the party"
with just paper, a pen, and a calculator. Harry has
collected this stuff since childhood, and culled out only
the best of the best. You'll instantly square any 2 digit
number; add columns of numbers at a glance; prove that your
mind is the best and fastest machine out there, by
multiplying and dividing faster than a calculator can!

Harry Lorayne is the recipient of these awards:

Literary Fellowship Award — The Magic Castle, 1981.
The Stars of Magic Award — International Brotherhood of
Magicians (IBM), 1975.
Magician of the Year Award — Society of American Magicians,
1983.
Lifetime Achievement Award — Society of American Magicians,
1994.
"For His Outstanding Contribution to Close-Up Magic" FFFF
Convention, 1991.
Magic Dealers Annual for Best Selling Book — 1963.

International Film & TV Festival of New York Award for:
The filmed Version of The Harry Lorayne Memory Course,
Featuring Harry Lorayne and Chicago Second City, 1978.

"Your writings contain marvelous things."
- Johnny Carson

"I was never good at arithmetic. Then I read Harry Lorayne's
Mathematical Wizardry. Now, unbelievably, I can amaze my
friends with my fantastic lightning calculation tricks — and
more!  Thank you, Harry."
- Mel Brooks

"Harry: Thank you. I love watching and learning. You're the
best."
- Steve Martin

"Being a fan of magic, I'm a fan of yours."
- Woody Allen

"I'm still gasping — you're incredible!"
- Alfred Drake

Pages 202

MY COMMENTS:  
Magic squares and other displays of mathematical wizardry
are popular among mentalists, so this book definitely falls
under the purview of mentalists. And Harry Lorayne is one
of the most influential creators, performers, and teachers
of magic. And most know that Harry is a memory expert,
since he wrote some of the most popular books on the
subject. Harry's also been quite a fan of number effects
and he's released a few in his books, such as his Apocalypse
series and his other collections. Knowing that, then you
know you can be confident that you're definitely getting
your money's worth with this material without even seeing
it.

Now, based on the ads I saw in the magic magazines, I was
led to believe that this was good stuff that Lorayne had
held back for decades. I couldn't find anything new here
though there may have been some new subtleties that I didn't
recognize. And the cover needlessly focuses on Lorayne's
achievements and credibility, rather than the contents of
the book. I'll also take issue with the organization of the
contents within. I don't think it was organized effectively
enough. But these are minor issues of note that shouldn't
detract from the material.

Anything with Harry Lorayne's name is recommended (though
regrettably this is the only product which fits in the
mentalism category so that I can catalog it). And this is a
wonderful and much-needed collection of all those
mathematical effects in one place. Harry does teach them
well and makes it easy. Many effects don't require
counting, so even those of us who are math-challenged will
find something of use.

I've never been disappointed with the content of any of
Harry Lorayne's books. My initial expections aside, this is
no exception. This soft-covered book may be a little pricey
at $44.95US suggested retail, but it does contain a wealth
of classic material. Unless you absolutely hate dealing with
math demonstrations or reading about them (or perhaps
especially if you do), this is a recommended book to add to
your shelf.