Memorising the Telephone Book

Memorising the Telephone Book.

Effect: Spectators cut a shuffled pack, and the first four
cards below the cut are handed to four other spectators. The
four ranks of the cards are written down to represent a three-
digit number.
The telephone directory is fetched by a spectator, and the
page denoted by the three-digit number is turned to. The
entry denoted by the odd number is found, and the magician,
from memory. reads out the name, address and telephone
number of the entry thus chosen.

Required: A prepared pack, a telephone directory, pencil
and paper.

Skills: False shuffle, double-turnover force (see card force
booklet), and memorising one entry from a telephone
directory.

Method:

• Tell the audience that you are going to perform a

prodigious feat of memory. Tell them that these days, so
many people have forgotten the knack of remembering
telephone numbers, because they just enter them into
their telephones’ memories. Explain that you have been
working on developing your memory and will prove the
possibilities.

• Produce a pack of cards, which is prepared, to the extent

that you know the top four cards. For example, let us say
that they are the two of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs, eight of
Hearts, and nine of Spades.

• Say something like ‘I’ll give the cards a good shuffle.’

Execute a few false shuffles, making certain that you keep

the top four cards intact at the top. Now you must force
these four cards on to members of the audience. For this,
use the double turnover force, which you can find in the
‘card forces’ booklet.

• When two volunteers have each cut and turned over part

of the pack, and you get down to the first face-down card,
you ask one of your audience, let’s say Daniel, to take the
card and look after it for you. As you know, it is the two of
diamonds. Then, ask Hermione to take the next card,
which of course is the Ace of Clubs. Tell Hermione to hold
on to it for a minute, and ask Megan to take the next card.
Megan needs to look after the eight of Hearts, and you
can now turn to Tom. Ask him to take the next card, which
will be the nine of Spades.

• Now take the pencil and paper, and say ‘We’ve got four

cards taken completely at random from a well-shuffled
pack. Now Daniel, what’s yours?’ Daniel tells you, and you
say ‘A two. I’ll write down two.’ You ask Hermione and
Megan in turn and add their numbers in the same way,
saying ‘Now we’ve got 218.’ (An Ace counts as one, of
course.) ‘So let’s take 218 as a page number. Now what is
your card, Tom?’ Tom says nine of Spades. You say
‘Right. We’ll take that as the ninth entry on the page. So
we have page 218, entry 9, both numbers which you
agree I couldn’t possibly have predicted. Now Emily,
would you go over there and fetch that telephone directory
over there, please? Thank you. Now if you open it at page
218 and look down to the ninth entry on that page, I will
attempt to tell you the telephone number.’

• Make a great show of concentrating hard, fingers pressed

against temples and all the rest. Then, you slowly -with
concentration pauses - reel off the name, address and
number which you memorised from page 218, entry 9.