Ansology

This is a collection of mentalism, mental magic, and card effects from the mind of Max Maven. In its pages, over 80 effects from his cannon are explained in his clear, unmistakable voice.

Readers will learn: 

• Without gimmicks or or props, to name a thought-of travel destination; the effect can even be performed over the phone ("Contimental")
• A multi-phase gambling routine ("Zen Poker") that ends with the divination of a freely thought-of card
• How to divine each card in a freely chosen poker hand ("The Centrifugal Variations") 
• An expanded presentation for the Ultra Mental Deck that reveals a pair of freely selected cards ("TWOULTRA")
  
• From an ungimmicked deck, under test conditions, how to stop a spectator's deal "on impulse" at a first selection, then name the second selection aloud ("The Hawk") 

As Jamy Ian Swiss writes in his introduction, effects in Ansology are "often multilayered to deliver extremely deceptive effects with a minimum of sleight of hand and a maximum of devious thinking." 

In total, the work teaches a complete repertoire's worth of material (and then some), all with a mental flair. Coincidence effects are here, along with predictions of many kinds, divinations, design duplications, and more. Several tricks play on bizarre or mystic themes. Most effects rely on well-disguised methods, simple props, and no sleights whatsoever. 

Ansology's pages collect the updated and revised texts of seven publications written and published over a ten year span, collectively known as the "Lisp" series: Thunday, Thequal, Amperthand, Doth, Fifth, Thavant, and Thabbatical.

As a bonus, each copy of Ansology includes the special astrological forecast booklet for "Zodiagnostic," a clean, clear, easy-to-do book test using astrological symbols. The spectator opens to a page, and you read his mind. It's that straightforward; there's no forcing. This effect alone could easily stand on its own as a marketed product. 

Clothbound • 261 Pages • Illustrated by Tony Dunn • With an introduction by Jamy Ian Swiss • First edition, published in 2026. 

"...an astonishing variety of ingenious ideas." 
-Martin Gardner

"I liken [Thabbatical] to a roller-coaster ride. The first ride makes you wonder if you will live. Once you realize you didn't die, the second time is a breeze. Read this book, then read it a second time — it's worth it!"
-Chuck Fayne (MAGIC Magazine)

"I still feel that Thequal was one of the most innovative books on magic I ever read - I was completely enthralled with it."
-Bill Miesel (The Precursor)

NOTE: Ansology is only available for pre-order; books ship in September, 2026.