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The Magic of Roy Baker in Baker's Bonanza is a highly regarded magic book compiled and written by Hugh Miller, highlighting the practical, commercial magic of British professional magician, mentalist, and inventor Roy Baker (born Geoffrey R. H. Hursell). First published in 1968 by Harry Stanley's Unique Magic Studio (and later by the Supreme Magic Company), the 127-page book focuses on direct, entertaining, and highly deceptive material that spans comedy, close-up, mentalism, and stage magic.
The crown jewel of this book is the official debut and explanation of the P.A.T.E.O. Force (Point At Two Eliminate One), an incredibly clean, impromptu psychological forcing principle that revolutionized modern mentalism.
The book is organized into four distinct operational sections:
Section 1: General Magic (Stage & Stand-up)
This section targets parlor and platform performers, emphasizing high visual impact, comedy, and clever routing.
Baker's Beakers & Bisected Balloon: Practical, highly visual physical magic routines optimized for cabaret or kids' shows.
Air-Lite & Flap-Doodle Bag: Utilitarian, prop-based magic reimagined for smooth, modern handling.
Super Silks & Electro-Van: Highly commercial silk transpositions and clean vanishes.
T and R Gag: A comedic, recurring multi-phase version of the classic Torn and Restored gag routine.
Section 2: Card Magic (Card Chicanery)
Roy Baker's approach to card magic relied on psychology, deceptive subtleties, and high-reward outcomes rather than grueling knuckle-busting sleight of hand.
The Last of the Last Cards & Name Your Card: Direct mind-reading effects using a regular deck.
Star Location & Fantastic Aces: Smooth, multi-phase card location and ace-assembly routines built around clear storytelling.
Crazy Speller & Forceful Revelation: Fun, interactive card routines where the spectator handles the cards but the magician dictates the ending.
**Blindfold Discovery, Psycho Card, and Drunk Card: Comedic and dramatic performance structures that elevate traditional "find a card" tricks into unforgettable acts.
Section 3: Close-up Magic
Designed for casual environments, bar magic, or table-hopping, these routines utilize common everyday objects.
Bewildering Matches & Hat-Tissue!: Quick, impromptu visual tricks using simple matchsticks and tissue paper.
**Three Trees & Going Through the Rye: Narrative-driven micro-magic routines.
Ring Off & Shooting Star: Elegant hand-to-hand penetrations and vanishes using borrowed jewelry.
Spoon on Nose & Coins Across: Character-driven comedy bits combined with a classic, highly polished coin routine.
Section 4: Mentalism
This section is widely considered the strongest part of the book, introducing timeless principles used by stage mentalists to this day.
The P.A.T.E.O. Force: The historic introduction of the Point At Two Eliminate One principle. It allows a magician to completely force any object, card, or word out of a large group of items, with the spectator seemingly making all the choices.
Salt and Sugar / Dead or Alive: Clean, proximity-based pseudo-psychic tests.
Contact Mind-Reading: Roy's practical, professional methods for performing muscle reading or contact thought transmission.
Roy Baker’s Mental Act: The complete blueprint, performance script, and inner workings of Roy's entire, commercial 20-minute professional mentalism routine.