Aronson Stack for Everybody: A Magician's Guide to Memorizing the Aronson Stack

This is a great book (despite the snarky review in Genii). It gives you great visuals, helps you see the actual pictures that you need, and makes memorizing the Aronson stack much, much easier. If you would like to do mem deck work (and who wouldn't after reading the Worker's series or Aronson's work) this work will make your life a great deal easier. Geoff has worked hard on this manuscript and it is worth the money. Learning one trick using the stack will pay you back what you have spent, learning several will show you how valuable this book really is. SamLamerson

This rating is solely due to the cost. It's a decent manuscript and the writing is clear enough and the method practical. It's just not worth the asking price in my opinion.

Liked how you get photoshopped pictures for each pegword/number combo and how Geoff combined the same images into scenes so you have less reference images to remember and they are more related making it easier. He even goes into other stacks you can memorize and memory applications like phone numbers and your grocery list. Highly recommend to learn to memorize the Aronson deck stack!

This makes learning the Aronson Stack extremely easy. I does take work and practice but this sets the stage. THANKS GEOFF

If the moves and methods of accomplishing magic with playing cards included a weapon of mass destruction, it would surely be the Memorized Stacked Deck. Knowing the identity and position of each of the 52 cards is a tool that can produce devastating impact on both the lay public and fellow magicians in the creation of truly unbelievable magic. The stacked deck of cards in a known order is not a new concept. References to the use of systematic setups date as far back as the late 1500s. There are a number of other stack systems including mathematical and mnemonic concepts, but it is Simon Aronson’s 1979 publication of his Stack to Remember with seven build in effects that is largely responsible for realization of the full potential of the memorized deck. Acknowledged as a leader in the use of this technique, Juan Tamariz published his master work Mnemoica (2004) which is the most comprehensive coverage of the subject. With such a long and multi-faceted history, why have so relatively few magicians availed themselves of this invaluable concept? The answer is fairly obvious - most magicians are convinced that the seemingly almost impossible task of committing an entire deck of cards to memory is either beyond their ability or simply not worth the effort. No doubt this mistaken belief makes the memorized deck cognoscenti quite happy that their secret weapon remains in the hands of a relatively few. However, as Simon Aronson says: “The only people who speak of the difficulties of memorizing a deck of cards, are those who’ve never seriously tried to learn one.” Geoff Williams strives to prove Mr. Aronson’s words in his Aronson Stack for Everybody manuscript. While the history of memory systems goes back for centuries and there are many different versions and tweaks, the basic system recommended by Aronson and others is known as the Major Memory System or phonetic number system. It is a multi step process that starts with converting numbers to constant sounds, and then into words by adding vowels. The basic principle being that it is easier to remember images than numbers. These words are usually referred to as peg words and the peg system is a tool for remembering lists or indexing sequences by association of images with the peg words. What Mr. Williams has done is to break this system down to a very simple basis and then apply his boundless imagination in using the peg words to construct vivid images that are almost impossible to forget. These images link each card in the Aronson stack to its stack number or position in the stacked deck. Geoff’s changes and tweaks are logical and follow his thought process as well as the way most of us think. The Williams approach is a streamlined, graphical approach which he refers to as his PMS system; a technique that actually makes memorizing a deck stack fun. Even if you have no intention of memorizing a stack, the profusely illustrated color manuscript is worth getting just to enjoy the fantastic images that have evolved from the truly unique mind of Geoff Williams for each card in the Aronson stack. For instance, how can one forget the image of an eel smoking a joint and the card and position with which it is associated? Using Geoff’s system, a 10 and 13 year old youth both learned the Aronson Stack in 90 minutes. The PMS technique, while designed with the Aronson stack in mind, can be used to memorize the Tamariz, Joyal, Nikola, and other stacks as well as lists and sequences of non card items. The 71 page booklet includes practice sheets for each phase of the process and links to other resources with multiple applications of the memorized stack as well as numerous helpful hints. While Geoff is careful to state there are no actual tricks in this booklet, The Aronson Stack for Everybody is a beautifully produced fun filled visual shortcut to achieving one of the most powerful tools in magic at a bargain price.

I had tried in the past to learn the Aronson stack by the method published in Simon Aronson's book, but could never get it. I bought Geoff's book and took another stab it at it. It worked! Within 2 hours I had the stack memorized. I now use the stack regularly in my professional work. I highly recommend this book.