It is very confusing, I feel like Corrinda intended fro his book to be a course in mentalism but in my opinion it is so poorly written that it is really more of a reference for those who have some knowledge.
Yes, I said that this classic is poorly written, in part this is just how magic books used to be written. If you look at Bobo's Modern, Coin Magic, Dunninger's Encyclopedia of magic or even Arthur Buckley's Card Control they all follow a similar format. It was the normal thing just to write the trick and effect all together or just write a quick presentational note. That said there are gems, they are just not as easily as they would be in a Joshua Jay book.
Step one gives you great advice on using the swami gimmick. The routines and effects are strong but as I alluded to before you are missing some details that would be very helpful in actual performance. In addition you have to go out and find a good swami gimmick. So even where the explanations are thorough you are still missing something. Most of these routines are solid and they build from writing just an X or O to full names words and phrases. The trick here is to find a good swami gimmick. I have heard good things about Paul Harris' Freedom Writer and the Super Sharpie although neither are strictly speaking a swami gimmick.
I like the red card prediction on page 326. I perform it from time to time with an altered handling. The beats are tough to hit right though so reactions are varied.
On page 386 it gives a few scant ideas for alternatives to blind folded drives. These are good ideas for sure but you need to figure out the blindfold yourself, by either purchasing or making one of the blindfolds discussed.
Page 49 covers a very clever way of marking envelopes. Once again you would be best creating your own routine around it.
Page 116 covers a solid card trick with envelopes and page 115 has an interesting book test.
Really each part lacks something before it is ready. If you are not familiar with the basics of presentation and timing then, as was said earlier, you should check out another resource.
