The best thing to keep in mind for street mentalism is that the effect is easy to do with minimal props. But remember that minimal does not necessarily mean "No props." I am sure everyone would love to do great mind reading without anything written down, no funny props, and no "fishing." The reality is that we all must crawl before we can run. Even the masters of prop free mind reading, such as Luke Jermay or Peter Turner, will still use a classic "billet" methods or swami writers when needed.
The first thing to learn is how to use different methods where information is written down. You will need to learn how to present this well (so writing the information down does not seem unusual)before you move on to truly prop free methods.
If you are new to Mentalism I usually recommend starting with the classic "13 Steps to Mentalism" By Tony Corinda. If you are new to mentalism and would prefer DVDs then "What am I thinking?" by Marc Spelmann might be a good start. In fact this DVD will have tips and methods that even a seasoned pro will appreciate. When you have some experience and you are ready for a challenge then you might want to move on to "Freeform Mentalism," by Peter Turner or "Prevaricator," by Patrick Redford.
Finally... Practical Mental Magic is a book that every Mentalist needs as well!
