Machinations by Ben Harris – Book

With Machinations, Ben Harris builds upon an unusual and unbelievable puzzle developed by Martin Gardner and Bob Neale known as “The Trapdoor Card”. This topological effect allows you to essentially turn a card INSIDE OUT.

In effect, you display a playing card (or piece of paper, or ticket, or ANYTHING similar) with a small door cut out just off-center. The spectator can then hold onto this tab as you fold around it and cause absolutely impossible and visual miracles happen. You can cause images to vanish, the paper to turn inside out or even make the entire shape change.

Ben Harris has meditated on this principle and taken it in wild, new directions. If you love “Card Warp” or playing card art, and enjoy whimsical presentations, this is THE book for you.

This gorgeous volume features 100 pages of detailed illustrations and instructions. The book is tactile – the props you need are part of the pages, and additional gimmicks have been tipped in, so that you can follow along in real time. Every effect is incredibly easy to perform and requires no practice.

No sleight of hand: all of the tricks can be done as you read them
Totally original creations and presentations
All props included
Effects for all styles of performers
Downloads available of all the props to make your own

You’ll learn handlings that involve playing cards, schematics for magical doors, Houdini-based escapes, and how to use “The Trapdoor Card” in a packet of cards.

Machinations features more than TWENTY effects using this principle, including:

Zoo Ticket – Cause a zoo ticket printed with donkey images to impossibly transform into a ticket with penguin imagery.

Houdini’s Escape – Using a paper “padlock,” you assist the famous Houdini in a trapdoor escape.

The Wishing Paper – Showing a paper with birthday candles, the spectator makes a wish. When the paper is unfolded again, their wish appears on the other side.

The Wad of Paper (by Bob Neale) – In this impromptu effect, you and a spectator contemplate the meaning of life while performing the powerful and direct “Trapdoor Card”.

And so much more!

100 pages. Hardbound. Gimmicks included.

Need extra gimmicks? Machinations gimmick refills are also available.

“Machinations is marvelous! Ben Harris ventured through the trap door and boldly went where no man has gone before. He returned triumphant, toting this trove of treasure… Highly Recommended.”
Tom Frame (Genii Magazine)

A most entertaining, beautiful, and wonderful book.”
Richard Kaufman

“Machinations is more wicked than I could have imagined. The glory of seeing a great idea get the ‘all in’ treatment twists my brain inside-out in a good way.”
Jonathan Friedman

“A stunning book… dedicated to one mystery, but opening up doors to a whole new world of endless possibilities.”
Paul Romhany (Vanish Magazine, July 2020)

Customer reviews for Machinations

Reviewer
Axel
I love topological magic. I love Bob Neale. And now I love Ben Harris too.
It’s fun to read and it’s fun to play with the attached cardboard samples at the same time.
Very creative variations. Many thanks to everybody who was involved in this project.

Reviewer
Rene
Great book and I think Jack summed it up very well .I had so much fun reading it that I went thru all of it the same day I got it. Great ideas from mentalism to physics,I kept thinking on that story of quantum mechanics and time travel where the main character ,a woman named Jane becomes a man in the future and gets pregnant by herself , there is a template that allows you to get in to this sort of story and performed it to my brother and loved it. I have always enjoyed mixing this sort of tricks in my shows and the author gives you so many options on how to present it and make your theme either for kids or adults , love that versatility .Scan and print the templates from the book and you will have a portable little miracle.

Reviewer
Garry
Machinations, a good quality hard back book, very easy to read, and very well explained, the book is printed in colour, comes with the templates, which are in a sleeve on the inside back cover, also this comes with a download link for the templates too, these are also in colour,
Once you type in the address, it automatically downloads the templates, which is a first for me.
Great fun, and very enjoyable.

Reviewer
Jake
Really great book!! Easy to read and understand!!

Reviewer
Stephan
I just received Machinations by Ben Harris and it is an absolutely beautiful book. Of course, this shouldn’t be a surprise being published by Vanishing Inc. As stated in previous reviews, the book is sturdy and well assembled. The writing is clear and the drawings are well done. I personally enjoy owning a book on an obscure effect that is explored to its fullest. The gimmicks provided are well made and although art work and downloads are provided, I highly recommend you purchase an extra set of gimmicks or two because they are well worth the asking price. It would be nice to see a series of such publications on other unusual effects such as the Mobius Strip, The Jastrow Illusion and the Gozinta Boxes to name a few. Well done Ben Harris…