Two Odd Volumes on Magic & Automata available as a free download

Our friend Joe Freedman of LEAFpdx has made the book Two Odd Volumes on Magic & Automata available for download. The book covers some of my favorite subjects including the magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, history, magic, automata, and mechanical toys.

'The Sette of Odd Volumes' was a group of book collectors in Victorian era London. They published transcripts of the lectures they presented to each other. Two Odd Volumes on Magic & Automata compiles two of these lectures into a single book. An affordable printed version of the book has been available for a while, but if you prefer to have an electronic copy (PDF) you are now in luck!

In the first section of the book, William Manning offers his recollections of the famous magician, Robert-Houdin. In the second section, Conrad William Cooke provides a history of automata to that point. It's a fascinating book and well-worth reading.

Though the digital version of the book is available for free, please consider using the Paypal donate button on his page. A lot of time and effort went into creating this book and I'd like to see Joe Freedman produce more of his excellent mechanical creations. Show him some love if you can! Here is where you can download the book Two Odd Volumes on Magic & Automata.

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Japanese Autoamta - New book about 18th century Japanese automatic mechanical devices

There is a wonderful new book out titled Japanese Automata - Karkuri Zui: An Eighteenth Century Japanese Manual of Automatic Mechanical Devices. This book by Kazuo Murakami translates into English the unique book Karakuri Zui, originally published in 1796. The book starts with an introduction which explains the history of karakuri. What follows is a complete translation of Karakuri Zui which explained the mechanisms and methods of construction for several Japanese clocks and mechanical toys of the Edo period in Japan (1603-1867).

Murakami-San wrote to tell me about the Tumbling Acrobot automaton shown in the video above, which I've posted about in the past. He explains that the tumbling doll seems to have already been invented by the beginning of 18th century. Like many of the fine automata of the past, the Tumbling Acrobat was a toy for wealthy people. There is some evidence that the the doll was brought to Europe by the Dutch, where it was then imitated, westernized, improved, and manufactured by German toy makers to look more like this.

The great magician and automaton-maker, Robert-Houdin, bought a tumbling doll from a French toy maker. This story is recounted in the book Two Odd Volumes on Magic and Automata.

All of this information and more is covered in detail in Kazuo Murakami's new book, Japanese Automata. This soft cover book has a total of 257 pages with 104 original diagrams and drawings of the mechanical devices made during the Edo period. It has been published in a limited run of 500 copies.

Here is where you can see sample pages, reviews, and order the book Japanese Autoamta.

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Revealing new preview of the movie Hugo

I am quite excited about this film due to be released in theaters on November 23rd, 2011. The movie titled, Hugo, is based on the excellent book The Invention of Hugo Cabret.If you've read any of my earlier posts on the the book, you'll know that an automaton inspired by Maillardet's drawing automaton is a central part of the story. I posted about the first trailer for Hugo back in July. This new trailer shows more glimpses of the automaton as a well as more about Ben Kingsley's role as the real magician and film pioneer he plays, Georges Méliès. After the death of the great magician and automaton-maker Robert-Houdin, it was Méliès who purchased his theater and acquired about ten of Robert-Houdin's autoamta. While he didn't have any of the writing automata created by Robert-Houdin or that of Maillardet, he was an accomplished mechanician and thoroughly fascinating character in his own right.

This promises to be an amazing movie and I simply cannot wait for its release. If you are impatient as I am and have not yet read the book, the story is about a young boy who lives in the walls of a Paris train station. A bit of the book's description sums it up nicely: "A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery." I highly recommend it (for children and automata-obsessed adults alike). It is a delightful mixture of text and images, fact and fiction, history and fantasy. I read it myself and have to agree with the high ratings that amazon buyers have given it -- 4.5 of 5 starts.

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Video footage of magician clock by Robert-Houdin

Here is some footage of a clock with an automaton attributed to the great clock-maker and magician, Robert-Houdin (not to be confused with Houdini). The clock depicts a magician performing a cup routine in which different objects appear and disappear below the cups. I am not sure how many of these exist in the world, but at least one makes its home in David Copperfield's Museum of Magic.

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Hokum automaton by Deane Benninghoven

Here is a lively automaton called Hokum by Deane Benninghoven of Seattle, Washington. The automaton was inspired by the famous Antonio Diavolo, the acrobatic automaton by Robert-Houdin, which featured a figure that was removed at the end of the performance to show it to be free of any linkages.

This piece is made of polymer clay, brass, epoxy, aluminum, pigments, acrylic paint, Plexiglas, Japanese paper, steel, wood, neodymium magnets and features the removable figure.

See more automata and other art by Deane Benninghoven on his web site.

[ Thanks Sharon and Julia! ]

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Joueuse de Tympanon, dulcimer-player automaton

Last week the Dark Roast Blog had a post about assorted automata, which included the piece shown here known as La Joueuse de Tympanon. This is one of those rare cases where the automaton figure actually plays the musical instrument -- eight songs on a hammer dulcimer in this case.  Equally impressive is the automaton's history. Created by German clockmaker Peter Kintzing it was owned by Marie Antoinette, and  restored  in 1864 by none other than the great Robert-Houdin!

The dulcimer player still works to this day and is housed at musée des arts et métiers in Paris.

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Book: Two Odd Volumes on Magic & Automata

I am pleased to inform you of a great new find entitled Two Odd Volumes on Magic & Automata. This book covers most of my favorite subjects: the magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, history, magic, automata and mechanical toys!

'The Sette of Odd Volumes' was a group of book collectors in Victorian era London. They published transcripts of the after dinner lectures that they presented to each other. Two Odd Volumes on Magic & Automata presents two of these lectures in a single volume.

About the first book on magic and Robert-Houdin:

William Manning was a club member who gave an after dinner talk on his recollections of the great magician Robert-Houdin. When Manning was a young boy he met the great magician and befriended Robert-Houdin's sons. His 'recollections' about Robert-Houdin were later published as a small book. Reading it today, over a hundred years after the speech was originally given, one is still struck by how forward thinking Robert-Houdin was and how down to earth. He developed many famous magic acts that are still performed today. Originally trained as a clockmaker, Robert-Houdin built all his own automata and magic props.

About the second book on automata:

Manning's talk on Robert-Houdin prompted another member, Conrad William Cooke, to undertake a brief survey on the history of automata down through the ages. That talk resulted in the second wonderful book included here.

You can read more about the volume, see some of the illustrations, preview sample pages, and order your own copy on this site dedicated to the book Two Odd Volumes on Magic & Automata.

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Robert-Houdin's Orange Tree in miniature!

Amazing! Cabaret Mechanical Theatre is now offering special edition miniature versions of Pierre Mayer's Magic Automata! Shown here is his miniaturized version of Robert-Houdin's famous Orange Tree illusion.

Here is where you can find The Orange Tree and four other miniature automata by Pierre Mayer.

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Robert-Houdin, A Magician's Life film

Here is an except from an excellent film on one of the greatest magicians and automaton-makers ever -- Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (December 7, 1805 – June 13, 1871).

A DVD of the complete film is available in French or English at www.automates-boites-musique.com.

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Automaton Recreation of Robert-Houdin's Acrobat

Here is a very ambitious recreation of Robert-Houdin's famous acrobat automaton named Antonio Diavolo. This version was created by automata expert Kevin Wright as a tribute to Robert-Houdin's original Acrobat.

Wright's automaton, entitled Dante the Daring, performs the same routine as Robert-Houdin's automaton from 1849. The original was approximately 34 inches tall, while this one is 40 inches. He is fully functional with the ability to nod, turn his head left to right, and perform somersaults and handstands.

Robert-Houdin was trained as a watchmaker and is widely regarded as the father of modern stage magic. To recreate one of his automata is an astonishing feat of mechanical detective work and craftsmanship.

Visit Kevin Wright's site called The Clockwork Universe to see this and other amazing projects.

Robert-Houdin's Home - La Maison de la Magie

One of my top five heroes is Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin. He is widely regarded as the father of modern magic, having taken it from the streets and into the parlors for respectable European audiences.

Trained as a watchmaker, he developed a passion for magic. He produced some of the most amazing mystery clocks and automata ever.

His home in Blois, France is open to the public as a museum and theater. Here is a short promotional clip of the Maison de la Magie (House of Magic).

There are many books by or about Robert-Houdin. Dover published an inexpensive reprint of his memoirs that you can probably find used. Steer clear Houdini's book on The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin, unless you are interested in exploring Houdini's misguided attempt to defame Robert-Houdin.

Video of Robert-Houdin Automata in Action

In this clip you see some of Robert-Houdin's famous automata including: The Orange Tree, The Pastry Cook of the Palais-Royal, The Trapeze Vaulter (Antonio Diavolo).

You'll also see some of the non-automata stage illusions that he made famous including The Ethereal Suspension (levitation of a boy), a glimpse of one of his Mystery Clocks, and shots of the Robert-Houdin Musuem.

The complete DVD is available in French or English. Here is the link to ROBERT-HOUDIN, A MAGICIAN'S LIFE DVD.

Learn more about Robert-Houdin and his automata in the book: King of the Conjurers.

Robert-Houdin's Orange Tree Automata

The Orange Tree Illusion was invented by Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, automaton-maker, clock-maker, electricity experimenter, and father of modern magic. A fanciful version of this illusion was recently featured in the film The Illusionist. This, more faithful recreation, is performed by Paul Daniels on his BBC TV series. The piece was refurbished by John Gaughan -- a famed a manufacturer of magic acts and equipment for magicians.

I couldn't embed the video here, so you will have to visit the link to YouTube to watch it. Witness Robert-Houdin's Orange Tree Automata.

Featured Artist: Pierre Mayer

One of my favorite fellow automata makers is Pierre Mayer. Like me, he has made contemporary automata that perform and/or depict magicians and magic tricks.

Making an original contemporary automaton function is a challenge in itself. Making the automaton perform a trick that is actually somewhat deceptive or mysterious is a HUGE challenge. This is where Pierre Mayer's work stands out.

In this piece, the sequence starts with a small orange tree. The tree then blossoms, and bears fruit. Next an orange opens at the top of the tree and two butterflies fly out holding a silk handkerchief.

There is a long tradition of automata depicting magic tricks. The famous magician Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin started his career as a watchmaker -- a skill that served him well in his next occupation as a magician and automaton-maker. He created the original orange tree piece that inspired Mayer's contemporary version.

The piece shown in the recent movie The Illusionist with Ed Norton borrowed from Robert-Houdin's piece, but showed the tree itself growing. Robert-Houdin's did not actually do that.

Check out Cabaret Mechanical Theatre's page on Pierre Mayer's Orange Tree Automaton

Book: Essential Robert-Houdin

Robert-Houdin (1805-1871) revolutionized the art of magic with his incredible stage mysteries and lifelike automata, and he thankfully left a number of books recording his philosophy and techniques.

All the classic works of the great master of magic, Robert-Houdin, under one cover, lavishly illustrated with hundreds of beautiful prints, engravings, and photos. The Essential Robert-Houndin cointains the following books:

• The Secrets of Conjuring and Magic


• Card-Sharping Exposed


• The Secrets of Stage Conjuring


• The Memoirs of Robert-Houdin


• The Priory (Robert-Houdin's automated house)


• Selections from Robert-Houdin's never-before-translated scientific writings

To my knowledge this work is only available at The Miracle Factory

Short Biography of Robert-Houdin

Here's a nice page biography page on the magician/automaton-maker Robert-Houdin from the PBS show The American Experience that profiled Harry Houdini.

A short biography of Robert-Houdin