Foreword
Hello reader! First of all, thank you for taking the time to read this book, for the ones who've been following its progress you'll know it's been made with a labour of love by Ben. Second, to tell you about my connection to its author and the amazing work that he does, which leads to my third point; why you've made a wise decision to purchase the Monographs 2.0!
I met Ben around about a decade ago now, and to call me naive to the world of mentalism when we were introduced would be a gargantuan understatement, bringing to light the elephant in the room here...who the hell am I to help introduce you to his work?! Well, within the years that I have been working with Ben, I've had the pleasure of filming and editing a variety of projects that incorporate his methods on an entertaining platform, during which I learnt that these skills weren't just spectacle assets to his performance as an entertainer, but they could actually be applied to life as a whole. Like what a lot of people would naturally do when meeting someone like Ben, I probed for demonstrations. While he was more than happy to comply, I never thought to ask about the information. What was behind the veil? How did he accomplish such illusion? "Well, observation." You'll be surprised how much of a pause I left after he stated one of the key components to achieving these techniques, mainly because I wasn't actually expecting him to give away the trick! Of course, it obviously wasn't a trick, and this clearly was just the tip of the iceberg. It's funny how your brain expects more elusive solutions. And that's the key realisation to Ben's methods, they're not elusive. They're actually accessible, adaptable and of course do-able! I've witnessed this first hand, whether it be in his deductive experiments, our Web Series 'The Deductionist, or via the content he provides online! The courses he's ran have gone deeper within this (as I'm sure his students will tell you!), and make you wonder how far the rabbit hole really goes (points for the film reference!). Let's talk about the Monographs though, because that's why you're here! A handbook like no other for those wanting to dive into the field of people reading, observation and memorisation. When Ben first told me about its first edition, I was in awe that he'd managed to condense his wisdom into a product that would allow people to learn these skills for themselves! A lot of material we created heavily used these techniques and I knew Ben was already thinking about how he could take it further, ideas were already floating around as he was exploring new ways of applying them to his everyday life. I knew he wanted to ensure that these could work if brought to the table, there was no room to provide something without meaning, he wanted to create something that could be of use to everyone.
And now here we are, a long time coming and I'm sure the works paid off because you now have in your hands not just a great book, but a tool that will help guide you in whatever field your pursuit is in, because it's practically a universal tool! It's also one that I've seen in action. I've seen the benefits of it for Ben and others he's taught. I've seen the profound way it's changed perspective of those who've used the knowledge provided within these very pages. In our web series, you'll see for yourselves how Ben uses these methods himself in a practical and realistic fashion. Yes it's obviously done in a way to entertain and channel his Sherlockian vibe for the show, but it's also meant to enlighten viewers and adjust their ideas of what these skills can look like in the real world compared to the amplified nature of them in other media.
Ben's teachings will challenge you, but in the right way. That's why we challenge ourselves, to benefit from the result. Believe me, you will benefit from the results you gain from the Monographs. So stop hanging around this foreword and move forward (High five for the word play? No? Anyone?) with your journey into The Monographs! You’re in safe hands with Ben's work, it's a process like no other and there's nothing else out there (save for the first edition!) that I've seen go so in depth into these methods. Now, off down the rabbit hole with you!
Adam
