FLIP BOOK, BLOW BOOK, MAGIC BOOK, Livre Magique.

No publisher, date or printer, (1830).. NO TITLE, PUBLISHING DETAILS or CAPTIONS UNDERNEATH the PLATES, AN UNUSUAL TALL EXAMPLE, circa 1830, approximately 215 x 130 mm, 8½ x 5 inches, 112 hand coloured wood engraved plates, 7 subjects, each with 16 illustrations, plus 16 blank pages as required, fore-edges stepped and notched as issued, full soft leather sheepskin on card, LACKS INSTRUCTION SLIP (probably many slips are missing, once the conjurer had mastered the trick he wanted to keep it secret). Binding rubbed, spine worn with some loss, hinges cracked, but still holding, pale age-browning throughout, small closed tear repaired to outer edge of first blank leaf, inner paper hinges cracked, stitching slightly loose in places, no loose pages, occasional small pale brown spot to blank margins, edges and a few corners of plates slightly dusty, small nicks to a few edges, a well used copy. The changes are: Harlequin; dancing girl with garland; prancing black American with paddle steam ship in background; clown; basket of flowers; horned satyr or demon; and grinning skeleton.The earliest description of the blow book appeared in Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft 1584, he emphasized that the blow book was not a common device among magicians, he included the tantalizing information that a certain Clarvis was the inventor of the blow book and most skilful at its display. The conjuror holds the book by its spine in his left hand so that it faces the audience and flips through it with the thumb and fore-fingers of his right hand. He first does this using the lowest tabs and the book appears to be entirely blank. He then magically changes it (perhaps by blowing on it, tapping it, or saying magic words) and flips through it using the next tab. Now every page shows a Skeleton, he continues with the next tabs to reveal Satyr etc., he then turns the book upside down and flips through in the same way. Again the book first appears to be blank, then shows Dancing Girl etc. See: Barbara Maria Stafford and Frances Terpak, Devices of Wonder, pages 252-255, for interesting information on the blow book; Gumuchian, Les Livres de L'Enfance, pages 276-277, No. 3843-3850; MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.