Les
Nouvelles
Récréations Physiques et Mathématiques, Contenant Ce Qui A Eté Imaginé De Plus
Curieux Dans Ce Genre Et Qui Se Découvre Journellement; Auxquelles On A Joint
Les Causes, Leurs Effets, La Maničre De Les Construire, Et L'Amusement Qu'on
En Peut Tirer Pour Etonner Et Surprendre Agréablement — Par (By) Edme Gilles Guyot Tome — Troisieme 3-Volume Set, 1786 — Very Early Magic Magicians Tricks — Cup and Ball and Magic Lantern Magic Tricks, Phantasmagoria, Optics, Illusions, Exposing Medium Fraud, Witchcraft, Occult — NUMEROUS ENGRAVING DIAGRAMS TO CREATE MAGIC TRICKS AND SPECTRAL ILLUSIONS Publisher: Gueffier, Paris (1786)
Three-volume set from 1786 of LES NOUVELLES RECREATIONS PHYSIQUES ET MATHEMATIQUES, in well preserved condition. Three quarter leather binding. The boards and binding are solid and tight save for some shelfwear. Small amount of chipping on the top spine ends of volume 3. For all three volumes, the pages are unusually crisp and clean save for a random spot of foxing.
The three-volume set explains the theory and enables the reader to recreate the magic tricks and illusions through detailed diagram engravings including the Magic Lantern used to create spectral illusions or Phantasmagoria. Also, included is the first documentation and illustration of the famous "Cup and Ball" magic tricks still used by magicians today. Please see picture. These books were cornerstones used by future 19th-century magicians and unscrupulous mediums to produce the desired effects. A rare find from 1786! Please see below for more information on the author and illustrator, Edme-Gilles Guyot.
Biography
Edmé-Gilles Guyot (1706–1786) was a French physician,
cartographer, inventor and author on the subject of mathematics, physics and
magic. He experimented with optical illusions and performance magic. His developments into the apparent appearance of ghosts,
using the projection of a figure into smoke, helped to create the technology
and techniques used in phantasmagoria.
Manufacturer of
conjuring apparatus and scientific instruments, Guyot was accused of exploiting
and revealing the tricks used at the time by magicians and science popularizers like Nicolas-Philippe Ledru and François Pelletier. He created "magic
theatres" for the aristocracy – small boxes that use lanterns and slides
to create an animated story. Guyot developed magic lanterns and their use in phantasmagoria. In 1770, he detailed a method
of simultaneously using two different slides in this early projection device.
His example was a sea that would become increasingly stormy, throwing around
the ships that were sailing on it. He advised that the slides would need to be
very carefully painted in order to create a realistic and beautiful animation.
His writings on the subject were translated into English and German and were
widely circulated around Europe. His experiments led to the technique of
projecting images onto smoke to create the appearance of ghostly apparitions.
In 1779 Guyot described the use of transformation slides in magic lanterns to
create simple animations... Abebooks
