Prevost, Jean: Clever and Pleasant Inventions, Part One ©1584 Antoine Bastide, Marchant Libraire Revised Edition ©1998 Stephen Minch, Hermetic Press Hardcover, no dj, 234 pages ISBN: 0-945296-20-7

Hermetic Press Edition Image courtesy Viking Magic

Comments: Translated from the French by Sharon King. Frist printed in 1584, few copies seem to survived. Stephen Minch has reprinted a nicely produced edition in 1998, edited by Todd Karr & Stephen Minch. Represents one of the earliest works on books revealing how magic tricks were performed.

Contents (From the 1998 edition courtesy Jacky Kahan from magicbooks.be):

vii Foreword Jacques Voignier
xxi Translator's Introduction-Sharon King
xxxi Publisher's Note-Stephen Minch
xxxv Clever And Pleasant Inventions, Part One

1 Dedicatory Epistle
5 Preface to the Reader
10 Verse Honoring the Author
15 Clever and Pleasant Inventions
199 Table of Clever Tricks Contained in Part One: Tricks Categorized by Object Used
209 Notes
233 References