The Ƶ joined a Service of Thanksgiving commemorating the 30th Year of South Africa's Democracy at Westminster Abbey.
News
Senate House Library acquires Ambigué Magique, rare magician’s “blow book” from 1775
Senate House Library has acquired a rare example of a conjuror’s “blow book” as an exciting new addition to the magic and conjuring collection of the Harry Price Library of Magical Literature.
The purchase of Ambigué Magique was made possible with the generous support of the and the kind support of a private donor, Mr Mark Storey.
A blow book, also known as a flip book or magic colouring book in modern versions, is used in a magic trick that has been performed for hundreds of years, and the books are one of the oldest forms of manufactured magic props. Descriptions of blow books appear in Reginald Scott’s The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) in a section exposing illusionary magic and in early instructional books on conjuring, such as Hocus Pocus Junior: The Anatomie of Legerdemain (1634). The first editions of both books are held in the Harry Price Library.
The trick involves a performer appearing to show an entirely blank book, but gradually images appear, first in black and white, then in colour, and then to disappear. It is a combination of the conjuror's skill and the ingenuity of the book, which includes tabs on the edge of the pages to guide the conjuror's hand. The term blow book derives from the practice of asking the audience to blow on the pages to produce the magic. These prop books were a mainstay of the printing industry, particularly through the 19th century becoming a novelty for children, and versions from the late 1800s often come up for sale, but earlier versions are rare.
This blow book, Ambigué Magique, was printed in France and dates from around 1775. It has seven series of hand-coloured engravings show playing cards, mother superiors, flowers, soldiers, abbots, priests, and harlequins, as well as 24 pages left blank. Many of the religious figures depicted are satirical, for example ‘l’Abbé Quille,’ who is pictured with walking stick and magnifying glass, examining advertising bills for newly published books, posted on a wall, while a dog pees on his leg.
The multiple images and series allowed for many different combinations and ways of performing the trick. The book is entirely comprised of images, except for the rare inclusion of a page of instructions at the beginning. It has original paper wrappers, and the edges of the pages have notches cut at various positions to find specific page openings by touch.
The book is an extraordinary addition to the Harry Price Library of Magical Literature and the Senate House ’s Special Collections. As a stalwart feature in conjurers’ repertoires across the centuries, this striking blow book complements and enhances the ’s collections related to conjuring through the ages, which range from legerdemain (sleight of hand) to scientific recreations and large-scale illusions. It is an artefact of performance and conjuring history as well as of printing and publishing history. It will give an insight into how acts of legerdemain were achieved in comparison to their description in early conjuring texts and contemporary publications on magic.
