Letters on natural magic
Sir David Brewster's Letters on Natural Magic, first written in the 1830s and reissued in this 1883 London edition by Chatto, explains optical illusions, automata and conjuring tricks to general readers curious about science. Small wood-engraved text figures mix lettered geometric diagrams of lenses, mirrors and angled rods with vignettes of men straining at levers or perched on cabinets to demonstrate strength and balance tricks.
