DECREMPS (Henri). - Lot 5

DECREMPS (Henri). La Magie blanche dévoilée ou explication Des Tours surprenants, qui font depuis peu l'admiration de la Capitale et de la Province, avec des réflexions sur la Baguette divinatoire, les Automates, joueurs d'Échecs. &c. &c. Paris : Langlois, Tiger, l'auteur, 1784. [With]: Supplément à la Magie blanche dévoilée. Contenant l'explication de plusieurs tours nouveaux... Paris : l'auteur, les libraires qui vendent les nouveautés, 1785. [And] : Testament de Jérôme Sharp, Professeur de Physique amusante ; Où l'on trouve parmi plusieurs Tours de subtilité, qu'on peut exécuter sans aucune dépense, des préceptes & des exemples sur l'Art de faire des Chansons impromptu ; Pour servir de complément à la Magie blanche dévoilée. Paris: l'auteur, Granger, Bailly, Lagrange, Lesclapart, Tiger, 1786. - 3 works in 3 in-8 volumes, stapled, untrimmed, blue paper covers covered with glued marbled paper. First edition of the first three volumes devoted to white magic by magician and science teacher Henri Decremps (1746-1826) ("the art of producing marvelous effects by purely natural means, borrowed from physics, chemistry and the art of the magician" (Dictionnaire universel des sciences, des lettres et des arts)). In particular, the author demystifies the illusions of court magicians, including Joseph Pinetti, the famous "physicist" and official magician to Louis XVI, whose tricks and deceptions he methodically exposes. - La Magie dévoilée" includes an engraved title and a frontispiece engraved by Hemery after a drawing by Queverdo. There is also a figure in the text (p. 129). The last leaf, often missing, bears a special mention: "By heating this leaf, one will see the word Logogryphe written with green sympathetic ink, which will disappear when the paper is cooled." The experiment was carried out on this copy: the word appeared, was noted in pencil ("Policarpe"), but the heat partially burned the paper where the word appeared. Incomplete copy of folio a1, containing the "Avis intéressant de l'auteur", with a large tear on folio S1, resulting in the loss of much of the text. Leaf a 8 is loose. - The "Supplément à la magie dévoilée" also includes an engraved title and frontispiece, as well as 21 woodcut figures in the text. Missing is leaf a1 containing the "Avertissement", as well as the 4 out-of-text figures. - The "Testament de Jérôme Sharp" includes two music leaves (frontispiece and last leaf), as well as 68 woodcut figures in the text. The figure on page 32 is painted. Tears to first and last leaves. The set was completed by two other works: "Codicile de Jérôme Sharp" in 1788 and "Les Petites aventures de Jérôme Sharp" in 1789. These works were very successful, and were reprinted and counterfeited. Original editions are rare. UNTRIMMED PAPERBACK COPIES. The first two books bear Decremps' autograph signature on the last flyleaf. Copies faded, partly uncropped. Significant wear to spines. Some light wetness and foxing.