The whole art of legerdemain (2)
Henry Dean (London: A. Bettesworth, D. Pratt, John Willis and Tho. Pettit, 1727. 2nd ed.)
Henry Dean’s Hocus Pocus followed in the tradition of Samuel Rid and the Hocus Pocus Junior of borrowing much of its content from Scot. Like its predecessors, the book starts by defining the parts of legerdemain and gives a description of the operator. Description of the tricks follows, including a magic lantern, producing eggs and hens from an empty bag and turning water into wine, with many woodcut illustrations. The first edition in Dean’s name appeared in 1722. Little is known of the author. He may have been a dealer in magical apparatus with a bookshop in Tower Hill: many editions include notes offering tuition and advertisements for apparatus from H. Dean. However, he does not appear in any of the usual directories and registers of booksellers. The book was reprinted well into the 19th century in numerous editions, many unauthorised, by several different publishers in London and elsewhere. An 11th edition, published in Philadelphia, was possibly the first magic book published in America.