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Jean Prevost
(Toulouse, France: c1520-1592)
Amateur magician and friend of poets. Evidence collected by Jacques Voignier indicates J. Prevost is possibly the French poet Jean Prevost. Author of evidently the world's first book devoted entirely to conjuring, La Premiere partie des svbtiles et plaisantes inventions (Lyon: 1584, 96 leaves of text plus 4 of table of contents (200pp), including 34 woodcuts; facsimile reprint 1987). That this book probably precedes Scot's work of the same year is suggested by the 1 & 2 Jan 1584 dates of its prefaces.
Explains many popular tricks of his day, including the Egg Bag, Paddle Trick, Grandmother’s Necklace, the Funnel, Ice Pick, Bridle, Blood Writing on the Arm, Flick Book, and Himber Wallet. Omits card tricks, Cups-and-Balls, and the Bonus Genius, which were probably planned for a promised but evidently never published second volume. An English translation is Clever and Pleasant Inventions: Part One (1998, 231 pp, edited by Todd Karr and Stephen Minch). Another translation was published in 2026 by Marko from Panama, called, Subtle and Pleasant Inventions.
Coauthors: Mago Marko
