The Magic Lantern

From the PREFACE. THE average person who becomes possessed of an optical lantern does not care two straws about the philosophy which tells him that his instrument is the lineal descendant of the dim and smelly toy-thing of the past - he recks but little of Roger Bacon and Athanasius Kircher - all he cares about is the present means of exhibiting his pictures to the best possible advantage. That is the reason why all reference to the history and evolution of the lantern has been omitted. Thi...