The trick of creating the effect of movement by drawing a sequential series of stick figures at the edges of school text books, then riffling the pages to animate the sequence is one that most children know.
Based on the principle of persistence of vision, the technique pre-dates the invention of cinema photography but it was only following the introduction of stop-motion photography (pioneered by Muybridge in the 1880s) that commercially produced flick (or flicker) books appeared. Often they were made as souvenirs of great sporting moments or as training-aides for tennis, golf, etc.
In recent years, the Disney Studios have produced cartoon 'clips' in flick book format and there have been many based on nature and prehistoric subjects. Now an enterprising British firm is able to turn your video clips into personalized flick books at a surprisingly modest cost. For more information and demonstrations go to http://www.flickaclip.co.uk - and by quoting 'Ampersand' when ordering you will even get a discount!
Below, one of Martha Alexander's 'Magic Flick Books' published in a series of three by Methuen's Children's Books in 1984.
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Place
mouse over each number to animate
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OTHER FLICK BOOKS TO LOOK OUT FOR
• Ed Emberley's 'Science Flip Books' published by Little Brown & Co, NY, 1982
• Keith Haring's flip book series published by Neues Publishing Co, NY, 1998
• Simon Scamp's dinosaurs flip book series published by Pryor Publications, UK, 1990s