author

Samuel Rid

Known only in fragments, this early 17th-century writer is remembered for lively books about rogues, trickery, and deception. His work offers a glimpse of popular English street culture and stage magic at a time when fact, folklore, and fear often mixed together.

1 Audiobook

The Art of Iugling or Legerdemaine Wherein is Deciphered All the Conueyances of Legerdemaine and Iugling, How They Are Effected, and Wherin They Chiefly Consist; Cautions to Beware of Cheating at Cardes and Dice, the Detection of the Beggerly Art of Alcumistry, and the Foppery of Foolish Cousoning Charmes, All Tending to Mirth and Recreation, Especially for Those That Desire to Haue the Insight and Priuate Practise Thereof

The Art of Iugling or Legerdemaine Wherein is Deciphered All the Conueyances of Legerdemaine and Iugling, How They Are Effected, and Wherin They Chiefly Consist; Cautions to Beware of Cheating at Cardes and Dice, the Detection of the Beggerly Art of Alcumistry, and the Foppery of Foolish Cousoning Charmes, All Tending to Mirth and Recreation, Especially for Those That Desire to Haue the Insight and Priuate Practise Thereof

by Samuel Rid

About the author

Very little is known for certain about Samuel Rid himself. He is usually identified by the initials "S. R." and is associated with The Art of Jugling or Legerdemaine from 1612, a work about sleight of hand, cheating, and related tricks.

Rid is also linked with Martin Markall, Beadle of Bridewell, published in 1608 or 1610, though that attribution has long been debated. Modern reference sources note that he has sometimes been confused with other writers, especially Samuel Rowlands.

What makes Rid interesting now is less his personal life—almost entirely lost—than the world his books preserve. His writing reflects an England fascinated by wandering rogues, confidence tricks, and the performance of deception, making him a small but memorable figure in early popular literature.