Editing Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin (section)

===Introduction to magic===
When he got home and opened the wrapping, instead of the Berthoud books, what appeared before his eyes was a two-volume set on magic called ''[[Scientific Amusements]]''. Instead of returning the books, his curiosity got the better of him. From those crude volumes, he learned the rudiments of magic. He practiced at all hours of the day.<ref name="ref3"/>

From that point on, he became very interested in the art. He was upset that the books he got only revealed how the secrets were done but did not show how to do them.<ref name="ref2"/> He found that learning from the books available in those days was very difficult due to the lack of detailed explanations,<ref name="ref3"/> but the books piqued his interest in the art. So Robert-Houdin began taking lessons from a local amateur magician.<ref name="ref3"/> He paid ten francs for a series of lessons from a man named Maous from Blois who was a podiatrist but also entertained at fairs and parties doing magic. He was proficient at sleight of hand, and taught Robert-Houdin how to juggle to improve his hand-eye coordination.<ref name="ref2"/><ref name="ref3"/> He also taught him rudiments of the cups and balls. He told young Robert-Houdin that digital dexterity came with repetition, and as a direct result, Robert-Houdin practiced incessantly.<ref name="ref2"/>

Magic was his pastime, and meanwhile, his studies in [[horology]] continued. When he felt he was ready, he moved to Tours and set up a watchmaking business, doing conjuring on the side.<ref name="ref3"/>

Much of what we know about Robert-Houdin comes from his memoirs—and his writings were meant more to entertain than to chronicle, rendering it difficult to separate fact from fiction. Robert-Houdin would have readers believe that a major turning point in his life came when he became apprenticed to the magician Edmund De Grisi, Count's son and better known as Torrini. What is known is that his early performing came from joining an amateur acting troupe.<ref name="ref3"/>