Scholarly Chapter on the History of Automata

The book is entitled Crescendo of the Virtuoso: Spectacle, Skill, and Self-Promotion in Paris during the Age of Revolution by Paul Metzner.

Though chapter 5 is titled, "Robert-Houdin and the Vogue of the Automaton-Builders", it actually covers a much broader swatch of history including Robert-Houdin's predecessors.

This is a 28 page chapter with a few illustrations and a long list of endnotes.

Read about Robert-Houdin and the automaton-makers before him