Here's a breakdown:
* 1834: John Barnes Linnett, a British inventor, is credited with creating the first commercially available flip book, titled "The Comic Movement."
* 1868: Émile Reynaud, a French inventor, developed a similar device called the "Théâtre Optique," which featured a series of projected images on a screen to create animated sequences.
* Late 19th century: Flip books gained popularity as a form of entertainment, with various companies producing them for children and adults.
It's important to note that the concept of creating the illusion of movement by quickly flipping through a series of images likely existed before these documented instances. Early forms of animation, such as zoetropes and phenakistoscopes, paved the way for the development of flip books.