What is a flipbook?

A flipbook is a small book with a series of printed images that create the illusion of motion when its pages are rapidly flipped. Typically, a flipbook is held in one hand while the thumb of the other flicks the pages and the user concentrates on the middle of each page. The flipbook relies on a basic optical principle known as persistence of vision to create an animated image. In addition to being amusing, flipbooks also laid the groundwork for motion pictures and could be considered one of the earliest forms of animation. In India, flip books were very popular in the seventies, when cola majors brought out flip books of cricketers in action, given free in exchange for a specified number of crowns.