Arthur Good was a French engineer, science educator, author and caricaturist who used the pen nameTom Tit. He wrote a series of weekly articles, La Science Amusante, or Amusing Science, that were collected in book form and have been translated and republished in more than 130 editions in several languages. The illustrations for his do-it-yourself scientific apparatuses have been described as surrealistcollages, and were an inspiration for surrealist artists such as Max Ernst and Joseph Cornell.
Under the pen name Tom Tit, Arthur Good wrote a series of weekly articles, La Science Amusante, or Amusing Science, for the French magazine L’Illustration. Good presented a range of physical experiments, from "simple games meant to amuse the family" to experiments "of a truly scientific character". They introduce a range of physical and scientific principles including magnetism and surface tension. Good's articles include geometrical demonstrations, craft projects, and physics experiments which can be carried out with everyday household materials. In books such as La Récréation En Famille he emphasized that scientific education could be a common activity and amusement for the entire family. He dedicated La Science Amusante to one of his children, saying "In dedicating this volume today, I would like it to be a souvenir for you of the happy moments we have spent together trying the experiments and constructing the apparatuses". Good created improvised scientific apparatuses like his Soap-bubble Chandelier using common items such as bottles, eggs, corks, candles, and soap. His constructions have an imaginative charm that has led to them being compared to surrealistic collages. Nonetheless, his drawings were seriously and carefully rendered by scientific engraver Louis Poyet and his assistants. The original columns from La Science Amusante were collected and published in a three-volume series in France. Each volume contained 100 amusements. Beginning in 1889, they have been reprinted in over 130 editions. Collections of amusements were translated and published in English, Italian, and Spanish. In the United States they appeared as Magical Experiments, or Science in Play, and in England as Scientific Amusements. A selection has also been republished as 100 Amazing Magic Tricks. Good's books are considered to have laid the foundations for modern approaches to science education in their introduction of "kitchen science" and hands-on experiments for children.
Other publications
Good also published instructions for DIY entertainments in Pour Amuser Les Petits ou les joujoux qu’on peut faire soi-même, La Récréation En Famille, Les Bons Jeudis, and Joujoux en Papier. From 1885 to 1888, he was the editor of a periodical, Le Chercheur, that featured new inventions. He also wrote for La Nature. In addition to his science education publications, Good published a set of Caricatures of famous Britons in London in 1913. He received a medal of honor from the National Society for the Development of Good.
Surrealism
During the 1920s and 1930s, surrealist artists such as Max Ernst and Joseph Cornell were intrigued by the Tom Tit illustrations, and incorporated them into their own works.
