This is probably the most comprehensive flipbook site in the world. But ... it's in French! Donc, si on peut lire le francais, c'est tres bien. (who knows if this is even decent French - mine goes back to high school!) Otherwise, you might try running it through a language translator, such as www.world.altavista.com/tr. And of course, they feature all the Fliptomania books ...

This is a wonderful summary on EarlyCinema.com of the stages of development of the motion picture.

Here's a short writeup on the mutoscope, which contained a sequence of photographs which were arranged around the perimeter of a drum.

Here's a short writeup on the Praxinoscope, which improved on the Zoetrope.

Here's a good short writeup on the early days of motion pictures and the development of the kinetoscope.

Here's a short writeup on the thaumotrope and zoetrope, two very early inventions to try and take advantage of the persistence of vision phenomenon.