Behind the Scenes With the Mediums

by David Phelps Abbott

Behind the Scenes With the Mediums by David P. Abbott is considered to be one of the best exposés of the methods and tricks used by the psychics of the day.

"Is it strange that the tired and weary soul, worn with its despair, should at times turn its breaking heart to these mystic priests of occultism for consolation - to these mysterious beings that claim the power to summon from the silent abysses of emptiness, the shades of our beloved ones who have vanished and are but a memory? It is the consolation of feeling beyond a doubt that one's dear one still exists, together with the love of the miraculous which lies in every nature, that makes it possible for these persons to perpetuate their religion. This religion requires a seeming miracle for the proof of its truth, but it is not the first religion in which miracles have played a part.

One gray winter afternoon as the north wind was howling down the streets and swirling clouds of snow against my windows, I thought of some place to spend the evening that would break the loneliness. I noticed in a daily paper an advertisement of one of the high-priests of this strange religion, and I determined with a friend to visit the realm of the supernatural that evening."

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2003

About the author

David Phelps Abbott (September 22, 1863 – June 12, 1934) was a magician, author and inventor who created such effects as the floating ball, later made famous by Okito. The best known of his books is Behind the Scenes with the Mediums (1907) considered to be one of the best exposures of the tricks used by mediums.

Source: Wikipedia