Fraudulent Spiritualism Unveiled

David Phelps Abbott (1836-1934) was a magician, author and inventor who created such effects as the floating ball, later made famous by Okito. He also devised the talking teakettle and spirit paintings effects. The best known of his books is Behind the Scenes With the Mediums (1907), considered to be one of the best exposures of the methods used by psychics. His other works include: The Marvelous Creations of Josefy (1908) and The David P. Abbott Book of Mysteries, which was published posthumously by Walter Graham in 1977.