Abbott, David: Behind the Scenes With the Mediums ©1907 Open Court Publishing Company Hardcover, no dj, 328 pages

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Comments (JayAndLefty): "Behind the Scenes With the Mediums is one of the earliest books describing the methods of fraudulent psychics. Although the techniques used by psychics today may have changed, the basic principles described are worth learning by magicians"

Contents (from the 5th Edition):

1 Half Hours With Mediums
1 I Introduction
5 II Washington Irving Bishop's Sealed Letter Reading in a New Dress
14 III Test Where a Trick Envelope with a Double Front is used
20 IV Test Where the Medium Secretly Filches a Letter from the Pocket of the Sitter
28 V The Mystic Oracle of the Swinging Pendulums, or Mind over Matter. A Rapping Hand. Light and Heavy Chest
35 VI Tests Given in a Large Store Room with Curtains for Partitions, Using Telegraphy, etc
39 VII A Billet Test Using a Trick Envelope. A Spirit Message Written on a Slate, in the Sitter's Presence
50 VIII Flower Materialization
53 IX The Dark Seance. A Deceptive Grip. Mental Tests Spirit Voices, Taps, and Lights
70 X Materialization. Preparation of Luminous Costumes, Method of Presentation, etc
76 XI Tests Given in a Room in a Hotel. Slate-Writing on Slates Selected, Cleaned, and Held by Sitter. Test Wherein the Sitter's Own Slates are Used. Billet Work in Connection Therewith. The Prepared Table
82 XII Reading Sealed Billets Before a Company in a Room in which Absolute Darkness Reign

87 Mediumistic Reading of Sealed Writings
87 I Introduction
91 II Preparation of the Writings
94 III Reading the Writings. Production of a Spirit Message
100 IV The Secrets Explained. Slate Trick Requiring a Special Chair

114 Spirit Slate-Writing and Billet Tests
114 I Introduction
117 II Message Produced on One of a Stack of Slates, First Method. Method Using a Rug or Newspaper
122 III Message on One of a Stack of Slates, Second Method. How to Pass the Slates from One Hand to the Other
125 IV Message Produced When but Two Examined Slates are Used. Some Expert Maneuvering, and the Importance of the "Pass."
129 V Message Produced on One of Two Slates Selected from a Stack, Third Method, where the "Pass" and Some Expert Maneuvering are Introduced. Production of a Message Written with a Gold Ring Belonging to the Sitter
132 VI To Secretly Read a Question Written on a Slate by a Sitter, when a Stack of Slates is Used. How to Secretly Obtain a Confession or Question, Written on Paper and Sealed by the Sitter, when a Stack of Slates is Used
138 VII Message Produced on a Slate Cleaned and Held under a Table by a Sitter
142 VIII Slate Trick Requiring Three Slates and a Flap. The Same Used as a Conjuring Trick. Preparation of the Slates
150 IX Slate Trick Requiring a Double-Hinged Slate and a Flap
153 X Independent Paper Writing. Two Slates and a Silicate Flap Used
156 XI Slate Trick with a Single Slate and a Flap, which is Suitable for Platform Production. Methods of Forcing the Selection of a Certain Word. Methods of Forcing the Selection of a Sum of Figures. The Same Trick Where Two Slates are Used. The Same When Three Slates are Used, and a Spoken Question Answered, with Words in Colored
Writing
164 XII Methods of Obtaining a Secret Impression of the Writing of a Sitter. A Store-Room Reading where this is Used. A Test Using a Prepared Book. How to "Switch" a Question. Tricks Depending on this Principle. Tests Given by
Various Chicago Mediums. Reading a Message by Pressing it on a Skull Cap Worn by Medium
178 XIII Tricks where the Sitter Brings his Own Slates. Various Traps. Psychometric Tests. Message on Slates Wrapped in the Original Paper in which they were Purchased. Other Messages
188 XIV Message on a Sitter's Slate Produced by a Rubber Stamp. Message Produced by an Adroit Exchange of Slates. Chemical Tricks. Other Methods. Means of Securing Information

193 Some Modern Sorcery
193 I Presentation of the Tests
200 II Explanation of the Secrets
209 III The Same as Adapted to Work in a Double Parlor.
211 IV The Use of the Card Servante and Blackboard

215 Some Unusual Mediumistic Phenomena
215 Some Strange and Unusual Tests with an Explanation

235 Materialization
235 Additional Information

245 Relation of Mediumship to Palmistry, Astrology, and Fortune-Telling
245 Tests in Connection with a Reproduction of the Sitter's Palm

253 Performances of Annie Eva Fay Type
253 Questions Written and Retained by the Spectators answered by a Blindfolded Lady on the Stage

260 Vest-Turning
260 Method Explained of the Performer's Vest being turned inside-out

263 An Improved Billet Test
263 Reading Billets for an Assembled Company

266 Appendix
266 Correspondence with Inquirers Through "The Open Court"
266 Mediumistic Seances
280 A Puzzling Case: Dr. Burgess to the Open Court
294 Spirit Portraiture: Mr. Bennett to the Open Court, Mr. Abbott to the Open Court, Mr. Bennett to Mr. Abbott

320 Addenda
320 Another Billet Test
324 The Swinging Pendulums Again
327 A  Billet Test Improved
330 Wireless Electricity for Mediumistic Tricks
333 Index

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