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. One exposure being the "spirit portrait paintings" by the
Bangs Sisters.
Biography
David Abbott was born in 1863 near Falls City and lived most of his life in
Omaha. Abbott died in 1934 of diabetes. His burial was at Westlawn-
Hillcrest Memorial Park, Omaha, Nebraska. He was married to Fannie E.
Abbott. He became a wealthy businessman in the American Mid-West. He
was well versed in arts and science. After Albert Einstein published his
theory of relativity, Abbott attempted to explain it in a newspaper article.
As a magician, he performed for invited guests in his private theater he built
at his home from 1907 until he died. There he demonstrated his Talking
Teakettle (around 1907, decades before miniature radio electronics came
into use) and Talking Vase (in 1909). Abbott built his work of magic and
deception on the devious principles he learned from spirit mediums. Many
of the greats in magic– Kellar, Thurston, Horace Goldin, Theo Bamberg,
Ching Ling Foo, Blackstone and Houdini among others–made pilgrimages to
Omaha Field Club neighborhood "Mystery House" to be dumbfounded and
to learn.
Abbott was a friend of the magician Harry Houdini. His most well-known
work was Behind the Scenes with the Mediums published in 1907, which
went through several editions.
Abbott wrote a second full-length book, describing not only the séances
given in his home but many magical feats which had astounded top
professional performers; he died before it could be published, and for a long
time the manuscript could not be found. When the Abbott home was sold in
1936, the manuscript was thought to be lost. It was discovered by Walter
Graham and published as David P. Abbott's Book Of Mysteries in 1977.
Publications
Behind the Scenes with the Mediums (1907)
Spirit Slate-Writing and Billet Tests (1907)
The Marvelous Creations of Joseffy (1908)
The History of a Strange Case (1908)
The Spirit Portrait Mystery: Its Final Solution (1913)
David P. Abbott's Book of Mysteries, published posthumously by Walter
Graham (1977)
References
"David Phelps Abbott". Retrieved 20 May 2016.
"Omaha Magician-Philosopher Interprets Einstein's Theory". Retrieved 20
May 2016.
The Sphinx, October, 1906.
"David P. Abbott (1863-1934)" Archived November 3, 2013, at the Wayback
Machine. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
"In this illusionist's house of mysteries, secrets didn't vanish" Archived
October 31, 2013, at Archive.today. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
Polidoro, Massimo. (2001). Final Séance: The Strange Friendship Between
Houdini and Conan Doyle. Prometheus Books. p. 32. ISBN 1-57392-896-8
Price, David. (1985). Magic: A Pictorial History of Conjurers in the Theater.
Cornwall Books. p. 484. ISBN 978-0845347386 "Abbott's greatest
contribution to ridding the world of superstition was, no doubt, his book
Behind the Scenes with the Mediums. It was a great expose and opened the
eyes of many to the frauds being perpetrated on the public at the time the
book was written. It was first published in 1907 and ran for several editions.
Abbott wrote other books along the same lines, but Behind the Scenes with
the Mediums was the best and most successful."
"David Abbott Inventor and Spirit Hoax Buster". Retrieved 20 May 2016.
Further reading
Hereward Carrington. (1907). Book Review: Behind the Scenes with the
Mediums. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research 1: 492-493.
Brief Biography at The Magic Nook
Karr, Todd. "David P. Abbott and the Notorious Bangs Sisters" at the
Wayback Machine (archived October 26, 2007). Excerpt from Teller and
Todd Karr, eds., House of Mystery: The Magic Science of David P. Abbott
(The Miracle Factory, Los Angeles, 2005).
