This book is not, strictly-speaking, a conjuring or magic book but it does allow the reader to create optical illusions of ghostly figures, a common feature of 19th century magic acts. The book came with a scientific explanation of the afterimage effect that is uses to create the optical illusions. The author hoped would help combat superstitious beliefs that such apparitions were genuine ghosts.

Harry Price reused the image of the ghostly figure in his own debunking of apparitions in spirit photographs: Cold Light on Spiritualistic "Phenomena" (1922).