Additional information
by Derek a. Rowlinson (Author), John Nevil Maskelyne (Author)
Stage magician and inventor John Nevil Maskelyne (1839-1917) made it his mission to expose fakes and charlatans who claimed supernatural abilities for personal gain. In 'The Fraud of "Theosophy" Exposed' (1912) he applied his fine mind and acerbic wit to debunking the founding gurus of the Theosophical Society and, most particularly, the outrageous hoaxer Helen Petrovna Blavatsky, or 'Madame Blavatsky' as she was commonly known. He regarded her as the greatest impostor of all time: "Hypnotism may account for the extraordinary influence and fascination which Madame Blavatsky was able to exercise over some people, and yet she was one of the most repulsive women one can imagine. A glance at the excellent sketch of her in this pamphlet will show that she had the appearance of being a gross, vulgar, sensual adventuress. (She turned the scale at 17 stone.) The enormous ring upon her hand, she said, possessed magical power. She had an enormous appetite, consuming vast quantities of fat meat, although her doctrine teaches that it is a deadly sin to eat meat. She had an insatiable love for tobacco, and was seldom seen without a cigarette in her mouth. Her language at times was too bad for publication." This new edition, with the text reset, includes notes that provide some additional background information.
Author Biography
John Nevil Maskelyne (1839-1917) trained as a watchmaker in his native Cheltenham before becoming a stage magician and inventor of evident talent. It was Maskelyne who developed the first lock mechanism for pay toilets from which the euphemistic phrase 'to spend a penny' came. He also made it his mission to expose frauds and cheats whenever he encountered them and, in 1894, he published 'Sharps and Flats: A Complete Revelation of the Secrets of Cheating at Games of Chance and Skill'. But perhaps his greatest contempt was reserved for those who deceived by claiming supernatural powers and who without scruple would exploit the innocent and gullible. In 1914 he formed the Occult Committee within the Magic Circle for the purpose of investigating claims of paranormal phenomena. Two years earlier he had taken the theosophists to task in 'The Fraud of Modern "Theosophy" Exposed' which examines the dubious assertions and practices of the Theosophical Society's chief founder and protagonist - the colourful and outrageous Madame Blavatsky.
