"Mr. Dircks gives us the benefit of all his progressive discoveries in the matter, from the paper first read at the British Association Meeting at Leeds, in 1858, to the more recent improvements, with full explanations of the machinery, apparatus, and processes adopted in these ghost dramas, and further favours the public with a number of new adaptations. As a curious description of these spectral illustrations, the book is most interesting."—The Technologist, January, 1864.
"A volume explanatory of the uncommonly clever and scientific "spectral illusion" which has of late fairly turned the public head."— The Dublin Builder, January 1.
"A few months ago all London was rushing off to see Professor Pepper's Ghost, as it was called, but which it now appears was the property of Mr. Dircks, and from which his good name was filched in a very unhandsome manner. Here then he tells us all about it, how the spectre was raised, and how we may ourselves at pleasure call spirits from the vasty deep."—The Bookseller, February 29.
Transcriber's Notes
Page [36]: changed "Sorbiere" to "Sorbière" (15. Samuel Sorbière visited the works at Vauxhall)
Page [61]: changed "Jupiper" to "Jupiter" (of cloves, &c. to Jupiter;)
Page [83]: changed "BD2" to "BG2" ({AG2 + CB2 + 4(OF2)} = {AC2 + CG2 + BG2 + AB2.})
Page [83]: changed "sqrt(102 52)" to "sqrt(102) + 52" ( ... = {52 + sqrt(102) + sqrt(102) + 52,})
Page [84]: changed closing parenthesis to closing braces ( ... 9}={25 + 10 + 10 + 25} = 70)