pOne of the peculiarities of Bulwer was his passion for occult studies. They had a charm for him early in life, and he pursued them with the earnestness which characterized his pursuit of other studies. He became absorbed in wizard lore he equipped himself with magical implements, -- with rods for transmitting influence, and crystal balls in which to discern coming scenes and persons and communed with spiritualists and mediums. The fruit of these mystic studies is seen in Zanoni and A strange Story, romances which were a labor of love to the author, and into which he threw all the power he possessed, -- power re-enforced by multifarious reading and an instinctive appreciation of Oriental thought.p