This is the first of Bricaud's studies on Huysmans and the occult. Most of Bricaud's information for his two studies came from his interviews with Mme Laure, a clairvoyant who got to know Huysmans through her previous acquaintance with the ex-abbé Boullan.

The book was printed by the Dijon-based printer Darantiere in 1912, in an edition of 500.