The Secret of the Great Houdini

The Secret of the Great Houdini

Author: Robert Burleigh

Publisher: Atheneum Books

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780689832673

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As Sam and Uncle Ezra watch, the Great Houdini escapes from a trunk at the bottom of the river. Includes factual information about Houdini and his career as a magician and escape artist.


The Secret Life of Houdini

The Secret Life of Houdini

Author: William Kalush

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2008-09-04

Total Pages: 998

ISBN-13: 1847396194

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Using exclusive access to newly uncovered archives, Kalush and Sloman reveal the clandestine agreements in which the British and Americans recruited Houdini to be an active secret agent. In exchange for his cooperation, the governments of these two countries facilitated his rise to the top of the world stage. The authors give thrilling accounts of his assignments, such as his participation in early aerial surveillance and his use of his own magic magazine to communicate espionage-related information. After the war, Houdini embarked upon what became his most dangerous mission when he took on the Spiritualist movement. Convinced that Spiritualist mediums were frauds, he became obsessed with exposing them. But the Spiritualists were a powerful adversary. An organized network of fanatics, led by Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle, worked relentlessly to orchestrate a campaign that would silence Houdini forever. Grounded in solid research, but as exciting and dramatic as a good thriller, THE SECRET LIFE OF HOUDINI traces the magician's long and circuitous route from struggling vaudevillian to worldwide legend.


Houdini on Magic

Houdini on Magic

Author: Walter Brown Gibson

Publisher: Courier Corporation

Published: 1953

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 0486203840

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Written by the master magician himself, this fascinating work reveals the secrets behind how Houdini escaped numerous death-defying stunts and exposed a variety of fake spiritualists. He also gives instructions for 44 eye-catching stage tricks, as well as other fascinating material. 155 illustrations.


The Secret Life of Houdini

The Secret Life of Houdini

Author: William Kalush

Publisher:

Published: 2007-01-01

Total Pages: 333

ISBN-13: 9780915181421

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In this groundbreaking book, renowned magic expert Kalush and bestselling writer Sloman team up to expose Harry Houdinis secret life as a spy, and the stunning plot to murder the magician and destroy his legacy. Photos throughout.


The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini

The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini

Author: Joe Posnanski

Publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster

Published: 2019-10-22

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 1501137239

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Award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Joe Posnanski enters the world of Harry Houdini and his legions of devoted fans in an immersive, entertaining, and magical work on the illusionist’s impact on American culture—and why his legacy endures to this day. Nearly a century after Harry Houdini died on Halloween in 1926, he feels as modern and alive as ever. The name Houdini still leaps to mind whenever we witness a daring escape. The baby who frees herself from her crib? Houdini. The dog who vanishes and reappears in the neighbor’s garden? Houdini. Every generation produces new disciples of the magician, from household names in magic like David Copperfield and David Blaine to countless other followers whose lives have been transformed by the power of Houdini. In The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini, award-winning journalist and #1 New York Times bestselling author Joe Posnanski enters Houdini World to understand why the magician still enthralls people. Posnanski immerses himself in Houdini’s past and present, visiting landmarks, museums (including one owned by Copperfield), attractions, and private archives. Filled with false histories and improbable facts, Houdini’s life is an irresistible contradiction. His sweeping afterlife is no less fascinating. In rural Pennsylvania, a thirteen-year-old girl finds the courage to leave a violent home after learning that Houdini ran away to join the circus; she eventually becomes the first female magician to saw a man in half on television. In Australia, an eight-year-old boy with a learning impediment feels worthless until he sees an old poster of Houdini advertising “Nothing on earth can hold Houdini prisoner,” and begins his path to becoming that nation’s most popular magician. In California, an actor and Vietnam War veteran finds purpose in his life by uncovering the secrets of his hero. But the unique phenomenon of Houdini was always more than his death-defying stunts or his ability to escape handcuffs and straitjackets. It is also about the power of imagination and self-invention. His incredible transformation from Ehrich Weiss, humble Hungarian immigrant and rabbi’s son, into the self-named Harry Houdini has won him a slice of immortality. No one has withstood the test of time quite like Houdini. Fueled by Posnanski’s personal obsession with the magician—and magic itself—The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini is a poignant odyssey of discovery, blending biography, memoir, and first-person reporting to trace Houdini’s metamorphosis into an iconic figure who has inspired millions. Posnanski takes us on a joyous, thrilling, and, yes, magical journey to discover why Houdini endures—and what he still has to teach the world about wonder.


Hurry Up, Houdini!

Hurry Up, Houdini!

Author: Mary Pope Osborne

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Published: 2015-08-25

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 0307980480

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The #1 bestselling chapter book series of all time celebrates 25 years with new covers and a new, easy-to-use numbering system! Abracadabra! Jack and Annie are on a mission for Merlin the magician. They’re looking for a secret of greatness from the best escape artist that ever lived, Harry Houdini. Using the magic tree house to travel back in time, Jack and Annie head to Coney Island to look for the elusive magician. How can they find the master of escape? It’s going to take some determination, a little bit of trouble, and a whole lot of magic! Formerly numbered as Magic Tree House #50, the title of this book is now Magic Tree House Merlin Mission #22: Hurry Up, Houdini! Did you know that there’s a Magic Tree House book for every kid? Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader Super Edition: A longer and more dangerous adventure Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures


Modern Day Houdini

Modern Day Houdini

Author: Bill Shirk

Publisher: Lyons Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 9781592281961

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The world's number one escape artist, Bill Shirk, divulges the secrets behind 25 of his most spectacular escapes.


Harry Houdini for Kids

Harry Houdini for Kids

Author: Laurie Carlson

Publisher: Chicago Review Press

Published: 2009-02-01

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 1613741952

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&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&RIllusionist, escape artist, movie star, aviator, and spy—Harry Houdini was all these and an international celebrity and the world’s most famous magician. This fascinating biography looks at all the facets of Houdini’s amazing life and includes 21 magic tricks and illusions for a hands-on learning experience. Children will be inspired by this Jewish immigrant who grew up in poverty and, through perseverance and hard work, went on to become one of the most popular and successful entertainers of all time. Houdini was an artist who created his acts carefully, practicing them for years in some cases. He performed such seemingly impossible stunts as escaping several sets of handcuffs and ropes after jumping off a bridge into a flowing river. &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&RKids will learn how he devised his most legendary stunts and will also learn the science and logic behind many of Houdini’s acts including his famous milk can escape. Kids can amaze their family and friends with these simple, entertaining, and fun tricks and illusions: &&L/P&&R Stepping through an index card Performing an odd number trick Making a coin appear Mind reading with a secret code Making a magic box Lifting a person with one hand Making a talking board And much more &&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R &&L/P&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R


Revealing the Amazing Powers of Harry Houdini Updated

Revealing the Amazing Powers of Harry Houdini Updated

Author: Harry Houdini

Publisher: Inner Light - Global Communications

Published: 2014-01-04

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 9781606111697

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REVEALING THE PERSONAL SECRETS OF HARRY HOUDINI WAS HE A CLOSET PSYCHIC? CLAIRVOYANT? OR MEDIUM? HIS LIFE LONG FRIEND SIR AUTHOR CONAN DOYAL INSISTED HE HAD THE EVIDENCE THAT THE WORLD'S GREATEST ESCAPE ARTIST WAS NOT THE SKEPTIC HE MADE HIMSELF OUT TO BE THE CREATOR OF SHERLOCK HOLMES ASKED? --WAS HOUDINI'S FANATICAL DEBUNKING OF PSYCHICS AND MEDIUMS A SUBTERFUGE TO CONCEAL HIS OWN REMARKABLE PARANORMAL ABILITIES? . . At his burial some curious and suggestive words were used by the presiding rabbi: -- "HOUDINI POSSESSED A WONDROUS POWER THAT HE NEVER UNDERSTOOD AND WHICH HE NEVER REVEALED TO ANYONE IN LIFE! . .The creator of Sherlock Holes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Harry Houdini were strange bedfellows. Doyle was a contemporary of the world's greatest magician and escape artist, who continually battled his friend over the legitimacy of life after death, and the reality of spiritualism. Doyle was a "true believer," while Houdini made it his "mission" to denounce just about all things preternatural. . . -- Doyle was convinced - from what he personally witnessed and what others confided to him - that Houdini could read minds, dematerialize, possessed supernatural strength, and was guided by angelic forces which shielded him from harm even during the most dangerous of escape performances which likely would have caused death to others. . . Doyle stated that Houdini had once remarked, "There are some of my feats which my own wife does not know the secret of." And a famous Chinese conjurer who had seen Houdini perform added, "This is not a trick, it is a gift." Sadly, many of Houdini's feats died with him, even though they would have been an invaluable asset. "What can cover all these facts," states Doyle, "save that there was some element in his power which was peculiar to himself, that could only point to a psychic element -- in a word, that he was a medium." . . . -- Here is both sides of the story -- in the actual words of the famed Sherlock Holmes originator and Houdini himself, who went out of his way to create the impression that fakes and phonies were afoot everywhere in the "shady world" of table tapping, levitating trumpets, spirit photography, slate writing, as well as the materialization of ectoplasmic forms in the darkening shadows of the seance room.


The Amazing Harry Houdini

The Amazing Harry Houdini

Author: Tanya Savory

Publisher:

Published: 2010-06-15

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 9781591941750

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"Some people believed he was actually a wizard with secret powers. But Houdini knew his only "secret powers" were hard work and imagination. This is the story of the poor boy who grew up to be the most famous magician in the world. He was fearless and determined to amaze his audiences, and there seemed to be no limit to the risks that The Great Houdini would take."--P. [4] of cover.