Download or read book Houdini written by Doug Henning and published by New York : Times Books. This book was released on 1977 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A biography of the magician who became famous for his ability to escape almost any form of restraint. Describes his 10 greatest illusions as they appeared to audiences in the early 1900's.
Download or read book Harry Houdini written by Janice Weaver and published by Harry N. Abrams. This book was released on 2011-10-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The life of Harry Houdini and his less famous partner, his brother Dash, includes details of his well-known career as a magician, as well as his interest in exposing fake mediums and other frauds. Sidebars highlight topics related to the early 20th century, such as child labor, the dime museums, and early aviation, an interest of Houdini's.
Download or read book Houdini on Magic written by Walter Brown Gibson and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 1953 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book The Secret Life of Houdini written by William Kalush and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2008-09-04 with total page 998 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Harry Houdini The First Names Series written by Kjartan Poskitt and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2019-08-13 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the man behind the magic and see how Houdini pulled off his most daring escapes Before Harry Houdini (1874–1926) became the greatest magician in the world, he was just little Ehrich Weisz, a Hungarian-born immigrant who moved to America with his family and performed stage tricks for a little extra cash. He started off with card tricks and then eventually began performing the escape acts that would make him famous. Known for his daring and death-defying illusions, he would do some of the greatest tricks ever: escaping from a milk can, being buried alive, and being locked inside a crate and thrown into a river. He conquered each of these seemingly impossible feats and showed the world the power of a little magic. Fun, fast-paced, and highly illustrated, Harry Houdini tells the story of the curious boy who became the world’s greatest magician and reveals how Houdini did some of his most stunning escapes. It includes a timeline, glossary, and index.
Download or read book The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini written by Joe Posnanski and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-10-22 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joe Posnanski enters the colorful world of Harry Houdini and his legions of devoted fans to explore the illusionist’s impact on global 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 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.
Download or read book The Unmasking of Robert Houdin written by Harry Houdini and published by . This book was released on 1908 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Harry Houdini Master of Magic written by Robert Kraske and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This biography recounts the life of Harry Houdini from his boyhood through his years as an escape artist and master showman.
Download or read book Houdini His Life and Art written by James Randi and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Houdini's motion picture career, crusade against mediumistic fraud, personal relationships, and character idiosyncracies are described as well as his many spectacular escape stunts
Download or read book The Last Greatest Magician in the World written by Jim Steinmeyer and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2011-02-03 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here is the seminal biography of the magician's magician, Howard Thurston, a man who surpassed Houdini in the eyes of showmen and fans and set the standard fro how stage magic is performed today. Everyone knows Houdini-but who was Thurston? In this rich, vivid biography of the "greatest magician in the world," celebrated historian of stage magic Jim Steinmeyer captures the career and controversies of the wonder-worker extraordinaire, Howard Thurston. The public's fickleness over magicians has left Thurston all but forgotten today. Yet Steinmeyer shows how his story is one of the most remarkable in show business. During his life, from 1869 to 1936, Thurston successfully navigated the most dramatic changes in entertainment-from street performances to sideshows to wagon tours through America's still-wild West to stage magic amid the glitter of grand theaters. Thurston became one of America's most renowned vaudeville stars, boldly performing an act with just a handful of playing cards, and then had the foresight to leave vaudeville, expanding his show into an extravaganza with more than forty tons of apparatusand costumes. His touring production was an American institution for nearly thirty years, and Thurston earned a brand name equal to Ziegfeld or Ringling Brothers. Steinmeyer explores the stage and psychological rivalry between Thurston and Houdini during the first decades of the twentieth century- a contest that Thurston won. He won with a bigger show, a more successful reputation, and the title of America's greatest magician. In The Last Greatest Magician in the World, Thurston's magic show is revealed as the one that animates our collective memories.
Download or read book Harry Houdini for Kids written by Laurie Carlson and published by Chicago Review Press. This book was released on 2009-02-01 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: &&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
Download or read book Who Was Harry Houdini written by Tui Sutherland and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2002-07-22 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every kid has heard of Harry Houdini, the famous magician who could escape from handcuffs, jail cells, and locked trunks. But do they know that the ever-ambitious and adventurous Houdini was also a famous movie star and the first pilot to fly a plane in Australia? This well-told biography is full of the details of Houdini's life that kids will really want to know about and illustrated throughout with beautiful black-and-white line drawings. Illustrated by John O'Brien.
Download or read book Houdini written by Kathleen Krull and published by . This book was released on 2010-08 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Harry Houdini made himself a living legend and became the most famous name in magic. But Houdini, like his acts, was fascinating and mysterious. As a child, he was often on the edge of homelessness, so he would charge crowds to watch him perform tricks he knew no one else could do. Houdini mastered every form of magic available -- card tricks, juggling, illusions -- and traveled the world over to make a name for himself. But true stardom came to him only when he began to focus his act around daring, heart-stopping escapes. Houdini trained his body to withstand the torturous demands of the elaborate acts he created. How did he do it? Magicians never tell. Full-color illustrations. Ages 6 to 10.
Download or read book The Last Greatest Magician in the World written by Jim Steinmeyer and published by TarcherPerigee. This book was released on 2012-08-30 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Steinmeyer presents the seminal biography of the magician's magician, Howard Thurston, a man who surpassed Houdini in the eyes of showmen and fans, and set the standard for how stage magic is performed today.
Download or read book American Legends written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-03-11 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures of Houdini and his most famous escape acts. *Includes descriptions of Houdini's most famous stunts. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "I knew, as everyone knows, that the easiest way to attract a crowd is to let it be known that at a given time and a given place some one is going to attempt something that in the event of failure will mean sudden death. That's what attracts us to the man who paints the flagstaff on the tall building, or to the 'human fly' who scales the walls of the same building." - Harry Houdini A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. There is no shortage of professional magicians and stunt men in the 21st century, but all of them owe something to the most famous stunt man of them all, Harry Houdini. A century after he began to thrill audiences with his patented escape acts, Houdini's name remains synonymous with seemingly miraculous escapes and getaways, and his name is instantly recognizable even among those who have never seen pictures of his stunts. Houdini wasn't the first of his kind, but after he got his start as "Harry Handcuff Houdini" during a traveling European tour, he added the kind of showmanship and flair that have become standard fare among performers of his kind. His initial repertoire of escaping handcuffs eventually gave way to far grander feats, involving skyscrapers, straitjackets, and being buried alive. With fame came skepticism, and Houdini was frequently accused of being a fake and fixing his escapes. Some even believed he was helped by supernatural forces. Skeptics were bolstered by the fact that, like his escapes and magic tricks, Houdini remained a man shrouded in mystery, constantly changing his own life story to reinvent himself as he thought fit. Though Houdini insisted his stunts were real and constantly went after those who besmirched him or his profession, his success couldn't help but breed both legends and criticism simultaneously. By the end of his life, Houdini had transformed himself into a national celebrity, and he tried to dabble in acting and other pursuits, but he was destined to be forever associated with the profession he helped pioneer. And fittingly, mystery and controversy surrounded the exact cause of his death, as it had so much of his life. American Legends: The Life of Harry Houdini profiles the life, legends, stunts, and controversies of history's most famous escape artist, with pictures of important people, places, and events. You will learn about Houdini like you never have before, in no time at all.
Download or read book Houdini written by Brooke Kamin Rapaport and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Illustrates Harry Houdini's life and career, covering his daring escapes, cinematic escapades, Broadway career, secretive personal life, and influence on Andy Warhol, Matthew Barney, and Edward Hopper.
Download or read book Houdini written by Adam Begley and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2020-03-17 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, an exuberant biography of the world’s greatest escape artist In 1916, the war in Europe having prevented a tour abroad, Harry Houdini wrote a film treatment for a rollicking motion picture. Though the movie was never made, its title, “The Marvelous Adventures of Houdini: The Justly Celebrated Elusive American,” provides a succinct summary of the Master Mystifier’s life. Born Erik Weisz in Budapest in 1874, Houdini grew up an impoverished Jewish immigrant in the Midwest and became world-famous thanks to talent, industry, and ferocious determination. He concealed as a matter of temperament and professional ethics the secrets of his sensational success. Nobody knows how Houdini performed some of his dazzling, death-defying tricks, and nobody knows, finally, why he felt compelled to punish and imprison himself over and over again. Must a self-liberator also be a self-torturer? Tracking the restless Houdini’s wide-ranging exploits, acclaimed biographer Adam Begley asks the essential question: What kind of man was this?
