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 The Secret Life of Houdini written by William Kalush and published by . This book was released on 2007-01-01 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini written by Joe Posnanski and published by Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster. This book was released on 2020-10-13 with total page 336 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 Secret of the Great Houdini written by Robert Burleigh and published by Atheneum Books. This book was released on 2002 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
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 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 Houdini Box written by and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2008-10-07 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A chance encounter with Harry Houdini leaves a small boy in possession of a mysterious box--one that might hold the secrets to the greatest magic tricks ever performed.
Download or read book The Secret Life of Mrs London written by Rebecca Rosenberg and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: San Francisco, 1915. As America teeters on the brink of world war, Charmian and her husband, famed novelist Jack London, wrestle with genius and desire, politics and marital competitiveness. Charmian longs to be viewed as an equal partner who put her own career on hold to support her husband, but Jack doesn't see it that way...until Charmian is pulled from the audience during a magic show by escape artist Harry Houdini, a man enmeshed in his own complicated marriage. Suddenly, charmed by the attention Houdini pays her and entranced by his sexual magnetism, Charmian's eyes open to a world of possibilities that could be her escape. As Charmian grapples with her urge to explore the forbidden, Jack's increasingly reckless behavior threatens her dedication. Now torn between two of history's most mysterious and charismatic figures, she must find the courage to forge her own path, even as she fears the loss of everything she holds dear.
Download or read book Houdini written by Clinton Cox and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This biography of famed magician and illusionist Harry Houdini explores how he carried out his amazing feats and exposes the secrets behind many of Houdini's tricks. The author cites Houdini's brilliance, physical dexterity, and wild imagination as factors that made him a true master of illusion. Photos.
Download or read book Houdini written by Jason Lutes and published by Hyperion. This book was released on 2007-03-27 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A graphic novel account of the most death-defying jump Harry Houdini ever attempted as well as a behind-the-scenes look at how he prepared for and performed the escape.
Download or read book Houdini written by Bernard C. Meyer and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Secrets of Houdini written by J. C. Cannell and published by Read Books Ltd. This book was released on 2013-04-26 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published 1930's. A well illustrated compendium of the famous Harry Houdini's magic tricks and illusions. All explained in detail.Many of the earliest magic books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing many of these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
Download or read book Escaping From Houdini written by Kerri Maniscalco and published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2018-09-18 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The #1 bestselling series that started with Stalking Jack the Ripper and Hunting Prince Dracula continues its streak in this third bloody installment . . . Audrey Rose and Thomas Cresswell find themselves aboard a luxurious ocean liner that becomes a floating prison of horror when passengers are murdered one by one, with nowhere to run from the killer. Embarking on a week-long voyage across the Atlantic on the opulent RMS Etruria , Audrey Rose Wadsworth and her partner-in-crime-investigation, Thomas Cresswell, are delighted to discover a traveling troupe of circus performers, fortune tellers, and a certain charismatic young escape artist entertaining the first-class passengers nightly. But privileged young women begin to go missing without explanation, and a series of brutal slayings shocks the entire ship. The strange and disturbing influence of the Moonlight Carnival pervades the decks as the murders grow more and more bizarre. It's up to Audrey Rose and Thomas to piece together the gruesome investigation before more passengers die before reaching their destination. But with clues to the next victim pointing to someone she loves, can Audrey Rose unravel the mystery before the killer's horrifying finale?
Download or read book Houdini Tarzan and the Perfect Man written by John F. Kasson and published by Hill and Wang. This book was released on 2002-07-02 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A remarkable new work from one of our premier historians In his exciting new book, John F. Kasson examines the signs of crisis in American life a century ago, signs that new forces of modernity were affecting men's sense of who and what they really were. When the Prussian-born Eugene Sandow, an international vaudeville star and bodybuilder, toured the United States in the 1890s, Florenz Ziegfeld cannily presented him as the "Perfect Man," representing both an ancient ideal of manhood and a modern commodity extolling self-development and self-fulfillment. Then, when Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan swung down a vine into the public eye in 1912, the fantasy of a perfect white Anglo-Saxon male was taken further, escaping the confines of civilization but reasserting its values, beating his chest and bellowing his triumph to the world. With Harry Houdini, the dream of escape was literally embodied in spectacular performances in which he triumphed over every kind of threat to masculine integrity -- bondage, imprisonment, insanity, and death. Kasson's liberally illustrated and persuasively argued study analyzes the themes linking these figures and places them in their rich historical and cultural context. Concern with the white male body -- with exhibiting it and with the perils to it --reached a climax in World War I, he suggests, and continues with us today.
Download or read book Modern Day Houdini written by Bill Shirk and published by Lyons Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The world's number one escape artist, Bill Shirk, divulges the secrets behind 25 of his most spectacular escapes.
Download or read book The Witch of Lime Street written by David Jaher and published by Crown. This book was released on 2015 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1924 the wife of a Boston surgeon came to embody the raging national debate over Spiritualism, a movement devoted to communication with the dead. Reporters dubbed her the blonde Witch of Lime Street, but she was known to her followers simply as Margery. Her most vocal advocate was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who believed so thoroughly in Margery's powers that he urged her to enter a controversial contest, sponsored by Scientific American. Her supernatural gifts beguiled four of the judges. There was only one left to convince ... the acclaimed escape artist, Harry Houdini. Jaher captures their electric public rivalry and the competition that brought them into each other's orbit.
Download or read book Houdini written by Kenneth Silverman and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 552 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: American self-liberator, Europe's eclipsing sensation, world's handcuff king and prison breaker -- nothing on earth can hold Houdini a prisoner.
