Houdini: The Man Who Walked Through Walls (1969) PDF
1969·18.648 MB·other
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Preview Houdini: The Man Who Walked Through Walls (1969)
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"Houdini: The Man Who Walked Through Walls" relates the fascinating
journey of Harry Houdini, born Ehrich Weiss in Pest, Hungary, through
boyhood in Appleton, Wisconsin, to maturity in New York city and to the
pinnacle of the escape artist profession. Erich, the son of a rabbi,
adopted the name "Houdini" to honor his magician idol, Robert-Houdin,
after being told that, in French, the addition of an "I" gave the
meaning of "like", hence, "like Houdin". His idolization of
Robert-Houdin continued until Robert-Houdin's widow spurned his homage,
after which he utilized every opportunity to disparage the memory of
Robert-Houdin.
This book highlights Houdini the Showman. It does this by chronicling Houdini's repeated publicity stunts and tours through two continents. I was surprised to get the impression that he first achieved success in Europe, where he spent much of his career on tour. Houdini's Modus Operandi was to fill the stands by conducting publicity stunts, often by releasing himself from the best bindings the local police or workers in insane asylums could muster. Another choice was to jump off of a bridge while bound in chains and then to release himself before drowning. While not writing a "How to" book, author William Lindsay Gresham gives some insight into how Houdini accomplished his feats of daring do. Throughout this book, the fragility of Houdini's career is manifested by his series of short runs in theatres across the U.S. and Europe. The nature of Houdini's career starting with magic tricks and advancing to escape routines develops as the book advances. Toward the end of his career, Houdini, as president of the Society of American Magicians, undertook the crusade of driving frauds, prominently spiritual mediums, out of the profession.
Houdini's personal relationships are related primarily through examples of devotion to his mother and in the long personal and professional relationships with his wife, Bess. Beyond that, the reader learns of a few other relatives and co-workers, but the personal side is definitely a secondary theme in the book.
This book is not a true biography, in that it primarily focuses only on Houdini's career, with relatively little about his personality and personal life. It is largely a collection of anecdotes that he did this here, then that there, with little but chronology to hold them together. I am glad that I read this book. Houdini is now much more than just a name to me, as I am much more familiar with the activities which made him a name. My understanding of Houdini, the man, remains, however, superficial.
This book highlights Houdini the Showman. It does this by chronicling Houdini's repeated publicity stunts and tours through two continents. I was surprised to get the impression that he first achieved success in Europe, where he spent much of his career on tour. Houdini's Modus Operandi was to fill the stands by conducting publicity stunts, often by releasing himself from the best bindings the local police or workers in insane asylums could muster. Another choice was to jump off of a bridge while bound in chains and then to release himself before drowning. While not writing a "How to" book, author William Lindsay Gresham gives some insight into how Houdini accomplished his feats of daring do. Throughout this book, the fragility of Houdini's career is manifested by his series of short runs in theatres across the U.S. and Europe. The nature of Houdini's career starting with magic tricks and advancing to escape routines develops as the book advances. Toward the end of his career, Houdini, as president of the Society of American Magicians, undertook the crusade of driving frauds, prominently spiritual mediums, out of the profession.
Houdini's personal relationships are related primarily through examples of devotion to his mother and in the long personal and professional relationships with his wife, Bess. Beyond that, the reader learns of a few other relatives and co-workers, but the personal side is definitely a secondary theme in the book.
This book is not a true biography, in that it primarily focuses only on Houdini's career, with relatively little about his personality and personal life. It is largely a collection of anecdotes that he did this here, then that there, with little but chronology to hold them together. I am glad that I read this book. Houdini is now much more than just a name to me, as I am much more familiar with the activities which made him a name. My understanding of Houdini, the man, remains, however, superficial.
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Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.
