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Actually the book is called the Secret life of Houdini the making of America's first superhero

I was in my local magic shop fighting the urge to blow my entire wages on stuff (does anybody feel the urge to absoloutely always buy cards when your in magic shop cause well you cant have enough) when i saw this book, The seceret life of houdini, well it had seceret and houdini in the title so i was suckered.

The book really is a corker. Wheras it does not go into much detail of how the great mans magic is done it gives an incredible insight into the real man, how he was driven and his philosophies in performing (if you cant learn from houdini in how to publicise and show boat then yer in the wrong game)

The book starts of with a look at his early life in america and how he got into perfrming magic and phsycic shows with his missus and how distasteful he found it....moves on to the very real; possibility of him being gainfully employed by special branch and the fledgling C.I.A (see your interested now)....his avionics escapades....movies.....and long running feud with psychics/connan doyle

I had never read a book about houdini in the past so i found it a great read.....(also some of the pictures are im told very rare)....so i thought id post a review.... its not a magic text as such but a hugely illustrative work on the drive and indominable spirit of what was the worlds first superhero.....im not going to go into too much detail as itl spoil it but give it a look

There are names for people like you, y'know! Here I was comfortably thinking I'd bought enough for the time being and didn't need anything more when you come along and mention this book. Not only do I now have to find the cash, I've got to go searching for the book !

Cheers and thanks for letting us all know (and suffer!)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Life-Hou ... 961&sr=8-1

OK thank you - no need to get off my butt now!

I'm not going to reccommend this book, i lost a holiday because of this book. went to spain, took it with me, and saw hardly any of spain. GAH!
but yeah, seriously, a very good read; if you don't really know much about houdini, you will love him after this

I wish I hadent just spent my last pennies

I had the pleasure of reading this on holiday recently, whilst the 'Secret Service' aspect was almost non-existent, the rest of the detail was utterly fascinating. The book was compiled by scanning as much known information about Houdini into a computer then using a unique program, processed to give a day by day sequence of his life and travels all over the globe which put many existing facts into a better perspective. There are loads of pictures of the man and his family, his colleagues and his opponents and for the first time I think I have a much better appreciation of Harry Houdini compared to the impressions gained from earlier books on him. Bess Houdini becomes a more believable and scary figure - far from being the doting and sobbing Wife, she had her own agenda in many respects and had cause to be very bitter over Houdini's affairs with other women. Apart from his apparent unfaithfulness, Houdini was quite ready to dish the dirt on other performers if he thought they were being sneaky behind his back and yet was a very kind and considerate man to those less fortunate - as long as there was some publicity in it! There's more than a hint or two of conspiracy when the numerous psychics' forecasts/threats of his demise are tabulated and Conan Doyle's Wife has to take a lot of the blame for the long running dispute between her husband and Houdini. As for the events leading to his death, how many people actually punched him in the stomach thus causing the ruptured appendix? Most would say one but they would be wrong.....

Another book which ought to be required reading for anyone interested in the history of magic.

Lawrence wrote:I'm not going to reccommend this book, I lost a holiday because of this book. went to spain, took it with me, and saw hardly any of spain. GAH!
but yeah, seriously, a very good read; if you don't really know much about houdini, you will love him after this

yeah until you read the magician and the cardsharp which makes you realize he was a great magician... um... escape artist, but a jerk

This is indeed a fabulous read...you do get a good sense of his obsessions and vulnerabilities...it is beautifully documented and the pictures alone are worth the purchase.

Bought his today (the comments above may have swayed me) and it's a gripping read. Well written, great photos and lots about the man I didn't know before. I recommend it already and I've not even finished it yet. Fascinating stuff!

This is going to me a must buy for me! After reading David Blaines book i became intrigued with Houdini! What an amazing man.