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The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero
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The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero Paperback - 2007

by William Kalush; Larry Sloman

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.


Summary

Handcuff King. Escape Artist. International Superstar. Since his death eighty years ago, Harry Houdini's life has been chronicled in books, in film, and on television. Now, in this groundbreaking biography, renowned magic expert William Kalush and bestselling writer Larry Sloman team up to find the man behind the myth. Drawing from millions of pages of research, they describe in vivid detail the passions that drove Houdini to perform ever-more-dangerous feats, his secret life as a spy, and a pernicious plot to subvert his legacy.

The Secret Life of Houdini traces the arc of the master magician's life from desperate poverty to worldwide fame -- his legacy later threatened by a group of fanatical Spiritualists led by esteemed British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Initiating the reader along the way into the arcane world of professional magic, Kalush and Sloman decode a life based on deception, providing an intimate and riveting portrayal of Houdini, the man and the legend.

From the publisher

Handcuff King. Escape Artist. International Superstar. Since his death eighty-eight years ago, Harry Houdini's life has been chronicled in books, in film, and on television. Now, in this groundbreaking biography, renowned magic expert William Kalush and bestselling writer Larry Sloman team up to find the man behind the myth. Drawing from millions of pages of research, they describe in vivid detail the passions that drove Houdini to perform ever-more-dangerous feats, his secret life as a spy, and a pernicious plot to subvert his legacy. The Secret Life of Houdini traces the arc of the master magician's life from desperate poverty to worldwide fame--his legacy later threatened by a group of fanatical Spiritualists led by esteemed British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Initiating the reader along the way into the arcane world of professional magic, Kalush and Sloman decode a life based on deception, providing an intimate and riveting portrayal of Houdini, the man and the legend.

Details

  • Title The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero
  • Author William Kalush; Larry Sloman
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 608
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Atria Books, New York
  • Date 2007-10-02
  • ISBN 9780743272087 / 0743272080
  • Weight 1.64 lbs (0.74 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.18 x 6.12 x 1.08 in (23.32 x 15.54 x 2.74 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 1900-1949
    • Chronological Period: 1851-1899
  • Library of Congress subjects Magicians - United States, Houdini, Harry
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

Media reviews

"Kalush and Sloman appear to have raked through every known Houdini archive to produce the most comprehensive and controversial biography ever written about the man, with its contention that he was a spy who may have been murdered by a cult." -- Tony Barrell, London Sunday Times

About the author

William Kalush has been a dedicated student of the art of magic for more than twenty-five years. Founder of the Conjuring Arts Research Center and publisher of Gibecire, an esteemed magic history journal, he has helped create several world-famous magic stunts and prime-time network television specials. Larry "Ratso" Sloman is best known as Howard Stern's collaborator on what were then the two fastest selling books in publishing history, Private Parts and Miss America. Sloman's recent collaborations include Mysterious Stranger, with magician David Blaine, and Scar Tissue, the memoir of Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer Anthony Kiedis--both books were New York Times bestsellers.
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by William Kalush and Larry Sloman

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The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero

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The Secret Life of Houdini : The Making of America's First Superhero

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