Houdini, The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin
Window card with Houdini and his Unmasking of Robert-Houdin, from the back cover of our reprint
Houdini, The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin
Houdini, The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin
Houdini, The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin

Houdini, The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin

$39.99

Houdini’s Important History of Magic

Exact facsimile scanned from the original
Originally published 1908
Almost 200 historic illustrations
Eleven chapters
Biographies of bygone magic performers
Images of playbills and memorabilia from Houdini’s collection
An important source for magic history research

336 pp.
Hardbound (casebound)
6.25 x 9.25 in.
Gorgeous glossy cover
Houdini window card in color on back cover
High-quality satin-finish paper

The French descendants of Robert-Houdin, the father of modern magic, didn’t appreciate that Houdini appropriated their family surname as a stage name, so an insulted Houdini threw a literary temper tantrum and wrote a distorted history of magic that falsely portrayed Robert-Houdin as a dishonest imitator. The magic world fortunately did not adopt Houdini’s biased viewpoints.

In the process of making his case, Houdini preserved in print some of the most important artifacts in his collection, illustrating his book with almost 200 playbills, photos, clippings, and engravings, as well as tracing the life stories of many important figures in early magic.

Our facsimile reproduces the 1908 first edition from the Karr Collection. Like our other reprints, we haven’t re-typeset the text, so you can see the actual original pages.

Note: You can also purchase this book with our other Houdini-authored works and save. See: The Complete Houdini Bookshelf

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Description

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Significant Events in the Life of Robert-Houdin
Birthplace and Beginnings
Torrini
Automata
1840-1898
Robert-Houdin’s Contributions

Chapter 2: The Orange-Tree Trick
History of the Trick
Christopher Pinchbeck
Isaac Fawkes and Pinetti
Amusements Physiques
M. Cornillot

Chapter 3: The Writing and Drawing Figure
Early Development
P.T. Barnum
Wonderful Talking Machine
Disproving Robert-Houdin’s Claims
Jacquet-Droz Figure
Tracing the Figure to Robert-Houdin

Chapter 4: The Pastry Cook of the Palais Royal
Described and Advertised
Predecessors
Phillippe’s Le Confiseur Galant
Ernest Basch

Chapter 5: The Obedient Cards, The Cabalistic Clock, The Trapeze Automaton
The Obedient Cards
The Cabalistic or Obedient Clock
The Trapeze Automation

Chapter 6 The Inexhaustible Bottle
Described
History Exposed

Chapter 7 Second Sight
Foundation of Robert-Houdin’s Success
Robert-Houdin’s Claims of Originality Disputed

Chapter 8 The Suspension Trick
Suspension Trick Described
Examining the Claims
Lives of the Conjurers by Thomas Frost
Ching Lau Lauro
Heimburger: “Alexander the Conjurer”

Chapter 9 The Disappearing Handkerchief
Described from Robert-Houdin’s Memoirs
Cagliostro and the Cagliostro Seals
Ne Plus Ultra of the Cabalistic Art

Chapter 10 Robert-Houdin’s Ignorance of Magic as Betrayed By His Own Pen
Robert-Houdin as a Purloiner and Adapter of Tricks
Ignorance of Effects as Written in Memoirs
Les Secrets de la Prestidigitation et de la Magie

Chapter 11 The Narrowness of Robert-Houdin’s “Memoirs”
Potential Charms Destroyed by Pettiness
Ignoring Henri Robin
Attacking Pinetti
Bartolomeo Bosco
John Henry Anderson

Index

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