"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.

Houdini: The Man Who Walked Through Walls (1969) PDF

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