Harry Houdini didn’t go to school past the 6th Grade, but when he became older and successful as an escape-artist and criminal he became a voracious reader. He also wrote books and various
periodicals. This collection of essays offers choice selections of what Joseph Teller, a famous magician who provides the introduction, calls the ＂raw Houdini.＂ The essays range in length from
just a few pages to over a dozen, covering magical effects, cryptography and other trickery. They sometimes show sympathy with the art of master criminals, showing admiration for tax-fraud and
burglary. Houdini is a witty writer and writes unselfconsciously about subjects that surely would have scandalized his contemporaries. There is no index to this text. Annotation ©2012 Book
News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
