Houdini Harry: Signed (19 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First Edition, First Printing SIGNED by Harry Houdini. A beautiful copy. This copy has a full page inscription by the author on the front free endpaper. "to .aboard the N.D.L. Kronprinz Wilhelm, mid-ocean, May 25, 1913. Houdini had suggested, during this voyage, that he would like to perform to raise funds for the seaman's charities by jumping overboard while handcuffed, but the captain decided that it was too risky in the shark-infested waters. The book is in great shape. The binding is tight with NO cocking or leaning and the boards are crisp with minor wear to the boards. The pages are clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the book. A beautiful copy in collector's condition authentically SIGNED by the author. We buy SIGNED Harry Houdini First Editions. Signed by Author(s).…

First Edition. An illustrated auction catalogue for the sale of the impressive collection of Houdini material from Manny Weltman, a self-described Ômagic nutÕ, smitten at an early age by the mysterious world of magic and Harry Houdini in particular. Mr. Weltman published several books on Houdini: Houdini: A Definitive Bibliography (1991) and Houdini - Escape Into Legend - The Early Years (1993), which was intended to be the first in a series of volumes. Included in this catalogue are books by and about Harry Houdini (many signed and inscribed), manuscripts, a personal diary, magazines and newspapers, curiosities, letters, performance programs, photographs, film, ephemera, posters, etc. Illustrated throughout. With the prices realized sheet laid in, individually listing the prices for which each item sold. Essential reference for any Houdini collector. Paperbound. Fine in wrappers. …

Manuscript. Condition: Very Good. Twenty-three letter-sized manuscript leaves (approx. 8.5" x 11"). Written in dark ink and hand-numbered by Lovecraft: page numbers 16, 18, 24, 25, 26, 26b, and 27-43. The manuscript pages feature heavy contemporary ink revisions, cancellations, interlinear additions, and a data table. Lovecraft concludes on page 43 in ink: "The End / Thank Gawd!" and the manuscript is signed "Houdini" by Harry Houdini in pencil at the conclusion. The manuscript is written on the reverse sides of correspondence and constitutes a rich literary archive, preserving original incoming letters to H.P. Lovecraft. Professional and personal correspondence, typescript poetry submissions, and editorial rejections sent to Lovecraft between 1922 and 1926 by associates, editors, and other contemporaries are represented here. Some horizontal folding creases, sporadic edge wear and chipping, age-toning. The Manuscript (Rectos): A major autograph working draft of The Cancer of Superstition, the ghostwritten treatise commissioned by Harry Houdini in 1926 to combat spiritualism and commercial fortune-telling. Writing entirely in his own hand, Lovecraft systematically deconstructs astrology using modern astronomical scientific knowledge-citing the precession of the equinoxes, light-speed delays, and extragalactic nebulae-while refuting astrological claims through logic, probability, and history. Lovecraft mounts a rigorous scientific assault on astrology, treating pseudoscience not merely as an intellectual failing but as a cosmic absurdity. On page 39, he constructs a detailed planetary data table tracking diameters, solar distances, and revolution periods, arguing that when viewing these immense scales, "we can no longer entertain the astrological illusion that our earth is a considerable object for whose benefit the rest of the universe is arranged." Turning his venom toward the commercial occult trade, Lovecraft decries "how many dollars are snatched from the unwary by a device so ancient & so simple," warning that "many lives have been utterly wrecked through the random bombast & gibberish of some ignorant & unscrupulous soothsayer" (page 26). Elsewhere, he dismantles horoscopic predictions through celestial mechanics, noting that zodiac signs "sprang partly from apparent conditions no longer existing" (35), and questions the clockwork of the planets reckoning with light-speed delays crossing vast distances of the cosmos: "If the planets rule the earth, why are not the real times of their aspects calculated; instead of the apparent times as judged by their light as it reaches us?" (38). Driving his argument to its climax, Lovecraft brands astrology as "a legacy from primitive times; a sister of witchcraft, fetichism [.] a shame & a nuisance in the world of broadening thought," and brings his draft to an exhausted close: "The End / Thank Gawd!" (43). The Correspondence (Versos): Lovecraft reused the blank backs of incoming correspondence received between 1922 and 1926 to draft the text-a lifelong habit born of extreme poverty and his frequent inability to afford fresh writing paper. These versos contain letters, poems, and notes from key associates including W. Paul Cook, James F. Morton Jr., Anne T. Renshaw, Horace L. Lawson, Leo Fritter, Edward L. Sechrist, and John Ravenor Bullen. Notably, Leaf 26b preserves a typed rejection letter from Macfadden Publications (Ghost Stories magazine) dated September 13, 1926, establishing the precise date of composition weeks prior to Houdini's death on October 31, 1926. Beyond serving as draft paper, these recycled letters capture vivid glimpses into Lovecraft's inner circle and literary network. James F. Morton Jr. bemoans his paid ghostwriting work, lamenting "The more I work on this stuff, the more I realize the hopeless inadequacy of the profanity division of the English language" while praising mutual associate Samuel Loveman as "a greater genius than both of us together" (see letter on reverse of HPL's corresponding manuscript page 41). A remarkably interesting and macabre letter from entomologist Edward L. Sechrist is present. Inspired by Lovecraft's horror fiction, Sechrist muses on having little "reverence for human meat than for any other kind of flesh and I believe I could contentedly pick a bone with the rest of a group of cannibals squatted beside a little fire. So I rather appreciate your Doctor's experiments. I have no shivers for anything." (28-29). Crucially anchoring the entire assembly is a formal rejection letter (26b) from Macfadden Publications' Ghost Stories magazine ("I regret that I am unable to use it"), typed September 13, 1926-providing the definitive date of this manuscript composition just weeks before Houdini's untimely death. Historical & Publication Context: Following their successful 1924 collaboration on "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs," Harry Houdini retained Lovecraft to spearhead a book-length crusade against spiritualism and pseudoscience. Lovecraft devised the work's master outline and drafted its core scientific arguments, bringing in his Providence associate C. M. Eddy, Jr. to expand prose chapters under his editorial direction. The project came to a sudden halt when Houdini unexpectedly died on Halloween 1926, prompting his widow, Bess Houdini, to discontinue the work. Long regarded as a legendary lost collaboration-represented in print for decades only by Lovecraft's outline in Arkham House's The Dark Brotherhood (1966) and a partial typescript discovery in 2016-the text remained unpublished for nearly a century until its debut release in March 2025 by 1878 Press Co., titled The Cancer of Superstition and credited to "Harry Houdini & C.M. Eddy, Jr. Outline by H.P. Lovecraft." Here, preserving twenty-three pages written entirely in Lovecraft's own hand, this manuscript proves he penned far more than a mere outline for this famous lost work. Signed.…

First Edition, First Printing, INSCRIBED BY HOUDINI to friend, copyright lawyer, and noted poet Melville Henry Cane, the inscription is signed and dated 04/22/24. The date is noteworthy as the book was printed in March and not released until May 2nd, thus this copy was given to Cane prior to it being readily available to the general public. Assuming Houdini would have had a fairly limited number of advance copies, we can assess Cane's importance to him. With twenty-five illustrations from black and white photographs on 19 glossy plates. Royal 8vo, in the publisher's original navy blue cloth, the upper cover lettered in gilt within a gilt double-ruled frame, the spine gilt lettered. xix, [1], 294 pp. A very nice and well preserved copy of a book rarely found in good condition, the binding solid and sound with just light rubbing or edgewear and a little mellowing to the cloth, the spine lettering faded, the text clean and sound with the paper just lightly aged. FIRST EDITION AND AN INSCRIBED COPY WITH A HIGHLY IMPORTANT ASSOCIATION. Melville Cane was a noted poet and lawyer; more importantly he was Houdini's friend and copyright lawyer; and was copyright counsel to other notable writers as well, including Sinclair Lewis, Upton Sinclair, Ayn Rand, William Saroyan, Jean Toomer, and Thomas Wolfe. Cane and Houdini's association however was more than just that of lawyer and client, they were also friends. In the inscription Houdini refers to Cane as "the Twins Author", a reference to Cane's identical twin daughters. After Houdini's unexpected death in 1926, Cane wrote a poem titled "Houdini." It is one of the more interesting literary responses to Houdini because Cane knew the magician personally. It appeared in Cane's collection 'Behind Dark Spaces', published in 1930. The poet always considered this to be best work. Cane was also awarded the Frost Medal by the Poetry Society of America in 1971 for lifetime achievement. Unlike many later poems that treat Houdini as a symbol of liberation or transcendence, Cane's poem is more concerned with the paradox of Houdini himself: a man who could escape almost any physical confinement yet remained deeply bound by his obsessions, particularly his campaign against fraudulent spiritualists and his inability to escape mortality. The poem is characteristic of Cane's stylerestrained, thoughtful, and psychologically observant rather than flashy or celebratory. A MAGICIAN AMONG THE SPIRITS was considered by Houdini to be the most important book he wrote. It was his final major book and the culmination of more than thirty years spent investigating mediums, séances, spirit photography, slate-writing, table-rapping, and other claims of communication with the dead. The book is a passionate and meticulously researched attack on fraudulent spiritualism at a time when belief in mediums was widespread on both sides of the Atlantic. Houdini attended hundreds of séances, often in disguise, and became convinced that every medium he encountered relied on trickery rather than genuine supernatural powers. Part history, part exposé, and part detective story, Houdini presents himself less as an entertainer than as an investigator. One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is its connection to Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle was an ardent spiritualist who believed mediums were genuine. Houdini and Doyle were initially friends and admired one another, but their views on spiritualism increasingly diverged. The publication of A Magician Among the Spirits effectively marked the end of their friendship. Theirs was of one of the most famous intellectual disputes of the era. Today the book is regarded as one of the foundational works of modern skeptical investigation. Many later debunkersincluding James Randi and the team of Penn Jillette and Tellerfollowed a path that Houdini helped establish.…

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Hardcover. Bound in brown cloth with black and white decoration and lettering on the cover. Faded white lettering on the spine. Corners lightly bumped and crown of spine a bit curled, but overall quite good condition. Binding and text block both in good tight condition. Front free endpaper is signed Harry Houdini, and underlined. Houdini's signature is frustratingly variable -- The facsimile printed in this very volume has H's without any curls at all -- but examples on most of the authentication sites show pronounced loops and cramped overlaps. The version in this book is in blue ink, fluidly done and with H's very much in keeping with his most commonly seen autographs on letters and photographs. Title page dated 1908. Copyright page dated 1906, 1907 and 1908. Frontispiece portrait of Houdini, with reproduction of his signature beneath. Tissue guard complete, with a couple faint spots of foxing. 319 pages. Illustrated throughout. Inside back cover has a rough spot about 2.5 inches across where a sticker was removed (or something like that). Two similar spots on the rear endpaper, and a third on the back side of the final page of text. Houdini was at the height of his international fame when he published this book. It went through several editions and (whether it was accurate or not) increased his popularity and attracted more attention to his traveling show. Please email with questions or to request additional photos. Signed by Author(s).…

Hardcover. First Edition, First Printing. Octavo, xxi, 294 pages. In Very Good minus condition. Bound in blue cloth with gilt lettering and decoration to spine and front board. Mild shelf wear to boards, including sun fading to spine (lettering remains legible); bumping to head, tail, and corners; scuffing to boards; boards somewhat shaken, no shelf lean, binding sturdy; age-toning to text block, stain to top; mild age toning to interior pages, text remains clear and legible; contains several black-and-white photographs and illustrations. Signed flat by Houdini on the dedication page. Inscribed on the front free endpaper by Houdini to Police Commissioner Richard Enright. JD consignment. Shelved Case 3. Richard E. Enright, police commissioner of New York from 1918 to 1925, and Erik Weisz, more commonly known by his stage name Harry Houdini, were both friends and professional collaborators. The pair maintained a good relationship until Houdini's death in 1926, making the inscription in this book a personal glance into a historically noteworthy relationship. Enright was the first person to assume command of the NYPD through climbing the ranks on merit and was the longest serving commissioner at the time. While his policies attracted criticism during prohibition, during his eight year term he instituted many reforms that benefited the working conditions of police officers and improved the overall efficiency of the police force. Enright was responsible for the execution of all laws and regulations of the NYPD starting before prohibition and through the early 1920s. He was charged with preserving the public peace, preventing crimes, arresting offenders, suppressing riots, and suppressing houses of "ill fame," vice and gambling. Enright specifically targeted illegal gambling establishments formery run by the U.S. Congressman and underworld figure "Honest" John Kelly. Enright's continued harassment of Kelly's posthumous operations eventually forced them to sell the infamous Vendome Club building to a Republican political organization. While collaborating with the police in perfecting and performing many of his most famous acts, especially those involving handcuffs, Houdini kept company with lawmen and stayed in touch with their affairs outside of his escape acts. He frequently lectured at police academies and departments, including the NYPD, as part of his (rather ironic) lifelong commitment to serving the common good through education against escape and deception. By the end of his career, Houdini had an NYPD pass that authorized him to cross "all police lines" (Silverman, pg 44). In a letter written to psychic researcher Harry Price on July 4, 1925, Houdini affirms his police connection stating, "You know I am instructor here to the Police Academy to about hundred and fifty detectives." (The Harry Price Library, at The University of London) In an interview for the November 1925 issue of Popular Science Magazine, Houdini said "[In the summer of 1924,] Police Commissioner Enright, of New York, asked me to lecture at the New York Police Academy, to explain to the members of the police force just how to go about detecting fraudulent mediums. The best and most direct way that occurred to me of doing this was by staging a séance, performing myself the tricks that the mediums use." "It has been my good fortune," Houdini wrote later, "to meet personally and converse with the chiefs of police and the most famous detectives in all the great cities of the world." (Silverman, pg 43) Houdini bought tickets for the Policeman's Ball, kept a folder labeled "Police Cuttings," and owned a Directory of Police and Prisons, which named the chief of police in every sizable town in the country, and the wardens of state and federal prisons. In 1924, As President of the Society of American Magicians, he arranged a benefit dinner in New York for the families of fallen policemen, further cementing his positive reputation with the NYPD. Richard Enright, who was Commissioner of Police at the time, attended that meal and had nothing but flattering things to say about the magician. "I want to say about [Houdini]-of his wonderful generosity and fine way of exemplifying it. He has a pretty hard job, and it's pretty hard on him to steal this gentleman away from his vacation-away from the few leisure months that he has, and ask him to perform for some charitable purpose. But we have called upon him and he has come down to the great field day tournament, whether they be in July or August or in early September, which is the latest that we hold these games. Houdini comes down and performs for us and he is one of the best and most spectacular and finest exhibitions that we have. And this wonderful charity that he supports so brilliantly with what he does makes up a fund which is used for the widows and orphans of policemen who are killed in the discharge of their duty, and so Houdini is a magician for these widows and orphans. He helps in his wonderful way to bring magical things to them-things that they could not have if it weren't for the support of men like Houdini-and I tell you that is the great magic of the world." (The Sphinx, August 15, 1924, p. 181). 1394446. Shelved Dupont Bookstore. Signed. …

First Edition. Signed presentation copy signed and inscribed by the author Harry Houdini on front free endpaper. Inscribed: ÒTo my very old young friend, S. Howard Swobe, with best wishes and regards of the author of this the First authentic History of magic and magicians ever published. Harry Houdini, Dec 16 - 1916 Be sure and (at least) read the introduction. HHÓ. Illustrated. Near fine copy with a little handling. HoudiniÕs study of magic. Enclosed in a custom red leather and cloth clamshell box.…

Hardback. Condition: Fine. First Edition. First Edition of the author's landmark title inscribed by Houdini as follows. "To / F.L.C. Wehrenberg Jr / with compliments / of the author / Harry Houdini / 4/27/16 / Baltimore MD. Book comes with a variety of fascinating newspaper articles.

Original Cloth. Condition: Near Very Good. No Jacket. 1st Edition. Full page inscription, with signature. Slight wear to head and tail of spine cloth. Inscribed by Author(s).

hardcover. Condition: very good(+). Second. From the German by D. Boileau. Colored frontispiece & 22 folding b/w plates. Square 16mo, original salmon boards with circular paper title label. London: Boosey & Sons, 1825. Second Edition, greatly enlarged. Harry Houdini's copy, with his penciled ownership signature on the end-paper, and the notation "Bot Leeds England 1913". The initials "H H" are written on the fore-edge. A rare and unusual item.…

First edition of this classic work. Octavo, original cloth with gilt titles to the spine and front panel, top stain yellow, frontispiece of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Houdini, illustrated. Lengthily signed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Best wishes Houdini and alls well 3/11/25 Cleveland O." On 9 March 1925, illusionist and escape artist HarryÂHoudiniÂbegan a two-week engagement at Cleveland's Palace Theatre, with the first devoted to his escape act and the second to debunking spiritualists. The last ofÂHoudini's books to be published in his lifetime, A Magician Among the Spirits, was the culmination of over thirty years of studying and debunking occult phenomena, in particular spiritualists, whomÂHoudiniÂconsidered to be little more than con artists. On 10 March,ÂHoudini, County Prosecutor Edward C. Stanton, and a representative from the Cleveland Press went undercover at a seance conducted by spiritualist George Renner, whose gatherings included floating trumpets supposedly controlled by spirits. As the lights went down,ÂHoudiniÂsmeared the trumpets with lamp soot, then, as the trumpets began to rise, suddenly turned on a flashlight, revealing Renner's face and hands covered in soot and proving that it was he who was controlling the "floating" trumpets. Renner was arrested, andÂHoudiniÂleft just in time to make that evening's performance at the Palace Theatre. The present volume was signed the following day, likely by aÂHoudini still very pleased with himself over the previous evening's expose. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Harry Houdini whose real name was Erik Weisz, was one of the most famous magicians and escapologists of all time. He was highly skeptical of the many claims made concerning psychic and paranormal phenomena, which were very popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He attended hundreds of sà ances for the purposes of his study, and never experienced one he believed genuine. In this book, published in 1924, he described the mediums and psychics whom he revealed as fraudulent, exposing the tricks which had convinced many notable scientists and academics. These included spirit writing, table rapping, spirit manifestations, and levitation. Among those he revealed as frauds was the famous medium Mina Crandon, and his exposures led to a public split with his former friend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a firm believer. The book is a fascinating account of superstition and gullibility.…

First edition of this historical account on the friendship between writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and magician Harry Houdini. Octavo, original publisher's orange cloth, top stain green, frontispiece of Conan Doyle and Houdini. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Oscar S. Teale With every good wish from Bernard M.L. Ernst November 17, 1933." The recipient, Oscar Teale (1901â"1986), was an American magician, lecturer, and historian of magic whose work bridged performance, scholarship, and the preservation of conjuring as a serious cultural practice. He served as the private secretary to Harry Houdini during the final years of Houdiniâs life, a position that granted him direct access to the magicianâs professional correspondence, research, and anti-spiritualist investigations, and later informed Tealeâs influential role in preserving and interpreting Houdiniâs legacy. In very good condition with light rubbing and spotting to the spine and extremities. Accompanied by an original flyer for the book laid in. An exceptional association, rare and desirable signed. Bernard M. L. Ernst (1897â"1971) was an American writer and historian of magic best known for his rigorous documentation of stage magic, escapology, and anti-spiritualist performance in the early twentieth century. After taking a sustained interest in magic, he became Harry Houdiniâs personal attorney and later the legal representative of Houdiniâs estate, overseeing the magicianâs correspondence and private papers while also collecting magic memorabilia. He lectured on Houdini and magic at Columbia University and, in 1926, succeeded Houdini as President of the Society of American Magicians. 'Houdini and Conan Doyle' offers a concise historical account of the complex friendship and eventual estrangement between the magician Harry Houdini and the writer Arthur Conan Doyle. Drawing on correspondence, public statements, and contemporaneous accounts, Ernst traces how their relationshipâ"initially grounded in mutual admirationâ"became increasingly strained due to irreconcilable views on spiritualism. While Conan Doyle emerged as a committed believer in psychic phenomena, Houdini devoted considerable effort to exposing fraudulent mediums, a stance that directly challenged Doyleâs convictions.…

Rare stock certificate signed by the worldâs greatest escape artist, master illusionist Harry Houdini. One page, partially printed in brown and black ink with an embossed seal, the document is dated January 23, 1922 and certifies that W.E. Jefferson hereby owns twenty shares of the Capital Stock of Houdini Picture Corporation. Signed by Harry Houdini as President of the Corporation and countersigned by Harry H. Poppa as Assistant Treasurer. In near fine condition. With a Houdini Picture Corporation Voting Trust Certificate awarding 30 shares of common capital stock of Houdini Picture Corporation to Abel Shearer. In 1918, Houdini signed his first contract with film producer B. A. Rolfe to star in a 15-part serial, The Master Mystery (released in November 1918), and after Rolfe went our of business, he was signed by Famous Players-Lasky Corporation/Paramount Pictures, for whom he made two pictures, The Grim Game (1919) and Terror Island (1920). Following this successful Hollywood two-picture stint, Houdini returned to New York and founded his own film production company, Houdini Picture Corporation, in 1921 with a capitalization of $500,000. He produced and starred in two films: The Man from Beyond (1921) and Haldane of the Secret Service (1923). He also founded his own film laboratory business called The Film Development Corporation (FDC), gambling on a new process for developing motion picture film. Houdini's brother, Theodore Hardeen, left his own career as a magician and escape artist to run the company and Magician Harry Kellar was a major investor. Neither Houdini's acting career nor FDC found success, and he gave up on the movie business in 1923, complaining that "the profits are too meager".Â.…

Rare stock certificate signed by the worldâs greatest escape artist, master illusionist Harry Houdini. One page, partially printed in brown and black ink with an embossed seal, the document is dated July 18, 1921 and certifies that George Popp hereby owns fifteen shares of the Capital Stock of Houdini Picture Corporation. Signed by Harry Houdini as President of the Corporation and countersigned by R.G. Risley as Treasurer. In near fine condition. With a rare Famous-Players-Lasky Promotional brochure for The Grim Game, Houdini's first full-length movie which is widely regarded as his best. In 1918, Houdini signed his first contract with film producer B. A. Rolfe to star in a 15-part serial, The Master Mystery (released in November 1918), and after Rolfe went our of business, he was signed by Famous Players-Lasky Corporation/Paramount Pictures, for whom he made two pictures, The Grim Game (1919) and Terror Island (1920). Following this successful Hollywood two-picture stint, Houdini returned to New York and founded his own film production company, Houdini Picture Corporation, in 1921 with a capitalization of $500,000. He produced and starred in two films: The Man from Beyond (1921) and Haldane of the Secret Service (1923). He also founded his own film laboratory business called The Film Development Corporation (FDC), gambling on a new process for developing motion picture film. Houdini's brother, Theodore Hardeen, left his own career as a magician and escape artist to run the company and Magician Harry Kellar was a major investor. Neither Houdini's acting career nor FDC found success, and he gave up on the movie business in 1923, complaining that "the profits are too meager".Â.…

First edition of this work by Houdini regarding his one-time idol. Octavo, original cloth, frontispiece of Houdini, illustrated throughout. Boldly signed by Harry Houdini on the front free endpaper. Bookplate to the front pastedown, in near fine condition. Rare and desirable signed. âHarry Houdini was a unique figure in the history of entertainment⦠a hero of legend and folklore.â Following the death of his mother in 1913, Houdini began to investigate spiritualism and âsoon became an all-out crusader against it. Early in 1924 he began lecturing throughout the United States on fraudulent mediums. In city after city he attended sà ances in disguise, exposing frauds on the spot and sometimes securing their arrest, aided by his personal squad of detectives. The raids brought him huge publicity as well as a million dollars in lawsuits.â At his death in 1927, âhe was buried in a brass replica of the iron casket, his head pillowed on a bundle of his motherâs letters to himâ (ANB). The legendary magician and illusionist Harry Houdini turns a critical eye to the astonishing claims of those in his own profession in his work Miracle Mongers and Their Methods. Using personal research and observations, Houdini reveals the cunning techniques employed by fire-eaters, sword swallowers, and other masters of deception to mystify and amaze audiences around the world.…

Two printed photos and a printed explanation at top of one sheet, oblong 6 x 8.5", toned, folds, minor wear and soiling, but WRITTEN AND SIGNED BY HOUDINI. Houdini writes: "Dear Dr. Prince [?]. Hope alls well. I can "visualize" the test of the 24 year old boy after I left tour. All[?] but it was effectful. Regards and complements of the season. Sincerely yours Houdini. I had a good thought re the Séance at which I attended. You want to be careful re cabinet! I'll tell you what I mean in person." At top of the page, Houdini writes "Week 23 Orpheum St Louis MO / Dec 30 Orpheum K. City Mo." The "cabinet" and "séance" refer to Mina Crandon, who almost won a $2500 prize offered by Scientific American to prove telekinesis.until Houdini attended her séances in July and August 1924 (at which time Mina was locked in a wooden cabinet to keep her from ringing a bell). "Dr. Prince" was Walter Franklin Prince, a friend of Houdini, who was out to expose fake mediums (though, he himself believed some were genuine). The experience was related in the book HOUDINI EXPOSES THE TRICKS USED BY THE BOSTON MEDIUM "MARGERY" (Adams Press: NY nd), a copy of which is included here (worn, folded, torn, soiled), which includes both photos and illustrations of "the cabinet" and "Margery" (Mina). `.…

Two printed photos and a printed explanation at top of one sheet, oblong 6 x 8.5", toned, folds, minor wear and soiling, but WRITTEN AND SIGNED BY HOUDINI. Houdini writes: "Dear Dr. Prince [?]. Hope alls well. I can "visualize" the test of the 24 year old boy after I left tour. All[?] but it was effectful. Regards and complements of the season. Sincerely yours Houdini. I had a good thought re the Séance at which I attended. You want to be careful re cabinet! I'll tell you what I mean in person." At top of the page, Houdini writes "Week 23 Orpheum St Louis MO / Dec 30 Orpheum K. City Mo." The "cabinet" and "séance" refer to Mina Crandon, who almost won a $2500 prize offered by Scientific American to prove telekinesis.until Houdini attended her séances in July and August 1924 (at which time Mina was locked in a wooden cabinet to keep her from ringing a bell). "Dr. Prince" was Walter Franklin Prince, a friend of Houdini, who was out to expose fake mediums (though, he himself believed some were genuine). The experience was related in the book HOUDINI EXPOSES THE TRICKS USED BY THE BOSTON MEDIUM "MARGERY" (Adams Press: NY nd), a copy of which is included here (worn, folded, torn, soiled), which includes both photos and illustrations of "the cabinet" and "Margery" (Mina). `.…

Rare collection of items from the magician Oscar Teale, the private secretary to famous magician Harry Houdini. Including a typed contract copy signed by Teale regarding him agreeing to compile and edit Houdini's book A Magician Among the Spirits. An autograph note at the top of the contract states that Houdini never signed the contract that he prepared. One page, typed copy, dated May Eighth, 1922. Boldly signed by Oscar Teale at the bottom. In very good condition with toning and paperclip impressions. Oscar Teale's personal notebook with notes on performances, magic tricks, and musings. Duodecimo, six ring leather binder, with handwritten notes on blue lined paper in pencil and pen. Accompanied by four tricks in envelopes with printed instructions on the front panels and typed instructions for two more tricks. All in very good to good condition with toning, chipping, a few small closed tears. A typed letter from editor William H. Briggs of Harper & Brothers to Harry Houdini discussing the title of his upcoming book on spiritualism. One page, typed on Harper & Brothers Publishers letterhead, and dated November 17, 1923. The letter entreats Houdini to title his book A Magician Among the Spirits rather than use the original title of Spiritualism Exposed, which may have had negative connotations and offended spiritualistic believers, who they hoped to have buy his book. Instead, Mr. Briggs proposes to Houdini that the title A Magician Among the SpiritsÂboth capitalizes on Houdini's reputation as a magician and would be most advantageous for the sales of his book. Boldly signed by Briggs at the bottom of the letter. In good condition with mail folds, creasing, toning, and a small closed tear to the top left corner. Oscar Teale was a magician, lecturer, and historian of magic whose work bridged performance, scholarship, and the preservation of conjuring as a serious cultural practice. He served as the private secretary to Harry Houdini during the final years of Houdiniâs life, a position that granted him direct access to the magicianâs professional correspondence, research, and anti-spiritualist investigations, and later informed Tealeâs influential role in preserving and interpreting Houdiniâs legacy.…

Houdini is known as one of the greatest escapologists and stunt performers, as well as a skeptic and investigator of spiritualists. He was also a film producer and actor. The illusion of mind reading intrigued Houdini. Both he and Zancig had little to do with each other though both belonged to the Society of American Magicians. Houdini doubted mentalist Julius Zancig's ability to self proclaimed ability. In this three piece correspondence Zancig reveals his trick. This correspondence began with Zancig's Aug. 8 TLS to Houdini on "How to Thought Picture. here is the secret Harry nd (sic) no one lese (sic) has it but you up to this time.you promise not to Devulge (sic) it to any one here." Houdini replied first with a three page holograph letter including bold capital letters detailing what he did not understand about Zancig's trick. The letter is not in is hand but is most likely a draft of the typed letter he sent to Zancig. The typed letter included in this group varies from the hand written letter and is very likely a copy of the typed letter Houdini did send. This copy contains a hexagram drawing in ink appearing to be in Houdini's hand. He never believed the mind reading illusion had anything to do with a special mental ability. From the Aug. 17 holograph letter "I have gone over the Thought Picture sheet very carefully but must confess that it is not clear to my mind." The letter ends on the second page, with his name then crossed out and the letter continued onto a third page . "I really cannot put these things together and would appreciate your making it clearer--With best regards, yours, Houdini." This first closing and signature are struck out and followed on the last page with, "Do you really attempt to reproduce what is drawn by members of the audience, or confine your reproductions to your prepared list? If so what about identification by audience." At this point it is signed on his behalf, "With best regards, Houdini." The letter while not in Houdini's hand expresses his views about Zancig. It is possible the letter was dictated as a first draft then redrafted into the typed copy here. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle declared in 1923 that Julius Zancig and his wife were genuine telepathists, contradicting Houdini''s belief that the Zancigs' "mind-reading performances required no supernatural powers. Houdini purchased the explanation of the act from Julius Zancig in order to demonstrate the truth of his view to posterity." (Milbourne Christopher, Houdini, New York, 1969, p. 177)." Harry Houdini forever changed the world of magic and escapes. Signed.…