{"product_id":"houdinis-library-inside-the-spellbinding-collections-of-the-great-illusionist-9780789215390","title":"Houdini's Library: Inside the Spellbinding Collections of the Great Illusionist","description":"Harry Houdini (1874-1926) was not only a great magician but a great collector. Every corner of his townhouse at 278 West 113th Street in New York was filled with books, pamphlets, prints, clippings, playbills, and photographs documenting the history of magic and theatrical performance. \"It would cost fully a million dollars to forge the collection of evidence now in my hands,\" Houdini wrote in 1908. \"These programs, advertisements, newspaper notices, and crude cuts trace the history of magic as no romancer, no historian of a single generation possibly could. They are the ghosts of dead and gone magicians, rising in this century of research and progress to claim the credit due them.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This handsome oversize volume is published to coincide with a major exhibition at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, where much of Houdini's library is preserved. It traces the growth of the legendary illusionist's collections throughout his career and illustrates hundreds of his treasures--many for the first time. They range from a priceless copy of Reginald Scot's 1584 volume \u003cem\u003eDiscovery of Witchcraft\u003c\/em\u003e, the first book to reveal the secrets of sleight-of-hand; the irreplaceable collection of playbills and programs that Houdini obtained from the British conjuror Henry Evans Evanion; the travel diary of David Garrick, the eighteenth-century actor who defined modern theatre; and much more. \u003cem\u003eHoudini's Library\u003c\/em\u003e will be a source of fascination for anyone interested in the history of magic and performance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Eric Colleary\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Abbeville Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/15\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 312\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 5lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 12.18h x 10.11w x 1.22d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780789215390","brand":"Abbeville Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48296584904841,"sku":"9780789215390","price":65.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_10dd4ead-7bcd-44f6-b49a-23943f26ff59.jpg?v=1788843242","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/houdinis-library-inside-the-spellbinding-collections-of-the-great-illusionist-9780789215390","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}