Walter B. Gibson and Morris N. Young’s
WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR
OF
Houdini’s Fabulous Magic
Tour Begins February 27th
Book Summary
Incredible escapes, fantastic sleight-of-hand-Houdini’s most challenging performances are dramatically portrayed in Houdini’s Fabulous Magic. Walter Gibson, co-author, was in close touch with Harry Houdini for a number of years before his death and worked with the master magician in preparing material for the book. It is with the aid of Houdini’s own scrapbooks and notes that this book was written.
The spectacular highlights of Houdini’s career are described-and explained-here. Included are the famous escapes: escapes from a padlocked milk can filled with water; from locked jail cells; from a water-filled Chinese torture cell while suspended upside down; from packing cases weighted under water. Again, in this book, Houdini walks through a brick wall, vanishes a 10,000-pound elephant and is buried alive. Once more, Houdini and his wife Bessie mysteriously exchange places in a locked trunk-in three seconds!
And Houdini the man is not ignored. His impact on the world in the early years of the twentieth century was enormous. He was a public hero who, in his own way, helped sweep out the cobwebs of nineteenth-century thinking. While doing so, he distinguished himself as a patriot, writer, collector of magic, aviator, movie idol, philanthropist, and crusader against fraudulent spiritualistic practices.
This is a technical manual for magicians, complete with illustrations and diagrams, but it is also an astute analysis of the best of Houdini’s magic and a readable biography of a man who turned himself into a legend. It is a book for would-be conjurers, for professional necromancers, for those curious about the methods and means of one of the most enchanting men of the previous century.
Publisher: Vine Leaves Press
ISBN-10: 0517180747
ISBN-13: 978-0517180747
ASIN: B0BH8L1LRC
Print length: 249 pages
Purchase a copy of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Bookshop.org. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Author
Walter B. Gibson (1897-1985)
Walter, a graduate of Colgate University, was a prolific writer including The Shadow novels under his pen name Maxwell Grant. For a time he was Houdini’s personal secretary. Following Houdini’s death, the attorney for the estate permitted Walter to examine many of Houdini’s private scrapbooks and notes from which Gibson wrote Houdini’s Magic and Houdini’s Escapes. Houdini’s scrapbooks, papers and other documents form the background for Houdini’s Fabulous Magic. Also a magician, Walter toured with and wrote for magicians such as Blackstone (Sr.), Thurston and Raymond. He was a member of the Mystery Writers of America, the American Society for Psychical Research, the Magician’s Guild of America and the Magician’s Club of London.
Morris N. Young, M.D. (1909-2002)
Morris, a graduate of M.I.T., Harvard and Columbia University was Director of Ophthalmology at Beekman Downtown Hospital in New York City. Aside from his numerous professional memberships, he was a member of the Society of American Magicians (to which Houdini had helped him join as a young man), the International Brotherhood of Magicians and a member of the Inner Circle of the Magic Circle (London). He was a founder of the Magic Collectors Association including their publication MAGICOL. Along with his wife Chesley, he established the largest private holdings on memory and mnemonics which now resides at the University of San Marino. Along with his friend John McManus, in 1955 they established the McManus-Young Collections at the Library of Congress, The University of Texas, Austin and the University of California in Berkeley. Morris’ other book publications include Hobby Magic, Houdini on Magic (with Walter Gibson), Presto Prestige, Bibliography of Memory, How To Develop An Exceptional Memory (with Walter Gibson), The Complete Guide to Science Fair Competition (with John Stolzfus) and Radio Music Live (with John Stolzfus).
You can visit the website created by Morris N. Young’s children, Charles C. Young and Cheryl L. Young: https://www.musicmagicandmore.com/
Advance Praise of the Book
Teller of Penn & Teller says: “I’ve loved this books for sixty years. My first copy was borrowed from the Philadelphia Public Library when I was fourteen, and I kept renewing the loan till I could afford to own my own copy. Houdini’s Fabulous Magic has just the right blend of history, technical secrets, and romance to fire the passion of a young magician. Four pieces of the Penn & Teller repertoire were directly inspired by Houdini’s Fabulous Magic–four times more than any other book in my library”.
John Cox in his “Wild About Harry” website (Wildabouthoudini.com) and blog said of the earlier editions: Houdini’s Fabulous Magic by Walter B. Gibson and Morris N. Young is the best forgotten Houdini book. I say that because when one thinks of books on Houdini’s methods, one tends to turn to Houdini The Key by Patrick Culliton, The Secrets of Houdini by J.C. Cannel, or even Gibson’s earlier work, Houdini’s Escapes and Magic. Maybe because Fabulous Magic contains some reprinted material from the earlier Gibson book it tends to be thought of as a somewhat recycled work. But it’s actually one of the very best books on Houdini’s major feats and methods and maybe the best book for the layperson. It also contains historical tidbits that aren’t found elsewhere. So let’s remember it today!”
Blog Tour Calendar
February 27th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic. Follow along our tour and you’ll have the chance to win a copy of the book too.
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
February 28th @ The Mommies Review
Join Glenda for her review of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic. You’ll also have the chance to win a copy of the book too!
http://www.themommiesreviews.com/
March 1st @ Word Magic
Fiona will be featuring the book Houdini’s Fabulous Magic on her blog.
http://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com/
March 6th @ One Writer’s Journey
Join Sue for her review of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic.
March 8th @ A Storybook World
Join Deirdra for her feature of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic.
https://www.astorybookworld.com/
March 10th @ Reading is My Remedy
Join Chelsie today for her review of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic.
https://readingismyremedy.wordpress.com/
March 12th @ Joan P. Nienhus
Joan shares her thoughts about Houdini’s Fabulous Magic.
https://www.facebook.com/joan.nienhuis/
March 15th @ One Sister’s Journey
Join Lisa for her review of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic.
March 20th @ My Beauty My Books
Join Nikki for her feature of an excerpt of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic. You have the chance to win a copy of the book too!
March 23rd @ Knotty Needle
Join Judy for her review of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic.
http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com/
March 25th @ Choices
Visit Madeline’s blog for her review of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic. You also have the chance to win a copy of the book too!
http://www.madelinesharples.com/
March 27th @ Candid Canine
Join Chris for a review of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic.
https://candidcanine.blogspot.com/
March 29th @ World of My Imagination
Visit Nicole’s blog for her review of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic.
https://worldofmyimagination.com
March 30th @ Silver’s Reviews
Join Elizabeth for a spotlight of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic.
http://silversolara.blogspot.com/
March 31st @ The Faeries Review
Visit Lily’s blog for her review of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic.
https://www.thefaeriereview.com/
April 2nd @ Jessica’s Reading Room
Join Jessica for her review of Houdinis’ Fabulous Magic. You’ll also have a chance to win a copy of the book too!
https://www.jessicasreadingroom.com/
April 2nd @ Coffee And Ink
Visit Jan’s blog for her review of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic.
https://coffeeandinkbooks.wordpress.com/
Excerpt:
In Washington, D.C., on January 6, 1906, Houdini escaped from Cell Number 2 of Murderers’ Row in the U.S. Jail, the cell in which Charles Guiteau, the assassin of President Garfield, had been imprisoned for nearly a year. He then proceeded to open the doors of eight other cells and shuffle their occupants about, so that each was found in a different cell when Houdini called officials to the scene, about twenty minutes later.
Houdini obtained certificates both from Warden J. H. Harris and Superintendent Richard Sylvester, covering that occasion, on which he was stripped and searched as usual. In his affidavit, Superintendent Sylvester stated:
The experiment was a very valuable one in that the department has been instructed as to the adoption of further security which will protect any lock from being opened or interfered with. The act was inter- esting and profitable, and worthy of study.
Most spectacular of all, however, was Houdini’s escape from the Boston City Prison on March 19, 1906, where Superintendent of Police, William H. Pierce personally clamped Houdini in handcuffs and leg irons; then locked him in a cell on the second tier.
In about twenty minutes, Houdini not only escaped from the manacles and cell; he went through the other cells, looking for a prisoner to lock in the one he had left; regained his clothes from a locked cell on the lower tier; scaled the prison wall and reached the theater, half a mile away, where he phoned Superintendent Pierce to tell him all that had happened.
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