I knew Harry Houdini's basic story- that the name that gave him such recognition wasn't his birth name, most of his stage tricks, and his death. One can hardly breathe the word 'magician' without referencing the escape artist. My father always spoke of Houdini with reverence- as if he had known the man or witnessed one of his death-defying escapes.
Here, too, are rare photographs never before seen by the general reader! Here are the stories of how a knockabout kid named Ehrich Weiss, the son of an impoverished rabbi, presto-changoed himself into the legendary Harry Houdini. Did Houdini really pick the jailhouse lock to let a fellow circus performer escape? Were his secrets really buried with him? Was he a bum magician, as some rivals claimed? How did he manage to be born in two cities, in two countries, on two continents at the same instant? In this fresh, witty biography of the most famous bamboozler since Merlin, Sid Fleischman, a former professional magician, enriches his warm homage with insider information and unmaskings. No jail cell or straitjacket could hold him! He shucked off handcuffs as easily as gloves. Libraries that need more solid nonfiction graphic material will find this fine account of the great escape artist useful.Who was this man who could walk through brick walls and, with a snap of his fingers, vanish elephants? In these pages you will meet the astonishing Houdini-magician, ghost chaser, daredevil, pioneer aviator, and king of escape artists.
The book includes a glossary, an index, an account of Houdini’s death, a few photographs, and a brief list of books for further reading. Kinsella uses sepia tones with soft blues and greens to illustrate the book readers will appreciate the details on the locks and various containers. A two-page spread shows some of his successful feats, escaping from a sealed milk can, a locked glass box, and even a giant football. "This entry in the new American Graphic series discusses Houdini’s progress from his time in a circus to becoming a wealthy stage performer, framed by the portrayal of one of his most famous stunts, the escape from the “Water Torture Cell.” Biskup does not explain how Houdini managed to perform any of his escape stunts, so readers become part of Houdini’s audience rather than getting a backstage view of things.
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