The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero

Written by William Kalush and Larry Sloman

Narrated by Adam Grupper

Handcuff King. Escape Artist. International Superstar.

Since his death eighty-eight years ago, Harry Houdini’s life has been chronicled in books, in film, and on television. Now, in this groundbreaking biography, renowned magic expert William Kalush and bestselling writer Larry Sloman team up to find the man behind the myth. Drawing from millions of pages of research, they describe in vivid detail the passions that drove Houdini to perform ever-more-dangerous feats, his secret life as a spy, and a pernicious plot to subvert his legacy.

The Secret Life of Houdini traces the arc of the master magician’s life from desperate poverty to worldwide fame—his legacy later threatened by a group of fanatical Spiritualists led by esteemed British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Initiating the reader along the way into the arcane world of professional magic, Kalush and Sloman decode a life based on deception, providing an intimate and riveting portrayal of Houdini, the man and the legend.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Oct 31, 2006
• ISBN: 9780743561938

William Kalush

William Kalush has been a dedicated student of the art of magic for more than twenty-five years. Founder of the Conjuring Arts Research Center and publisher of Gibecière, an esteemed magic history journal, he has helped create several world-famous magic stunts and prime-time network television specials.

Reviews for The Secret Life of Houdini

[magus_manders · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was an adventure in itself, as grueling, but also as entertaining and mystifying as the great Houdini himself must have been on stage. If only one word could be said, that word would be "Thorough". Kalush and Sloman say in their preface that they created, as best they could, a day-by-day time line of Houdini's life, and it is clear that they did exactly that. Almost every gig the magician every played is at least mentioned, if not detailed in this tome, making it certainly one of the most complete biographies ever written. At times, the sheer amount of information and number of names can be overwhelming, but they wisely include many anecdotes of the challenges and confrontations that Houdini made along the way to spice up the story a bit. Unfortunately, towards the end, things get a bit stroppy, with scenes and information being randomly shoved into the middle of chapters, having no-where else logical to put them. The authors clearly respect Houdini, but I do not think that compromised their representation of him. For all of the wonder and amazing feats they describe, they also make it clear that he could have a vengefully temper, near superhuman stubbornness, and moments of incredible hypocrisy. It seems that one of the main arguments against this book is that Kalush and Sloman make some almost far fetched hypothesizes, including that Houdini served as a spy for both American and British intelligence in tours through Europe. I'm as sceptical as the next guy, but truth be told, it could almost be true. They do not try to make up evidence, they just find some rather telling coincidences and communications that could point to Harry having his hands in some pretty heavy stuff. Luckily, at least to my opinion, that did not hijack the book, but indeed increased some of the mystery and made me as the reader even more engrossed. There are a few more incidents they describe which have very little backup besides personal accounts told long after Houdini's death, but again, the added layers may enhance the story as opposed to disrupt it. Only later in the book do things seem to get a little over the top, but they cite sources in there online footnotes that seem reliable, and frankly, it is almost too outrageous to be invented.By far, the only frustrating part about this book is that they only reveal the methods that Houdini used if the man reveled them himself in his lifetime. Every other trick, from the water-cell to some of his phony 'mind-reading' is left as a mystery. The authors often don't even acknowledge that we don't know what he did, they just take it as unknowable and move along. I suppose that that is just the nature of the magician, is it not?All in all, this was a very engrossing and entertaining read, even if it sometimes got a little outlandish and a little full of minutiae. In many ways, it also forced me to ask more questions than it actually answered, but to that, we have to look at the subject. The true nature of Harry Houdini has been long lost. No one now alive was ever close to him, and most of the queries we have will never be answered. In a way, his entire life was one of his tricks: stunning and miraculous, but all of the solutions took place behind a curtain. We will never know if he was a spy, if he was murdered, if he really did have some sort of power beyond mortal ken (though he always denied it). These things and more will remain mysteries, and they rightly should do just that. Even in life, Houdini was more Myth than Man, and I do not think he would want it any other way.

[lostinavalonor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. First, let me just congratulate myself on reading every word of this 560 page opus! It's been years since I've read anything this long. In fact, it's really possible that this is the longest book I've ever read.Secondly, I'd like to note that it's also very possible that I now know more about the man who was Harry Houdini than I know about my own husband. The authors were extremely thorough in their investigations...and that's putting it mildly.Overall, I'd have to say that I like the person Houdini was. What often comes across as arrogance is often superseded by charm. Although, if the medical diagnosis on record is correct regarding his death, I'd say it was ultimately his arrogance that did him in.One of the most fascinating facts in the book, in my opinion, was that Houdini was the first person to pilot a plane over Australia. That's neat! The incident a couple pages over about knocking loose a submerged corpse was pretty interesting too!I was amazed by Houdini's efforts to raise finances during the war. He truly was a go-getter and, the fact that this unstoppable attitude brought about a million dollars' worth of sold war bonds in just a year, blows my mind!The authors devoted a lot of time to Houdini's debunking myths and exposing falsehoods. I liked this because it showed that he had a strong humanitarian side and that he spent his last days doing good for the sake of others. I was shocked, several times, by the gullibility of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I was actually embarrassed for him when the authors discussed his surprise at the "removable thumb" trick. What a sad life he must have led---he was obviously possessed, insane, or both.Unanswered questions include: what was the deal with Dr. Crandon and the boys? It would have been nice to have some follow up there---but perhaps that whole subject is still a mystery.As a whole, I was really impressed with this biography of the Great Houdini. I will set this aside to release soon.

[beatthat_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Pure escapism.

[rocketcitymel_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A man for all times, and a brilliant work of research including original manuscripts. A detective story of the master of mysteries.

[sgerbic · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reviewed July 2007 Where to start? Firstly I love the short breaks in the chapters this allows me to read faster and with more interest. I must say that this book seems overwhelmingly well researched. Lots of interesting pictures. The difference with this bio from other works is that the authors claim Houdini worked for the Secret Service many times throughout his career. The evidence they give seems to support this theory. Relying on primary sources they are able to recount conversations that might have happened, this only makes the story more readable. Houdini is an amazing man - truly what the authors call America's First Superhero. Houdini guarded his reputation carefully which might be why his name is in the dictionary today. The chapters I was most interested in were the later ones where Houdini takes on the spiritualists. The story of Houdini and Conan Doyle has already been recounted in "Final Seance" which I read years ago. There seems to be no conflict between these two books. Doyle saw Houdini as a genuine medium who would not admit it, "Doyle and the true believers despised him for standing in the way of the New Revelation." (p.521) Very religious Houdini badly wanted to believe, he wanted to contact his mother but found only frauds. "Would the God that created the most breathtaking mountain ranges...stoop to manifest something as vile and bse as ectoplasm?" (p. 496) One ex medium supposedly told Houdini about her change of heart, "I really believed in Spiritualism all the time I was practicing it...but I thought I was justified in helping the spirits out...through tricery I could get more converts...to a good and beautiful religion." (p. 490) Houdini exposed hundreds (?) of mediums waging war on them. He had plants inside most spiritulist circles and eposed their tricks during his performances. His most famous nemisis is Margary from Boston. Houdini eposed her on stage as well, one night he showed a photograph of Walker as a young man, her spirit guide and also her brother and then he showed a photograph of Walter crushed by a train. The saddest part of the whole book was the treachery by his beloved wife Bess. 16-2007

[erikssonfamily · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely love Houdini; he was the reason I became fascinated with magic. This book does a wonderful job of examining new material and new stories about Houdini. Some chapters read like a blur and others seem long winded and tiring. The authors attempt to show Houdini's secret life as a "special agent." However, they do not support their claims enough. At times I think this book loses its focus and becomes like any other biography. If you are interested in Houdini and looking for something different, this is the book.

[bnbookgirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting bio of Houdini. I had just finished reading the Confabulist and it prompted me to read this bio. Much of the info crossed over from the novel to the bio but I still found some new facts about Houdini. There are some nice photos in this book as well. The book is really well researched and it reads quite quickly. Perhaps because I had just finished the other Houdini book I found this bio a bit tedious and lengthy at times. For anyone interested in his life and personality, this is a good reference.

[etimme_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed the progression the authors showed in Houdini's act from sleight of hand to the handcuff escapes that really started his career. However, while he was remembered for his magic, above all he was a showman that knew how to market himself as a brand. This began with free publicity by doing jail escapes in the towns he went to, but took on a more refined form with plants and public challenges (by competitors and press both funded by Houdini himself). The book is meticulous in its research about this latter form of the magician's art, doing a great job of revealing the mystery behind some of his tricks (and ruining their magic for the reader in the process), while paying only brief mention to others, keeping their trick locked up.Houdini the magician is only part of the man, however, and the authors dispense with him in the first half of the book, making a smooth transition after his mother's death to Houdini the enemy of Spiritualism. We learn about how in the beginning of his career Houdini would speak to pastors and grave diggers and gossips before putting on a show in a town so that he could "divine" truths about audience members during his shows, but he quickly put this behind him when it saw how it could affect people and make him seem extra-human. He spent the time after his mother's death battling the growing religious movement of Spiritualism, which was really just a series of clever con men and women that used parlor tricks to bilk money out of grieving individuals.The authors make a compelling case for Houdini being assassinated by the Spiritualists, although they admit it is shrouded in a lack of information, so it could have also been a tragic accident.Overall the book is filled with a huge amount of new information about the author, all of it well researched and presented in a format that slips in and out of a narrative voice, a technique that is effective and lends itself well to the material.

[meggo_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Here are five things I learned about Houdini:1. He was a spy for both the US Secret Service and England2. He was the 25th person on earth to fly an airplane3. He was the first person to achieve manned flight in Australia4. He was savage to competitors and gracious to allies5. His appendix was on the wrong sideWell written and researched, at over 500 pages, this was a very comprehensive biography of one of the twentieth century's most famous people. His escape tricks and illusions are well known, as was his battle against spiritualists in his later life. But the book also explores parts of his life that are less known, such as his espionage work, his tumultuous relationship with his wife, and his darker moods. Well worth the effort to read.