The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini by Joe Posnanski

The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini Reviews

• 
  Kemper

  At various points Harry Houdini lied about where he was born, when he was born, how he met his wife, and he routinely got fictional accounts of his escapes in newspapers. Hell, Harry Houdini wasn’t even his real name. So how do you write a biography about a man whose entire life was built around tricking people and sensationalizing himself?
  
  What the writer has done here is to focus less on the details of Houdini’s life. Sure, we get the basic facts and educated guesses when necessary, and there’s a lot about various Houdini legends while comparing them to reality. However, that’s not the main point of this book. Instead of trying to figure out who Houdini was and how he accomplished what he did, the book is more interested in examining how Houdini continues to fascinate and inspire people to this day. Considering that this was a man who whose very name became synonymous with amazing escapes of any kind, that’s an interesting topic.
  
  Here’s the odd thing for me. I don't really care about magic, and I'm not even that interested in Houdini although he certainly led a memorable life. So why did I read this? Because I am a big fan of Joe Posnanski.
  
  Posnanski is a sportswriter who was an award winning columnist in Kansas City for many years, and if I had a nickel for every story I read that he wrote about a horrible Royals teams during that time I’d be richer than Bill Gates. I met him once, and he signed a copy of his wonderful book about Buck O’Neil,
  The Soul of Baseball. I’ve listened to the podcast he does with TV producer Michael Schur and I have even ordered the dish named after him, Posnanski Chicken Spiedini, at a restaurant called Governor Stumpy’s on more a few occasions. (Not only is it really good, but you get a huge portion that gives you great take home leftovers for another meal.)
  
  The fascinating thing about Posnanski to me is that he isn’t your typical 21st century hot-take sports guy. By modern standards his sports writing could almost be called gentle, and he always seems to be looking for the bright side without seeming naive. He is almost effortlessly funny, too. The thing that really always stood out was that Joe had a knack for finding awe inspiring moments in places that might be overlooked. I always had the feeling that part of the reason he was a sports fan is that it’s a thing where somebody doing something unbelievable is always just a play away.
  
  However, Joe left Kansas City years ago, and while he’s had several high profile sports writing jobs since, I’ve missed getting a dose of that that kind of optimism a few times a week when I cracked open a open a copy of the Star. Truth be told, I’ve drifted away from watching sports at all in recent years so I don’t seek out Joe’s writing like I used to. I did get a nice reminder of it when a story he wrote about taking his daughter to see Hamilton went viral that made Lin-Manuel Miranda cry.
  
  So even though I’ve got little interest in magicians, I picked this up just to read some Joe Posnanski. And he delivers by giving us a story about wonder. Houdini might have been a bully, a liar, a jerk, and a shameless self-promoter, but as repeatedly gets pointed out, he was the ultimate showman with a relentless drive. The legend of Houdini has inspired countless other magicians and escape artists, and those are the stories that Posnanski is really telling us here. He wants to figure out why a flawed man whose main talent was putting himself in rigged situations to escape from has managed to flourish in the public imagination for decades after his death.
  
  To try and answer that Joe talks to everybody from David Copperfield to a reclusive former actor who wrote an incredibly detailed book about Houdini that is nearly impossible to find. Along the way we hear about magic acts, tricks of the escape artist trade, debates about Houdini’s actual skill, and a variety of other topics that all are oriented around trying to puzzle out the appeal of the man. In the end I did learn a lot about Houdini, and it also gave me a lot to think about in terms of what creates legendary fame and how one person's image can inspire countless people long after they're gone.
  
  If you’re thinking about reading it, and you’re not sure if it’s your cup of tea, here’s a link to the column Posnanski wrote about
  taking his daughter to see Hamilton . If you enjoy that, there’s a good chance you’ll like this book.
• 
  Margo

  In full disclosure, this is my husband's book. It's really a fun book that's more magical history and personal stories than revealing how magic is done. What I like best is that after several years of crafting this book, Joe is done! I can plan social events, sweep under Joe's desk and remind him to take out the trash on Tuesday nights. But seriously, I remember telling Joe "there are a lot of books out there on Houdini." Delivery trucks would startle our standard poodle, Westley (not in the acknowledgements!) who barked at all those deliveries of magic books on our front porch. So he may be the most happy this book is finished. This new Houdini book takes a sweeping yet modern angle on returning to an age where wonder and great escapes were paramount. Westley hopes you get the book on YOUR front doorstep soon!
• 
  Jill Hutchinson

  This is a magic book about magic. Of course, it depends on what one calls magic. We all know that the magician is hiding the truth from the audience but the good magician can hold one spellbound and make us believe. This was the secret of Harry Houdini.
  
  Houdini, who was fairly talented with cards, coins, scarves, etc, knew he needed something else to become famous. He discovered that his "escapes" were the answer and there are at least two of his routines in which the secret of "how did he do that" have yet to be successfully explained, although theories abound (some of which are included in this book).
  
  This isn't exactly a biography of Houdini but rather a tour through his career and conversations with modern day popular magicians regarding their attitudes of why Houdini's popularity has continued 100+ plus years after his death. There are current groups/clubs that study his work and collectors (such as the great David Copperfield) who search the world for Houdini memorabilia. The author, also a Houdini fanatic, separates the fact from myth (and there are many myths) through his research and collaboration with Houdini experts.
  
  Even if you are not particularly a fan of magicians, this book will hold your attention throughout and leave you wondering how Houdini escaped the Mirror Handcuffs which is one of his unexplained tricks. Very well done and very interesting.
• 
  Tim

  Joe Posnanski is my favorite sportswriter. I love how he is a great storyteller, but also has a respect for complexities. Sometimes writers seems determined to fit everything into a pre-planned narrative. Posnanski has a gift for allowing the complexities to naturally come out and be part of the story, but not in a boring or technical way.
  
  In The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini, you can see this skill on display. He unravels the stories and facts about Harry Houdini like peeling and onion, gradually getting closer and closer some core of truth about the man, but at the center are still a lot of unresolved mysteries. Sometimes he uncovers great stories that have been passed down through the ages; but alas - they aren’t true, or at least can't be proven to be true. But, the stories are still worth telling and appreciating for what they are, even if it isn’t the literal truth. Often there is a whole story behind the story, and another story behind how the story has been passed on through the years.
  
  The book has a meandering feel to it. There are some different rabbit holes the book goes down, where I had to stop and think “wait why are we talking about this person again?”. But it never bothered me because it was always great fun.
  
  One of my favorite interludes was Spanish magician Juan Tamariz and his “seven veils of mystery”. Mystery 1: the Mystery of Love. The more you love magic, the more the audience can feel it. How do they know? That is the mystery. They just do. There is the Mystery of Energy. The more energy you feel inside, the richer the experience for the audience. How do they know? He doesn’t know, but they just do.
  
  I loved this part as it felt to me about more than just magic tricks. It is probably good advice to try to make everything you do better. It reminded me of Posnanski’s writing. I know he loves his stories and brings a ton of energy to his writing. How do I know? I have no idea, I just know. Why does it matter? I don’t know, but it does matter – I just feel like I can sense it, and it makes a difference.
  
  Highly recommended!
• 
  Porter Broyles

  Just finished The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini. I do not care for the books title, it does not describe the book. The title implies that the book is a biography of Harry Houdini and hints that it might delve into the "afterlife" of Harry Houdini. This is more of an introduction to modern magic history for the non-magician.
  
  Joe Posnanski's explores the impact that Harry Houdini made on the field of magic. How did Houdini influenced magicians in his lifetime and the 100 years since. Posnanski ties the key events and acts in Houdini's life with other magicians.
  
  Posnanski does not argue that Houdini was a great magician---quite contrary---he accepts the position that he was average at best (he even discusses the premise that Houdini wasn't even a magician). Nevertheless, he argues that Houdini was the most influential and best-known.
  
  Therein lies the beauty of this book. Posnanski introduces the lay reader to a number of significant magicians---most of whom the magic community knows, but may have been forgotten by non-magicians.
  
  This is exemplified when he talks about Epic Rap Battle of History--- David Copperfield
  vs Harry Houdini. Yes, there was a chapter dedicated to the rap battle, which tells you the light hearted manner in which the book was written! The key take away here was that while Copperfield was the greatest and best known magician of his generation and is still performing more people know the name Houdini than Copperfield.
  
  This is a fun very quick read. I just wish it had a different title that was more descriptive of the contents.
• 
  Al

  Posnanski is one of my most favorite sportswriters, and Harry Houdini one of my favorite biographical topics.
  
  So, I was a bit torn, actually; because I have read enough about Houdini. I didn't really need another book about him.
  
  Anyway, I bought it and I enjoyed it.
  
  Less a bio, it's equally about his Legacy. Houdini is a person everyone has heard of, regardless of age and location. Heck, even today's stars are not that ubiquitous.
  
  It's a bit in the style of "Confederates in the Attic", interviewing some of the world's biggest Houdini experts, including David Copperfield. Never staying on one topic for too long (and I mean that in a good way), it moves quickly and doesn't drag like biographies sometimes can.
  
  There is a lot of subjects touched upon. Why is Houdini so great? Experts will tell you he's at best an average magician.
  
  Certainly myth helps Houdini. Much of what people believe about Houdini comes from those myths. Posnanski explores some of the history and stories that make him enduring, and what is true and what isn't.. This is not a biography, per se. However, I think it could definitely fill those needs for most. Nor is it one-sided, it covers all aspects of the Man.
  
  I am still awestruck about the Man. Posnanski talks about magic and why it works (not in a physical sense, but in a transcendent sense)- how Houdini could paint an image in our mind, why magicians of today must do certain things to succeed and what drives them.
  
  I like the parts too where Posnanski and other experts try to figure out the unsolvable mysteries of Houdini. Again, why it works, is because Posnanski touches on so many things, and shares the most interesting elements.
  
  This is a book I will read and read again, and is a terrific addition to a Houdini shelf. It is interesting that Posnanski in the afterword, said he was going to write about Babe Ruth (Jane Leavy and others have got there first), but his main goal was to write about "Wonder".
  
  He certainly succeeded.
  
  
  This is a really fun book
  
  
  
  
• 
  Bookreporter.com Biography & Memoir

  I have read autobiographies. I have read as-told-to autobiographies, where the subject will later come to claim that he has been misquoted. I have read biographies, everything from respectful scholarly tomes to cheap hit jobs. I have read fictionalized biographies and biographical fiction. But I don’t think I have read anything quite like THE LIFE AND AFTERLIFE OF HARRY HOUDINI. While the book itself is perfectly, if narrowly, delightful, I hope that its particular genre doesn’t catch on.
  
  Part of this is due to the passage of time. Author Joe Posnanski, who has written an admirable and admiring biography of Negro League great Buck O’Neil (and a disastrously unlucky biography of Penn State coach Joe Paterno, which was penned as the Sandusky scandal was unfolding), understands this; it’s much easier to write a biography when you can talk to and interview the subject, and those who knew the subject. But Houdini died in 1926, over 90 years ago, and everyone who knew him has since passed away. That leaves the biographer with secondary sources. Still, there are Houdini biographies that cover nearly every facet of his life and are tailored to almost every individual taste.
  
  Where the smart-aleck reviewer asks, “Why, then, does the world need another Houdini biography?” the intrepid author has hit on a solution. THE LIFE AND AFTERLIFE OF HARRY HOUDINI is a biography, after a fashion, although a sketchy one. (Posnanski, faced with the period of Houdini’s life when he invested a good deal of time debunking spiritualism, literally says that he’s not interested and moves on to the next thing.) But the focus of the book is not so much on Houdini himself --- or even on the Houdini mythos, which is difficult enough to separate from reality --- but on the small group of people who are, in the 21st century, obsessed with Houdini.
  
  Everybody needs a hobby. It is perfectly okay for someone to be interested in Houdini, and if that rises to the point of obsession, who am I to judge? I do not have an obsessive nature myself --- certainly not when it comes to collecting things. The people who Posnanski interviews and profiles in this book have that nature, and collect things, and a good part of the book is the author strolling through their collections. (The most comprehensive of these is that of cheesy TV magician David Copperfield, who has a literal warehouse of stuff related to Houdini specifically and magic in general.)
  
  The central thesis of THE LIFE AND AFTERLIFE OF HARRY HOUDINI is that Houdini has had an outsize effect on current American society far and above his contemporaries. Which is not wrong, necessarily. Just last weekend, I was watching the Red Zone channel, and heard two separate announcers describe quarterbacks escaping a determined pass rush as being Houdini-like, this within the space of five minutes. Posnanski produces several similar examples, most of which explicate the fact that TV broadcasters have a limited well of metaphor to draw from than anything else. I don’t think you can question the general thesis, but I seriously doubt that Houdini’s legacy is quite as pervasive as Posnanski makes it out to be. He states, in one passage, that you simply can’t be ambivalent about Houdini. I am entirely pleased to be ambivalent about him, as I am about most things (except for Dr. Pepper, not putting beans in chili, and the perfidy of the New York Yankees).
  
  The point I am trying to make here is this: If you are obsessed with Houdini, and you spend a long time talking to people who are, it is quite possible --- probable, even --- that you are going to come to the conclusion that Houdini’s legacy is a lot more widespread than perhaps it actually is.
  
  THE LIFE AND AFTERLIFE OF HARRY HOUDINI does two things very effectively. First, it lets Posnanski tell Houdini stories, which usually turn out to be interesting or fun. (This is one case where I wished I’d listened to the audiobook instead.) Posnanski takes a great deal of glee in relating the best stories --- and debunking the worst ones --- and his excitement is infectious. Secondly, he lets his interview subjects dunk on Houdini from time to time --- pointing out that he wasn’t a great card or technical magician. (I do wish Posnanski had gotten to interview the late Ricky Jay, who had been critical of Houdini as well.)
  
  As for the rest of the book, while it’s technically fine, it doesn’t quite capture the imagination. The epigram at the beginning is from Patrick Culliton, an actor turned Houdini obsessive, and Posnanski describes his struggles getting to talk to him or obtaining a copy of his detailed (and rare) Houdini biography. And then, at the end, he gets to meet Culliton --- and the most impactful story that he has to tell is about a Florida dinner theater experience.
  
  If you’re even vaguely interested in Houdini, Posnanski’s book is a great deal of fun and does a lot to separate the myths from the facts. But if you’re primarily interested in a biography qua biography, the long divergent stretches where the author talks to Houdini obsessives will either strike you as engaging, in which case you’re fine, or annoying bordering on grating, in which case you’re probably in the market for a different Houdini biography.
  
  Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds
• 
  Erin Zzona

  This year I have been focusing on reading books with strong womxn on womxn content. In order to reinvigorate the eroticism of the books that I want to read, I decided to mix it up and read something with strong male ego vibes. This book was O.K. One unexpected and memorable stand out is reading about Dorothy Dietrich, a feminist magician who was the first person to saw a man in half in her magic act on television! Also, there are at least four typos in the first edition text.💋
  XOX
  ~EZ
• 
  LynnDee (LynnDee's Library)

  This is like a 2.5. The writing is good, and I liked how it was more conversational than academic as some biographies are apt to be. Content-wise, however, I just didn't care. Houdini isn't someone that interests me, and if this wasn't a committee read it would have been a DNF. But if you like Houdini or he interests you, then this may appeal to you.
• 
  Morgan Hedglin

  Oh man. I knew nothing about Houdini before this book except for his name and that he escaped chains and water chambers, but there are so many more fascinating details. The man himself had such an unyielding personality and inspired true wonder in all who met him. The book also reads like a fun conversation with Joe and the people he interviews. Now I'd really like to go to Scranton, PA to the Houdini museum.
• 
  Ann-Marie

  A fun read by a great storyteller. It’s about Houdini, who I only knew of in general outlines, but better, it’s an insightful book about ambition, showmanship, and the magic community.
  
  3 stars because I liked it, but I didn’t really like Houdini much. The book was easy to read with some entertaining characters. So many people find Houdini compelling, but the closer the look, the less appealing I found his need for fame. And the more his acts seemed like cons.
• 
  Michael

  Writing a book on Houdini is an extremely difficult thing to do. There are so many rumors and lies (a lot started by the man himself) that writing a true biography is near impossible. But Joe has managed much better than most. With this book you don't only explore the life of this historic figure but the myths that surround him and the lives his legacy has touched in modern day. Harry Houdini has long been known has a great magician who pushed the boundaries of our imagination as his feats grew larger and more dangerous. His name not only serves as a description of magicians and their feats of illusion, but his life also serves as an example of what can happen when man meets nature and her forces. Houdini influenced people and that there is no Houdini truth. He also was a bully. The stories of how he influenced people are less interesting than the fact that no one knows who the "true" Houdini is. The book interviews with today's magicians such as David Copperfield and others and visits to museums dedicated to Houdini give us an in depth look at how, even long after his death, Harry Houdini has had a profound influence on our life. If you’re primarily interested in a biography, the long divergent stretches where the author talks to Houdini obsessives will either strike you as engaging, in which case you’re fine, or annoying bordering on grating, in which case you’re probably in the market for a different Houdini biography. Yes, the book is a little disjointed. Yes, it goes off on tangents here and there. But I found it a very enjoyable read and learned a great deal from it.
• 
  Angus McKeogh

  Just magnified my ignorance of Houdini. There’s so much myth and self-promotion it’s difficult to tell where the man started and where the actual character begins. Informative read.
• 
  Jeremy

  Entertaining but not a straight biography. This is much more a book about Houdini the myth (how Erik Weisz grew his reputation and how his legend has lived on in the imagination) than Houdini the man.
• 
  Mark

  Excellent bio on a fascinating man. It busts a lot of myths about the man too.
• 
  Keith Chawgo

  Posnanski has a love for his subject study and is able to bring this to the fore with his biography on the great and flawed Harry Houdini.
  
  This is not a straight forward biography on Houdini but then again considering the hoops the author has to jump through and the misinformation about the man, Posnanski has done this with his winning formula. Using exhaustive methods to draw out the story behind the myth and legend and moving things back to the reality, the book is a testament to bring a faithful truths to its narrative.
  
  The book relies heavily on the influence of Houdini and does through various people who have admired him, some who are not as great as an admirer and those who absolutely worshipped the ground he walks on. This gives an interesting view to the narrative and works very well. We have conflicting reports which help round out the egotist, the showman and the truth behind the myth and legend. Posnanski does a very good job to lift the curtain up and give us just enough information about the magic and escape art without giving anything away which is quite admirable. He also tries to figure out the birth date, birth place and actual childhood years which seem to be in a muddle and giving this some clarification probably took a lot of research.
  
  His relationship with Bess is still in the shadows and though we learn a little about her and their relationship, the book doesn’t really delve into this too much. We do get some look in on her following Houdini’s death but as she is an enigma herself, she is probably her own stand-alone book. We also have some of the background history of his relationship with his brothers and family. This seems to be not so cut and dry and not quite sure if their feuds were real or for the publicity. This alone is worth its own narrative.
  
  Houdini is a complex man who knew the importance of publicity and using the newspapers for his own usages even if it meant to sling mud at someone else. He was definitely in a camp that to lift yourself higher you have to push someone else down. Houdini’s publicity machine is probably the template for the Kadashian’s and other social media darlings that seem to crawl out of the crevices of media. This is an excellent look at how he accomplished this, not sure if morally it is something someone should use as a guidebook to get ahead but interesting all the same.
  
  Overall, this is an incredible book and no mean feat for the author who has put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears to accomplish such a feat. Keeping it interesting to the very end with given the reader plenty to digest but without including a sensationalised bore which could have been done very easy. What we have instead is a well-rounded biography to serves the fans, the myth, the legend and the truth in equal measures and kept me totally invested. I, for one, know of the man and I learned all the misinformation about the man that I knew was false so it was great to find some home truths and put the legends to bed. Excellent and well worth the read; highly recommended.
• 
  Susan Degnan

  I must admit I was a bit hesitant to read this book considering the author's profile and previous books written.
  I was happily mistaken!
  I have been a Houdini fan for over 40 years.
  I have read most of the books mentioned in this book, and seen almost all of the movies, films and TV shows mentioned.
  I still found interesting insightful information in book.
  I would recommend it to anyone with any interest level in Houdini to read. Thoroughly enjoyable!
• 
  Hanna

  First published at
  Booking in Heels.
  
  This isn’t the first non-fiction book about Harry Houdini I’ve read. I’ve also picked up both The Secret Life of Houdini and Houdini and Conan Doyle. Luckily, each book approaches Harry Houdini from a different angle, so I still feel like I’ve learned something every time.
  
  The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini probably isn’t the best place to start when you’re first starting out learning about Houdini; I’d recommend The Secret Life… for that. However, once that base knowledge is in place, this is a really interesting look at what Houdini meant to people generally, as well as the (many) specific magicians whose original inspiration came from the iconic escapologist.
  
  I always appreciate when non-fiction books talk to you about how they conducted their research – the people they talk to, the author’s first impressions of them, the books they couldn’t get hold of, the museums they toured, etc. It seems to connect you to the subject matter, as though you’re journeying along with the author, and provides a jumping off point if you wanted to explore different paths on your own.
  
  Joe Posnanski seems to have spoken to all the most renowned Houdini ‘experts,’ and toured all the relevant museums and sites. He has even had a tour of David Cooperfield’s personal museum, guided by the man himself! No stone has been unturned and no avenue unexplored in the making of this book.
  
  I feel I should clarify that The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini is still very much about Houdini, however. I had worried before starting it that this would simply be a list of modern magicians’ careers with Houdini being used only as a loose connector. This is not that. We do hear about what prompted other magicians’ love of magic, but not for long and it very much isn’t the focus. It’s more about their feelings towards Houdini, which are then linked back to Houdini’s personality, choices or famous stunts.
  
  It never got repetitive and was so much more than just a list of modern magician’s quotes about the man. I also appreciate that, despite the author freely admitting he loves Harry Houdini, his flaws and shortcomings are also explored at least somewhat objectively. Apparently Houdini was actually fairly crap at card magic, for example, despite lauding himself as the King of Cards.
  
  In short, I probably wouldn’t recommend this as your first foray into Houdini, but I would pick it up as your second. It will debunk some of the more prevalent Houdini myths you may have heard whilst also providing a fascinating insight into Houdini’s legacy – both mainstream and magical.
• 
  Zoann

  I thought Posnanski was an inspired sports writer--his writing may have been the first sports writing I ever read. And, like many, many others, I've always been fascinated with Houdini. This is not a biography per se--more like a long-form essay or collections of columns (as written for a daily newspaper) on why Houdini is universally known almost 150 years after his birth and what makes Houdini different from many other, and some would argue better, magicians/illusionists/escape artists.
  
  One magician, Juan Tamariz, talks about the seven veils of mystery. Paraphrased, here are the seven veils. The mystery of love: the more you love magic, the more the audience loves magic. The mystery of knowledge: the more the audience knows about the trick, the better the trick works. The mystery of work: the better and more work you put into preparing the trick, the richer the experience for the audience. The mystery of energy: the more energy you feel, the more passion you feel; the better the experience for the audience. The mystery of truth: The more truth in the trick (even through there are lots of lies in the trick), the more believable it is. (I would call this truth authenticity or genuineness.) The mystery of the interior world: true art is expressing the artist's deepest feeling about what it is to be alive. And the seventh veil is the same as the first: love.
  
  I think these seven veils apply to any work one is doing. Success is never guaranteed, but if you love your work, you are an expert on your work and you can clearly and simply explain it to those you work with, you prepare to work, you put energy into your work, you are not cynical but genuine about what your work can accomplish, and you can believe that your work matters or will make a difference, then you will be successful, and successful at more than just your work. This is a plan for life. Thus endth the sermon for today!
• 
  John Behle

  I speed listened to narrator Jacques Roy's clarion toned audiobook CD version. Joe Posnanski serves up this bio that also weaves social history of entertainment and technology of the 1890's to 1920's. The later chapters are Posnanski's adventures and mayhem attempts to track down every expert on Houdini. He shows up at a rare Houdini film (the only known copy) screening at a home/museum/fan club in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
  
  And, yes, he does spill the secret beans on a select few of Houdini's vaunted stunts.
  
  My takeaway on Houdini? He was a larger-than-life flimflammer that used connections and sheer bombast (plus a legion of well placed bribes) to rise in showbiz.
  
  I relate to that period of Americana. Houdini was the brightest star of stage, screen and...water tank escapes. Of course, there are the spiritualist stories of his clutching, weeping, widow Bess reaching out to dearly departed Harry via seance.
  
  During this winter, hunker down with this book. You might even find it...spellbinding.
  
  
  
  
• 
  William

  There have been more exhaustive books about Houdini's life, but Posnanski employs a different strategy. He hits the high lights of the escape artist's life but also interviews magicians, card trick artists, escape artists and historians of magic, each giving their own observations about Harry Houdini along the way. This gives a reader just coming to the subject some idea of why Houdini's name continues to endure nearly a century after his death. There are glimpses into his psyche, and a grasp of how, when one steps into Houdini's career, one immediately is enveloped in shadow, legend and fabrication.
• 
  Andrew Wolgemuth

  Posnanski is a great storyteller and a great weaver-together of stories, and this book puts his skills on display. It's far from a typical biography, but it provides a wonderful account of Houdini's remarkable life. And it's far from a history book, but it sets the record straight on any number of false bits of Houdini lore. It also explores the breadth of Houdini's influence and following, the nature of "magicians" and escape artists, and the idea of wonder. A fun read.
• 
  Andrew

  This is the most engrossing book I've read in a couple of months. Posnanski really does write like a feature writer in a sports magazine, but I really love that style. What I'm trying to say is, he wrote an autobiography that seemed more centered around an event than merely a man. As much as the details, and misdirections, about Houdini's life are fascinating, Posnanski captures the most amazing facet of his legacy: his effect on other people's imagination. Half the people he interviews don't even seem to like Houdini, but he is just so perfect for shining a light on the art of magic. I'll think about this book for a long time.
• 
  Fil Garrison

  A fascinating a well-written biography, filled with some great speculations as to what drove the man, and why he endures more than others. Lots to think about with this one, and quite a few sparks along the way for my own magic stuff. Side note, I can see where Christopher Priest got a lot of his inspiration for The Prestige. Magic history is FASCINATING.
• 
  Mortisha Cassavetes

  I have been fascinated with Harry Houdini my whole life and this book was just the book for me. I really enjoyed learning more about this man that left the earth way too early. The book follows his childhood, magical life, marriage and his afterlife. I highly recommend it!
• 
  Erin O'Riordan

  The "afterlife" part, about the various magicians and performers who were and continue to be influenced by Houdini, is the more interesting part, although it's a solid biography that does its best to sort fact from fiction. There's a lot of Houdini fiction out there.
• 
  Saturday's Child

  Not sure if it was conjuring, magic or just coincidence, but I was looking for a book about Harry Houdini and the next time I was at a library (a little while later when I had forgotten about it) I found one by chance on a shelf.
• 
  Eggp

  Bit of a bastard
  not ashamed to toot his horn
  more myth than magic.
• 
  Chad

  Simply the best book I’ve ever read about Harry Houdini.
  A lot of research and time went into this one.