- Paperback: 480 pages
- Publisher: HarperPerennial; 1st HarperPerennial Ed edition (Oct 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 006092862X
- ISBN-13: 978-0060928629
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.5 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,009,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Synopsis
Chronicles the life and career of the legendary Harry Houdini.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Houdini scholars waited for a number of years for this book knowing that Kenneth Silverman had conducted meticulous research and extensive enquiries throughout the world into the life of Houdini. Previous biographies had only touched upon his life story and were either full of inaccuracies, largely generated by Houdini's own publicity material, or promulgated strange theories to try to explain the behaviour of the master escapologist and spirit medium debunker. No biography can ever be definitive but Kenneth Silverman's is likely to be the nearest we will get towards understanding the great Handcuff Harry for many years to come.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When my magic shop customers ask me to recommend an excellent book on the life of Harry Houdini, I recommend Ken Silverman's book without hesitation. This author has meticulously researched the facts, and has produced a highly entertaining and informative book. Well illustrated, this book helps the reader create a clear picture of Houdini the man as well as Houdini the performer. MagicTricks.Com gives this book its highest recommendation.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Revisiting a Childhood Hero
19 Mar 2001
Format:Paperback
From the time I could count my age on my fingers, Houdini fascinated me; I read everything regarding him that I could get my hands on. So I already knew a lot of what Silverman mentions in Houdini!!!
However, this book actually managed to surprise me. First of all, most of what I read from the ages of seven to fifteen were biographies written in the "Boy's Life" mode, heroic tales which read more like dime novels than actual biography. Not only does Silverman present an accurate, well-researched account of Houdini's life, he also accounts for many of the myths surrouding Houdini, even in some cases explaining how Houdini himself contributed to some of the confusion. Because the book is so even-handed, I walked away from the book still admiring my childhood hero.
Second, Silverman brings a magician's perspective to this biography. He describes at length the presentation and details of the effects that Houdini accomplished, such as the Metamorphoses, the Milk Can Escape, the Chinese Water Torture, and numerous jail and handcuff escapes. However, he does not "give away the store" by spilling the secrets to the man's life. Sure, some of Houdini's secrets are now known, others not, but Silverman refrains from writing a kiss-and-tell book, and I had to admire that.
Lastly, Silverman went a lot further than I've ever seen in describing both the man and his times. While I've known for years that Houdini lived in a very exciting time, Silverman portrays him as truly a man for his age. From Houdini's interactions with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Theodore Roosevelt, H.P. Lovecraft, Sarah Bernhardt, and Hollwood's silent film stars, to his involvement with aviation, spiritualism, movie making, and more, Silverman makes a case that Houdini brought together much of what first made the modern age modern.
Houdini!!! did not perpetuate the same tall tales that all the movies and Houdini himself put forwrd. Instead, this biography exposed Houdini for what he was--a physically accomplished, master showman, sometimes ego-driven, yet principled man who always struggled to accomplish more.
Given the wide array of misinformation that exists about Harry Houdini, this book outshines the rest. Quite enjoyable.
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
The Best
25 Mar 2000
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've read every biography on Harry Houdini and this is without question the best of the lot. Certainly it is the most comprehensive and professional. Silverman has not just recycled information gleaned from old bios (as Ruth Brandon did in The Life & Many Deaths of Harry Houdini); he has done fresh research and has come up with amazing new facts and facets of Houdini's career and character that have never appeared anywhere else. I've read this book 3 times and each time I learn something new. If you're looking for a Houdini biography, this is the one to buy.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Accurate, Informative, Entertaining
3 April 1999
Format:Paperback
When my magic shop customers ask me to recommend an excellent book on the life of Harry Houdini, I recommend Ken Silverman's book without hesitation. This author has meticulously researched the facts, and has produced a highly entertaining and informative book. Well illustrated, this book helps the reader create a clear picture of Houdini the man as well as Houdini the performer. MagicTricks.Com gives this book its highest recommendation.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
