A BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFULLY SIGNED COPY OF HARRY HOUDINI’S FAMOUS BOOK,’THE UNMASKING OF ROBERT-HOUDIN’

Harry Houdini signed copy of ”The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin.” New York: Publishers Printing Co.: 1908 later printing. A wonderful volume, and even more so as this copy is inscribed in ink by Harry Houdini:”With compliments of the author Harry Houdini”. Pencil inscription added in another hand reads, ”To J. W. Sayer / Oct 18/1915”. Hardcover volume measures 5.75” x 8.25” and runs 330pp. Mild toning to signed page, previous owner’s address sticker and notation to front pastedown. Overall, very good condition.

Handsomely bound in beige cloth with a statue of magician Robert-Houdin having a mask removed from his face. Lettered in bright white type on the front boards and on the spine. . Very clean and tight throughout. Printed on heavy stock with crisp lettering and numerous illustrations in fine register. .

(Magicpedia) Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805 1871) was a French watchmaker, magician and illusionist, widely recognized as the father of the modern style of conjuring. He transformed magic from a pastime for the lower classes, seen at fairs, to an entertainment for the wealthy, which he offered in a theater opened in Paris, a legacy preserved by the tradition of modern magicians performing in tails.In the mid-1820s, he saved up to buy a copy of a two-volume set of books on clock making called Traité de l’horlogerie (“Treatise on Clockmaking”), written by Ferdinand Berthoud. He would go on to pursue the craft of clock making for the rest of his life, and is widely credited with inventing the mystery clock.When he got home and opened the wrapping, instead of the Berthoud books, what appeared before his eyes was a two-volume set on magic called Scientific Amusements. Instead of returning the books, his curiosity got the better of him. From those crude volumes, he learned the rudiments of magic. He practiced at all hours of the day.From that point on, he became very interested in the art. He was upset that the books he got only revealed how the secrets were done but did not show how to do them. He found that learning from the books available in those days was very difficult due to the lack of detailed explanations, but the books piqued his interest in the art. So Robert-Houdin began taking lessons from a local amateur magician. He paid ten francs for a series of lessons from a man named Maous from Blois who was a podiatrist but also entertained at fairs and parties doing magic. He was proficient at sleight of hand, and taught Robert-Houdin how to juggle to improve his hand-eye coordination. He also taught him rudiments of the cups and balls. He told young Robert-Houdin that digital dexterity came with repetition, and as a direct result, Robert-Houdin practiced incessantly.Magic was his pastime, and meanwhile, his studies in horology continued. When he felt he was ready, he moved to Tours and set up a watchmaking business, doing conjuring on the side. Much of what we know about Robert-Houdin comes from his memoirs and his writings were meant more to entertain than to chronicle, rendering it difficult to separate fact from fiction. Robert-Houdin would have readers believe that a major turning point in his life came when he became apprenticed to the magician Edmund De Grisi, Count’s son and better known as Torrini. What is known is that his early performing came from joining an amateur acting troupe.