You can get details on Handcuff King: The Conquests of Harry Houdini, 1900–1909 at Wild About Harry PRESS.
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
PATREON: Book update and Thor's arm
Every day brings Handcuff King: The Conquests of Harry Houdini, 1900–1909 closer to being in your hands. I wrote a new introduction this weekend, and David Copperfield sent me a fantastic photo for his Foreword that I've never seen before. Maybe the first time published? I'm now in the final stages of production and still on track for a late 2026 release. I've shared the latest update on my Patreon below.
If you're new to my Patreon, you can read all my book updates below, including the reports from my trip to "the mountaintop" last year. It's been fun to share this journey with my patrons, whose support is helping make it happen!
Monday, August 3, 2026
Catching Houdini in Edinburgh
Houdini returns to Edinburgh this week when Houdini Speaks to the Living opens at The Space as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on August 7. Click here or on the image below for details and tickets.
While in Edinburgh, why not take a tour of magic locations? Magician Richard Wiseman has added a "Magic & Illusion: Free Walking Tour of Edinburgh" to his website. Quite a few Houdini locations here. Click the image below to see the tour. You can also download a PDF.
Friday, July 31, 2026
Houdini table setting at OC Fair competition
You just never know when and where Houdini will show up! Here's a video Joe Notaro alerted me to from OC Fair Tables Competition 2026. It's queued up to play at the Houdini table. Enjoy.
Thank you, Joe.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Young Harry Houdini soundtrack from BSX Records
Here's a pleasant surprise. BSX Records is offering Lee Holdridge's soundtrack music for the 1987 Disney movie Young Harry Houdini starring Wil Wheaton. It's available as a digital download and includes a PDF booklet. Purchase by clicking the image below.
BSX Digital presents the premiere release of YOUNG HARRY HOUDINI, featuring music composed and conducted by Lee Holdridge. The music has been remastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland.
This certainly wasn't on my bingo card of possible Houdini releases, but I'm excited to see it. In fact, I would love to see BSX Records release the soundtracks to Houdini (1953) and The Great Houdinis (1976).
UPDATE: I didn't realize when I posted this that today is Wil Wheaton's 54th birthday. Happy birthday, Wil!
Monday, July 27, 2026
Handcuff King signed promotional cards
In the meantime, I am offering two promotional cards at my online store, Wild About Harry PRESS. I handed out Style A in Appleton and have just received Style B. Both cards feature unique original Houdini advertising on one side and a promo for the book and my signature on the other.
The cards are $5 each with FREE shipping in the U.S. International shipping is a flat rate. Only the cards I'm offering here are signed. Supplies are limited.
You'll also get both cards FREE with the purchase of Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899 while supplies last.
Thank you for your patronage and patience!
Sunday, July 26, 2026
Finding Uncle Harry with George Hardeen
Our great friend George Hardeen is launching a new podcast called Finding Uncle Harry. I'm very excited about this. You can get more details at the Finding Uncle Harry website by clicking the image below.
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Houdini Descendant, Journalist, Horseman, Backcountry Guide & Host of ‘Finding Uncle Harry’Houdini is his DNA. Finding Uncle Harry is his journey. George Hardeen was 10 when he learned the family secret: his Grandfather Theo “Dash” Hardeen was younger brother, stage successor and bloodline link to his Great Uncle Harry Houdini. Now, after a life in journalism, George is following the history and stories back through conversations with magicians, escapologists, collectors and authors to the family line he scarcely knew.
Looks like George has already interviewed Lee Terbosic. Next up is the GOAT himself, Patrick Culliton.
Friday, July 24, 2026
Talking Houdini on Talking Strange
This week I was a guest on the Talking Strange Paranormal Show with Aaron Sagers. I had a great time, and Aaron asked some great questions.
In this episode of Talking Strange, host Aaron Sagers sits down with John Cox, the leading Houdini historian behind the acclaimed blog Wild About Harry. Cox is the author of Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897–1899 and is currently completing a definitive three-volume Houdini biography. Aaron and John dig into Houdini's complicated, often contradictory relationship with Spiritualism — a movement he publicly crusaded against. They trace the rise and collapse of his friendship with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Sherlock Holmes creator and devout Spiritualist whose unwavering belief in psychic phenomena put him on a collision course with Houdini's exposure campaigns. The conversation also covers Houdini's own staged séances, the mystery of his famous secret code with wife Bess, and the strange afterlife of his legacy in pop culture.
You can listen to the podcast below. For an expanded video version, you can join Aaron's Patreon.
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Seeing Houdini's first scrapbook
The scrapbook covers the years 1894 to mid-1900. Houdini has written on the spine, "HOUDINI PRESS BOOK 1894-1899." This was not a book of memories when he was making it. It was a tool. Houdini would carry this with him and show it to prospective managers and bookers. Scrapbooks were the resumes of variety performers, proving when and where they appeared and providing reviews. Scrapbooks were essential in career building, and Houdini took his scrapbooks very seriously. In fact, there are mentions of Houdini in England "with a large book of press clippings under his arm." This is that book.
After his breakout success in Europe, when he didn't need to prove himself to managers, scrapbooks were less of a marketing tool for him, but she still kept them. However, I think it's fair to say this scrapbook is the one he used the most. Along with his diary, this scrapbook is also how biographers have pieced together his early career.
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| The scrapbook on temporary display. |
It's all here, starting with the "Risey in the Box" article from the Coney Island Clipper dated June 22, 1894 (the day of his marriage). This not only places the "Hunyadi Brothers" in Coney Island in June 1894, but it also gives us the first mention of Bess ("one of the Floal sisters, 'neat song and dance artists'"). This is on one of the very first pages, and while I've seen copies, seeing it in the flesh was a thrill.
Houdini also annotates this scrapbook. Some of the annotations are made in the same blue pencil he used in his diary to record the signing of his first Orpheum contract (see Escaping Obscurity page 316). This is another nice link between the scrapbook and diary. One note in particular really stood out. On a clipping about a police station test in Lancaster, PA, in 1898 ("Clever Sleight-of-Hand Trick"), Houdini writes in his blue pencil:
The only notice Newton did not write
I earned it.
This is very revealing. Clinton M. Newton was the Welsh Bros. Circus ringmaster and press agent. This tells us the majority of the circus's reviews and notices were press releases written by Newton. Not really a surprise, but good to get confirmation. But here Houdini proudly reports that this wasn't a press release. He "earned" this story himself with his handcuff escape. I love this, and so I wish I had had this when I did the diary book, as I would have mentioned it for sure.
There are other Houdini notes in black ink that appear to have been made later, some noting when fellow performers died. This is something Houdini would do in all his scrapbooks and even his diaries. I love the idea of Houdini revisiting these books many years later and making these notes.
This scrapbook also contains some rare photos, including a group shot of the 1895 Welsh Bros. Circus troupe that differs from the one we are familiar with. This one shows the performers in their street clothes, including Harry and Bess. Harry is wearing a bowler hat. The famed "Mysterious Harry" image is in here, but it is uncropped and shows much more of the image than I've ever seen, including an American flag and what may be Houdini's egg bag on a side table.
There are also some inclusions in the back from earlier in his life, including an 1890 letter regarding Ehrich Weiss's participation in a foot race, and another letter that dissolved his partnership with Jacob Hyman. Very little is missing, which is not always the case with scrapbooks. However, one image, noted as being Coney Island in 1898, appears to have fallen out of its souvenir frame. What could this image have been? A tantalizing mystery.
Despite the 1894-1899 title, the scrapbook includes a fair amount of material from the first half of 1900, when Houdini made his first tour on the Keith's vaudeville circuit and return tour on the Orpheum circuit. Most biographies omit this and jump right to Europe. But I cover this in detail in my upcoming book, Handcuff King: The Conquests of Harry Houdini, 1900-1909, and I'm in the process of licensing some of these scrapbook images for the book. One is a two-page spread that will melt your eyeballs!
In 1988, Sid put the scrapbook on loan to the Appleton museum's new "Houdini Historical Center." In 1991, he donated it with the understanding that the museum would conserve it. The donation was reported in the First Quarter 1992 issue of the HHC's newsletter (image right). This is why the scrapbook did not leave the museum when Sid pulled his collection and ultimately sold it in 2004.
True to their word, the museum has done a beautiful job with the conservation. The pages have been de-acidified and repaired, and each page is housed in a plastic sleeve. This makes looking through it possible. I've paged through some scrapbooks that haven't been conserved, and you don't want to know what happens!
The History Museum at the Castle has two more very important Houdini scrapbooks donated by Tad Ware, spanning 1900-1913. These are currently unviewable as they are awaiting a similar conservation effort. This is an expensive process, and these are tough times for all museums. But the History Museum at the Castle is committed to its Houdini collection, and this is something they plan to do. When these scrapbooks are available, you can bet I will return to Appleton!
Thank you to Dustin Mack and all the terrific staff at the History Museum at the Castle for this amazing experience.
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| History Museum Director Dustin Mack with the scrapbook. |
Want more? I've uploaded a PDF of the First Quarter 1992 Center Stage newsletter for Scholar members of my Patreon.
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Monday, July 20, 2026
Michaels gets magical
I know I'm late on this one, but the crafts store Michaels has an assortment of original magic-themed merchandise, including some Houdini merch. I've heard it's a Halloween special, but many people have reported seeing these at select Michaels now. Happy shopping!
Friday, July 17, 2026
Houdini: The Man Who (allegedly) Died Twice
Well... I liked it! I especially like the hard-boiled detective tone and how Larrian steps us through her investigative process. I normally don't care for this kind of first-person approach in non-fiction, but it's so well written that it hooked me. Maybe it helped that I know all the players. (Full disclosure: I'm one of the "Watsons" in the book. But hopefully David Burke and not Nigel Bruce.)
There is definitely some new information here, and some known information that is nicely placed in context for the first time. I was most taken with the smaller discoveries. Houdini may have had color-changing eyes. Houdini wore a truss to support what he believed was an injured kidney, but may have been a herniated disc. And I have a new appreciation of Houdini's infected butt boil. Yes, no detail about Houdini is too small...or gross.
It's also nice to have all the various affidavits regarding his final days and the dressing room punch collected in one place. These are fascinating to read. The author has also uncovered fresh information about J. Gordon Whitehead, who comes off as the only blameless person in the book!
Ultimately, this is a well-told detective story with a lot of intriguing conjecture. But in the end, the mystery remains. No smoking gun emerges in the final chapter to prove any one of the many theories put forward. So for me, it didn't land a knockout punch (pun intended). As for the most provocative claim, that Houdini died on October 30th and not the 31st (hence the "died twice" title), I have long believed there could be something to this. But I'm somehow now less convinced of this than I was going in. Maybe it was just one cover-up too many.
There is a lot here to absorb, and I will definitely revisit this book when it comes time for me to tackle Houdini's death in my own books. Thankfully, that is still years away. Maybe by then a smoking gun will have emerged, or we will realize this was all smoke and mirrors.
But I encourage you to get the book and make up your own mind. You can buy Houdini: The Man Who Died Twice at Houdini True Crime. International buyers should use Cipher House Books.
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Thursday, July 16, 2026
Zabrecky on Houdini and the Spirits, August 15
Our friend Rob Zabrecky will give a talk on "Houdini and the Spirits" at Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles on August 15, 2026.
As we mark the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini’s passing, join us in celebrating the life, legacy, and enduring mysteries surrounding the world’s most famous escape artist. And what better way than to step into the shadowy crossroads where belief and skepticism collided as Rob Zabrecky — Magic Castle mainstay, theatrical medium, and two-time Academy of Magical Arts Lecturer of the Year — explores one of the 20th century’s most captivating cultural battles: Harry Houdini vs. the spirits.Before Zabrecky's presentation, we will meet in the courtyard to experience the sounds of Hasco Enjoyments, the quietly surreal project of John-Peter Hasson. Performance begins at 6:30PM.
CLICK HERE for more information and to buy tickets. Philosophical Research Society is located at 3910 Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90027.
I have my ticket. Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Signed copies of Escaping Obscurity back in stock
I have replenished my stock of Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899. Once again, I have SIGNED copies available in my online store, Wild About Harry PRESS. I will also throw in a signed promotional postcard.
Read how Houdini escaped his obscurity before the next chapter arrives later this year.
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The story will continue in Handcuff King: The Conquests of Harry Houdini, 1900-1909. You can get a taste of what this new book will contain by clicking the image below.
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Monday, July 13, 2026
Sparkle Theatricals presents CAMP HOUDINI
Sparkle Academy—the educational branch of Sparkle Theatricals—is partnering with the Kitchigami Regional Library System (KRLS) to launch Camp Houdini. This free, 60-minute interactive pop-up theatre workshop turns local youth (ages 7–15) into Vaudeville superstars.
Click the image below to see the full schedule of Camp Houdini performances in July.
Saturday, July 11, 2026
The Original Houdini Scrapbook turns 50
I'm having fun remembering my Houdini awakening 50 years ago. I've already talked about seeing Houdini (1953), the first Doug Henning special, and the U.S. debut of The Truth About Houdini. The next hit came on July 20, 1976. My stepbrother and I were wandering Hollywood Blvd––because that was a perfectly acceptable thing to let an 11-year-old do back then––and on a table of new releases inside one of the many bookstores that once lined the street, my eyes fell on this...
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As it turns out, The Original Houdini Scrapbook by Walter Gibson had just come out on July 10. It was the first of four coffee-table-sized, picture-heavy Houdini books released within a year. A book like this was a dream come true, and I came home with a copy under my arm. I still have that copy, and I still love this book 50 years later.
By the way, Hollywood Boulevard was once a haven for bookstores. Below is a map from the May 9, 1976, Los Angeles Times. Today, only Larry Edmunds remains.
Do you remember when you first got The Original Houdini Scrapbook? Share your memories in the comments below.
Want more? You can read an original review of the book on my Patreon.
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