I have annotated the diary so readers can easily follow all the wild ups and downs of Houdini's struggling days. When I was invited by publisher Mike Caveney to do this project, I had expected it to be a largely academic exercise. What I didn't expect to find was such an amazing story within this incredible artifact. That story is now yours.
Publisher Mike Caveney says:
Three things made me want to publish this nearly illegible diary. First, the great Houdini historian, John Cox, agreed to decipher and then annotate the text found on each and every page. Second, my friends in the magic collecting world stepped up with an unbelievable array of suitable photographs, many of which have never appeared in print. And lastly, my old friend and graphic designer extraordinaire, Michael Albright, agreed to assemble this complicated jigsaw puzzle into a beautiful, full-color book of 373 pages measuring 9 by 12 inches. The final result is nothing short of breathtaking.
The book is available exclusively from Mike Caveney's Magic Words in a Regular and Deluxe Edition. I hope you all love it.
UPDATE: The Deluxe Edition has already sold out, making it the fastest selling Deluxe Edition in Mike Caveney's Magic Words history. But there are still Regular Editions available. The print run is not huge, so it's possible the book could sell out entirely. Just saying.
Woot wooooooot! 😆 - Abby Martin
ReplyDeleteBEAUTIFUL BOOK, CANT GET ENOUGH.
ReplyDeleteI’m going to have to save up for it! Eee! Worth it though! Have to pay rent. I have an interview for a cleaning job over the summer break. I hope I get to be part of the crew for it. It’ll be my next birthday present! That is if there will still be copies available. - Abby Martin
DeleteI mean, the book looks humongous John! It’ll be so worth it! 😃 - Abby Martin
DeleteI'll purchase a copy for you Abby. Give John your shipping address and he'll forward it to Mike. Pay me back when you can.
DeleteI sent John an email! Took me a while to think about it but I have a plan. Thank you so much Leo! - Abby Martin
DeleteYou're amazing, Leo. 🙏
DeleteNot quite as amazing as HH, but we can dream.
DeleteYou're welcome Abby! Book on the way!
DeleteWahooo! 😆 THANK YOU LEO!! - Abby Martin
DeleteI'm still wondering how John cracked that diary. The knowledge he has accumulated on HH kicked in? Newspapers.com?
ReplyDeleteAll of the above! It was amazing how much info I already had at hand in my chronology. I would see and "x" on a date in the diary and look at that date in my chronology and, hey, I think I know what that "x" means! In fact, there was a lot that HH didn't include in the diary, and I was able to fill all that in. Newspapers.com certainly helped me crack a few mysteries that have probably baffled earlier biographers. I sometimes felt like I was being guided to my answers.
DeleteThe biggest challenge was reading the damn thing! I had a lot of help in that, especially from our friend Colleen Bak, whose ability to read Houdini's handwriting is second to none.
Kudos to anybody who can read his handwriting without hiccups. It's like chicken scratch. The spirit of Fletcher guided?
DeleteWe didn't get everything, and you'll see that in the book. Maybe some people out there will figure out what we could not.
DeleteI ordered mine! I've been looking forward to this new book. Jack C.
ReplyDeleteI’m blown away by the first litho from 1898, just the beginning, sweet.
ReplyDeleteWe tried to get the best images possible. Almost everything you see is photographed or scanned right from the original.
DeleteOrdered! Love the title. Cannot wait for the next one Houdini in Hollywood (fingers crossed)!
DeleteThanks Ken. Unfortunately, Houdini in Hollywood is not the next book. That one has been pushed down the road a bit.
DeleteChristmas came early, I got mine today!|
ReplyDeleteDiego Domingo
Woo hoo! I've heard from several folks who received their books today.
DeleteBTW, if folks want to share a photo of themselves with their book on social media, go for it! :)
ReplyDeleteI don’t usually post pics of myself irl but I can certainly draw myself with it. (I’m a little camera shy) So do I just tag you John when the time comes? - Abby Martin
DeleteOh, you can do whatever you like. No need to tag me. Maybe just include in the description a link to Mike's page: https://www.magicwords.shop/books
DeleteMy copy made it safely! Cutting the box open...hands trembling.
ReplyDeleteSo exciting! Eeeeee! - Abby Martin
DeleteMy deluxe edition arrived yesterday and I am blown away by everything that went into this book. The tipped-in reprint, from the original printing block, of the “Metamorphosis” advertisement is awesome ! This book is truly a masterpiece and is so well done it’s as if Houdini himself was guiding the hands of those who worked on it. Excellent job John, and to show further support of your projects I will be upgrading my Patreon membership. Glen VanHouten (GlenV).
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Glen!!! I will be sharing the full behind-the-scenes story of the Deluxe Edition and that will be tipped in print on my Patreon soon.
DeleteYou’re very welcome ! Looking forward to the “behind-the-scenes” story. GlenV
DeleteI’ve reached page 163 and I’ve been blown away by every single page so far! But the double page spread photo of Houdini with his mother in law Balbina walloped me! It’s a really tiny photo in Kenneth Trombly’s collection. I recall seeing this photo at his house when he invited me over to see his collection. It looks blurry because it’s been enlarged from that tiny pic.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Leo! Yes, I was surprised when Michael Albright made that image a two-page spread, but I think it looks great. As a rule, I didn't want to use any photos that weren't from the time period of the diary (especially on the cover). But I made an exception for photos that really helped illustrate a point, and that photo did.
DeleteYou're welcome! Yes it was a good call to include that photo, even though it's not of the diary time period. I'm seeing other photos not of the period but they also seem appropriate. There's a portrait of Harry and Bess smiling and happy at Coney Island June 1913 a month before Mama dies. Kinda spooky to see that photo. Harry doesn't what's coming around the corner.
DeleteIt just arrived Saturday. It truly is a beautiful publication. Way beyond my expectations. Excellent work John! --Dale from Cleveland
ReplyDeleteYay! Thank you, Dale. 🙏
DeleteJim Bard lived until 1966. Unbelievable. I would have visited his Pennsylvania home with a cassette recorder and at least 3 hours worth of tape. Let him reminisce about his friendship with Houdini.
ReplyDeleteYeah, and you know who knew him well? Jim Steranko. Jim has long said he plans to write a book about Houdini and Bard. I hope he does that!
DeleteOh I didn't know that! I hope Steranko writes that book! I meant a reel to reel tape recorder. Cassette recorders didn't hit the market until the 1970s.
DeleteI got the book woot woot! - Abby Martin
ReplyDeleteThere you go! Treasures await inside...
DeleteI already read the whole thing! I LOVED IT! - Abby Martin
DeleteWow! I spread it out four days reading one hour per day.
DeleteIt helps for me when there are pictures and short forms or only a a few paragraphs. The design reminded me of this Beatles Illustrated Lyrics book that I have. Big walls of text overwhelm me. - Abby Martin
DeleteThe book isn't really that long, text-wise. My manuscript was a little over 41,000 words. Contrast that with the book I'm working on now, which is over 124,000 words.
DeleteThe pink tights were my favorite part! 🙃 Tehe 🤭❤️ - Abby Martin
DeleteI walked away from the book feeling like I know Harry a little better. He and Bess had more fun in those days than I had thought. The biographies make it seem like it was all punishment. And it becomes clear that the success of his Omaha vaudeville debut had to be paid for with those years of hard work performing and crafting.
DeleteI LOVE that you came away with that, Leo. I think you are right on.
DeleteHey! Me too! And it seems that they had a good time while working at the Welsh Bros circus too! Though, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s just wonderful to hear the raw emotion and the ups and downs he and Bess went through those years. Also just reading about Houdini doing normal things like baseball, cycling (I liked that they called them wheels) and other things made it so relatable.
DeleteAlso learning all the old timey slang is really funny and cool to me. I also enjoyed reading about his time with his acrobatics teacher and how he worked on his acrobatics skills. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I got to know him more as an individual person and it was amazing! - Abby Martin
I received mine today. What a beautiful book! I just started reading it. Amazing! - Jack C.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jack! Hope you enjoy. :)
Delete