A gripping account of the world's greatest magician, Harry Houdini, as he waged war against the spiritualists on Capitol Hill. Here magic met politics and illusion collided with truth.In 1926, a dramatic conflict arose in the chambers of the United States Congress concerning not tariffs or taxes, but the regulation of fortune telling and the supernatural. What began as a seemingly obscure piece of legislation soon drew national attention as the famed magician and escape artist Harry Houdini stepped into the spotlight to lead a crusade against fraudulent spiritualists.
This book provides the complete transcript of the four days of hearings and offers a detailed examination of the proceedings and individuals involved. Its contents shed light on these extraordinary hearings, where belief and skepticism clashed, and Congress became an unexpected venue for one of the most unusual confrontations in American history.
Houdini vs. The Spiritualists: A Battle on Capitol Hill can be purchased at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
That's going on the Christmas list! I'm listening to Lincoln's Ghost on audible. The chapters about capital hill are great.
ReplyDeleteFunny how we got two such similar books at the same time. But they take different approaches. Lincoln Ghost is much more of a dramatization of events. Chuck's book is just the facts, ma'am.
DeleteCurious how much of the book is made up of "the complete transcript of the four days of hearings" vs "a detailed examination of the proceedings and individuals involved."
ReplyDeleteI'd say the majority of the book is the transcript. But Chuck's chapters leading up to it are excellent, with some great photos. I will definitely be turning to this book as a resource whenever I write about the DC hearings.
DeleteBecause of Houdini's fight against fraud, I went into law enforcement and educated the public and law enforcement on bunco crime, con games and carnival game fraud.
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