David Haversat has just announced the upcoming publication of A Strenuous Career: The Personal Challenge and Advertisement Scrapbook of Harry Houdini. As the title says, this book reproduces Houdini's entire Challenge Scrapbook, which is another precious artifact from The Averbook Magic Art Museum & Library. The book will be released via David Haversat's 1878 Press Co. in May 2026.
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I'm VERY excited about this. I've long known about this scrapbook, but I haven't yet had a chance to study it. Bruce did give me a quick peek at it a while back, and what I saw knocked my socks off! So I can't wait to dive into this book. (I also love the title.)
Are we spoiled yet?
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Are we spoiled yet? No!!! Mike Caveney should do the Houdini-Kellar Correspondence book. Just like his amazing Classic Correspondence books but this time focus on the H/K letters. He's the only person that can do it justice.
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic news! I'm glad they teamed up so we can get a glimpse of this Houdini scrapbook! Eager to see what else 2026 turns up for H.H.
ReplyDeleteBTW, four of the five challenges on the cover of this book are new to me. Holy smokes.
ReplyDeleteI don’t understand why Bruce wouldn’t let you study it. I mean, he knows who you are
ReplyDeleteOh, he would have. But I needed to travel back to Cleveland to do so. I knew there was a plan to do it as a book, so I figured I could wait. :)
DeleteSo this book’s gonna have most of or all of Houdini‘s challenges I find that hard to believe he had to have had over 1500 hundred or more
ReplyDeleteWe'll see!
DeleteAfter studying HH for over 40 years, I'm looking at those challenge broadsides reproduced in the books, and wonder how many were actual challenges from brewers, lumber companies, etc. And how many he set up, like the Mirror Challenge.
ReplyDeleteCorrection: Over 50 years.
DeleteI think that the vast majority of the challenges were initiated by Houdini. That was a necessity. You couldn't just roll into town and hope for challenges. So his advance men would go to, say, The May Company and say, "Hey, do you want to challenge Houdini with a packing case on Friday night? It will be great publicity, and we'll handle the details." But when the packers showed up on Friday, they really would attempt to hold Houdini in case they would construct, and they would be as amazed as everyone else when he escaped. Houdini wouldn't collude with challengers. That is too risky, and he didn't need to do that. He had other ways of controlling what happened onstage.
DeleteOh that was a nice explication! The challenges were set up but the actual escapes were kosher. Like the iron boiler escape described in Silverman's bio where he almost didn't make it out.
DeleteExactly. That's a very good example.
DeleteNow his straitjacket challenges, which he did all the time, might have pushed it a bit. So many of the challenges you will see come from RETIRED attendants of some local asylum. Now, did they really seek out retired attendants, or were these stooges? Don't know. But the straitjackets themselves were always legit.
DeleteI didn't know about the retired asylum attendants. I scan those challenge broadsides as eye candy. Now there were real challenges out there. Silverman mentioned the challenges that were death traps HH had to turn down. Would have loved to see HH in that giant lightbulb. 🤣
DeleteThere were those challenges that gave Houdini real trouble for sure. Hodgson is the best example of that.
DeleteThe Hodgson Challenge: I'm beginning to suspect that was set up. Hodgson was a physical culture guy like HH. The kind of men HH admired. He might have paid Hodgson a visit at his gym school and made him a sweet offer. A lot of money to split between them. The theater was packed to the rafters that night. There was money to be made here.
DeleteAnd it's all there:
1. High drama with Bess concerned. Hardeen there too trying to help.
2. The ubiquitous glass of water to ease Harry's suffering.
3. After a long wait Harry still trussed in the manacles. Laying on floor looking helpless.
4. Hodgson bringing manacles that were not kosher.
Do not underestimate HH's showmanship abilities. The audience received their money's worth like a popular Broadway play.
Really? I don't think the Hodgson challenge was a setup at all. It was all far too real.
DeleteI know, it's almost unthinkable but I won't let go of my suspicion. Notice how HH repeats some of the drama in the Mirror Challenge:
Delete1. He's experiencing serious discomfort and needs to have the manacles/Mirror cuff removed for a few minutes so that he can recover. In both instances his request is denied. It's a contest, not a love match; and if we open the cuffs you will have to admit defeat.
2. The glass of water in both challenges.
3. Both affairs drawn out to at least over an hour.
The only thing real were the injuries, scratches and scars on his wrists. Deliberate. Professional wrestlers used to cut each other with razor blades in the ring. It was real blood from minor razor slashes, usually to the forehead.
Another thing, during challenges HH was always in complete charge of the situation, as you pointed out. In the Challenge Handcuff Act, anybody who brought up a pair of cuffs and not a plant, was a red flag. The cuffs were examined closely for identification and means of escape. Nothing was left to chance. In the Hodgson Challenge, it seems to me that Hodgson had too much control. Not typical of HH procedure.
DeleteGood point. But remember how early the Hodgson challenge was. 1902. A lot of what Houdini learned about controlling the situation came from the Hodgson challenge. He was not quite ready for such an aggressive (and skilled) challenger. And he did refuse the modified irons. But the audience jeered him into it. Another mistake.
DeleteBut you can remain skeptical. It's always worth questioning. But I think it was all painfully real.
I can hear him screaming and it pains me. 😭😭😭 poor guy - Abby Martin
DeleteIf it's any comfort, he didn't scream.
DeleteProbably internally though. Who wouldn’t? ☹️ - Abby Martin
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