Ed Cotham, Jr. talks Houdini in Galveston, Oct 28

Historian Ed Cotham, Jr. will give a talk about Houdini's connections to Galveston, Texas, on October 28 at 11:30am. This is part of The Galveston Historical Foundation's "Foundation Conversations" series. Details below.

October 31, 2025, marks the 99th anniversary of famous escape artist Harry Houdini's death. On November 6, 1923, less than three years before he died, Houdini made his one and only appearance at Galveston’s Grand Opera House. But Houdini had been dreaming of coming to Galveston for years. His papers in the Library of Congress include an unmailed postcard telling his mother that he was running away from home to go to Galveston for a year. At the time, Ehrich Weisz (his birth name) was only twelve years old. When Houdini finally got to Galveston 37 years later, he was in the midst of a crusade against the evil side of Spiritualism. As part of his later tours, Houdini delivered lectures with projected slides explaining how some unscrupulous mediums defrauded people. In this unique program, Ed Cotham will explore Houdini’s life and his Texas connections. As part of the program, he will read from the script of one of Houdini’s Spiritualism lectures while showing pictures of Houdini’s original slides. 

Virtual tickets are also available for guests who would like to view the livestream. A link will be sent prior to the event with instructions on viewing. You are welcome to bring your own lunch to enjoy. Lunch will not be provided. Current GHF member tickets are free for in-person or livestream attendance as part of their #GalvestonHistory+ account. Access will start at 11:15 a.m. on the day of the presentation. 

Edward T. Cotham, Jr. is a historian specializing in Galveston and Texas military history. The author of seven scholarly history books, Ed is also a performing magician. He is a member of many prominent magic organizations, including the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California.

For additional details and to purchase tickets visit the Eventbrite page HERE.

Related:

• Houdini arrives in Galveston (at last)
• Houdini tours Texas
• Penn & Teller show us the Library of Congress Houdini Collection

Houdini’s Library will also be a book!

Last week, I shared the exciting news of a 2026 exhibition at the Harry Ransom Center showcasing Houdini's Library. Here's more good news: Houdini's Library will also be a book!

Dr. Eric Colleary, who is organizing the exhibition, is also penning the companion book. Eric is currently back east doing research at major institutions, such as the Library of Congress, New York Public Library, and Harvard. As the Cline Curator of Theatre and Performing Arts at the Harry Ransom Center, Eric knows how to navigate large archives and has already unearthed treasures. We will all get to enjoy his discoveries in 2026!

You can read the details about Houdini's Library at the Harry Ransom Center.

Related:

• Houdini’s Library coming to the HRC in Fall 2026
• Eric Colleary mines Houdini gold in D.C. (Patreon exclusive)
• Houdini the bibliophile

The oldest surviving Houdini poster?

QA Specialist and Houdini buff Matt Hilgers has written article for Tessitura Network about Houdini, QA, and You. It's well worth the read. I especially like how he talks about exploring the Houdini collection at the Library of Congress. He also shares the below image from an LOC scrapbook that is pretty wild.

This poster for The Houdinis at the Theatre Comique in Richmond, Virginia, during the week of November 26, 1894, is one of their earliest known engagements. My current chronology only lists one earlier engagement at Barton's Theatre in Newport, Virginia, in October.

This goes a long way in confirming that this particular image was The Houdinis very first piece of pictorial advertising; their first poster. And because I don't know of any surviving "Brothers Houdini" material, I'm thinking this may be the earliest surviving Houdini poster still in existence.

Thanks to Matt Hilgers.

Related:

• Metamorphosis mine
• How "The Houdinis" became "Houdini"
• Penn & Teller show us the Library of Congress Houdini Collection

Mystifier, First Quarter 1995

Continuing my issue by issue look back at the Mystifier, the newsletter of the Houdini Historical Center that ran from 1991-2003.

The First Quarter 1995 Mystifier begins with an excerpt from the transcript of Houdini's 1926 Congressional testimony. HHC curator Benjamin Filene credits the transcript having been uncovered by HHC member Paul Rosen at the Library of Congress. It's interesting to see that Houdini cites Sarah Winchester of Winchester Mystery House fame in his list of people he believes were ruined by their devotion to Spiritualism. Houdini states:

In my 35 years I have never seen one genuine medium. Millions of dollars are stolen every year in America, and the Government have never paid any attention to it, because they look upon it as a religion. Sara Winchester spent $5,000,000; the celebrated judge of New York, Edmonds, spent all his fortune; Professor Hare, of Yale College, heard voices and saw forms, and stated a lead pencil stood upright on the table and wrote messages, and answered questions.

Wisconsin researcher and writer Larry Widen contributes a very well researched article called "Houdini in Milwaukee: The Forgotten Years." I was impressed that Widen mentions Harry and Bessie's 1897 tour as part of "Rogers Orpheum Stars", which is rarely mentioned in biographies. But most intriguing is his paragraph about the magic show young Ehrich Weiss witnessed in Milwaukee:

One evening in 1885, an elegantly garbed gentleman was working on stage at a Milwaukee dime museum. Billed as "The Bloodless Vivisectionist" he produced a series of gleaming, wicked-looking knives and proceeded to dismember a living human being before the audience's eyes. With a flourish, the man then replaced his victims limbs and head, apparently none the worse for wear. Eleven-year-old Ehrich Weiss sat spellbound through this performance. He had never seen magic combined with this caliber of showmanship. Houdini later cited the vivisectionist's performance in Milwaukee as a primary inspiration for becoming a magician.

Notice he does not identify the performer, and that he locates it in a Dime Museum. This is very different from the accepted story of Houdini's father taking him to see the celebrated Dr. Lynn at the local Opera House. In his notes, Widen lists a clipping for "Litt's Mammoth Dime Museum" in the Milwaukee Sentinel for February 22, 1885, which is presumably his source for this performer. This appears to corroborate the recent thinking that it was not Dr. Lynn that young Ehrich Weiss saw that day in Milwaukee.

The newsletter includes a museum shop update, announcing the availability of Benjilini on Houdini. It also notes that HHC Executive Director Donald Hoke has accepted a new position in Dallas.

Sid Radner devotes his "Backstage" column to his recent trip to Las Vegas, where he reports that he saw Dixie Dooley and the Harry Blackstone Jr. show (Siegfried & Roy and Lance Burton's were dark during the Christmas season). He also makes a pitch for artifact donations to the HHC.

Sid finishes with "Houdini in the News" in which he reports that Wisconsin Public Television will feature the HHC and the Harry Houdini Assembly of the Society of Young Magicians on the children's program Get Real. He says that a reproduction Houdini bust and Water Torture Cell poster will appear as props in upcoming episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful set inside Houdini's house.

Sid also has a clever new sign-off: "Until next time, keep opening those locks."

Mystifier

Volume 5, Number 1

First Quarter, 1995

6 pages

Contents:

Houdini Testifies Before Congress

Limited Edition at Museum Shop

Houdini's Years in Milwaukee

HHC Executive Director Moves to Dallas
Houdini in the News

Backstage with Sid Radner

PREVIOUS ISSUE | INDEX | NEXT ISSUE

Related:

• Guest blog: Mr. Houdini Goes to Washington
• LINK: Dr. Lynn fools Houdini
• Houdini found at the Winchester Mystery House

Let's nominate The Grim Game to the National Film Registry

Every year the National Film Preservation Board at the Library of Congress selects 25 films to showcase the range and diversity of American film heritage and increase awareness for its preservation. The public can suggest which films they think are worthy by nominating up to 50 films.

So let's get a Houdini movie in the mix! Heck, with 50 choices, we can nominate all of Houdini's movies. But let's at least be uniform in nominating what most consider his best film, The Grim Game (1919).

Here's how to do it:

• Click to visit the 2018 National Film Registry Nomination Form.
• You will be asked for your email address and how you heard about the site (feel free to say you heard about them from Wild About Harry).
• You'll then have the opportunity to nominate up to 50 films, listing each by title and year.
• Please enter The Grim Game as the title and 1919 as the year. 
• If you'd like to list his other films, they are: The Master Mystery (1918);  Terror Island (1920); The Man From Beyond (1922); Haldane of the Secret Service (1923). I also entered the Tony Curtis biopic Houdini (1953), because there's a lot to recommend that film as choice example of American cinema.

Thanks for your support and feel free to spread the word! It would be terrifc to see The Grim Game or any Houdini movie make the 2018 list.

Speaking of The Grim Game, I will be showing the film along with giving a talk about Houdini in cinema at the Jewish Museum of Maryland in Baltimore on November 4. Click for details.

Related:

• Houdini's Movies
• A Master Mystery revelation at UCLA
• Houdini conquers Hollywood (at last) in The Grim Game

Mystifier, Fourth Quarter 1993

Continuing my look back at the Mystifier, the newsletter of the Houdini Historical Center that ran from 1991-2003.

The Fourth Quarter 1993 Mystifier starts with an article  by Morris N. Young about "Houdini's Journeys into Code-Breaking." Who knew? Says Young:

Early in his career as a magician, Houdini discovered that the secret arts of magic extended into unsuspected fringe realms. When presented with a challenge to decipher a group of scrambled letters, he succeeded in doing so.

By relating his knowledge of cryptography to the performing arts, Houdini was able to fathom methods used in training animals to respond to questions, as well as the mysteries of second sight, mentalism, and alleged communication with the spirit world.

The issue continues with Houdini's own unedited draft of article he wrote for the March 1926 Aeronautic Review called "Flight and Magic." This was provided by collector Manny Weltman. One interesting tidbit is that Houdini says he regrets not leaving his plane in a museum in Australia "for it was the first successful plane to fly there." He also claims to have held the first insurance on an airplane.

An article by Library of Congress curator Joan F. Higbee Ph.D. describes the two major collections housed at the Washington institution; one willed by Houdini himself and the McManus-Young collections donated in 1956.

An update on the museum shop ("Business has been booming!") notes the arrival of a "Special limited edition" of the graphic novel Batman-Houdini: The Devil's Workshop. I'm not sure what made this edition special, but the article states it's a "a one-time printing."

Finally, Sid Radner in his "Backstage" column discusses the 1993 Official Houdini Seance, held that year in Cincinnati at the Union Central Insurance Company--the company that held Houdini's life insurance at the time of his death. The inner circle attendees were: Henry Muller, Moira Thomas, Tom Boldt, Dr. Morris Young, Dr. Bernard Dolenz, Dorothy Young, Ken Klosterman, Marie Blood, and Tom Rozoff. Sid notes that the seance this year received world-wide news coverage via CNN.

The newsletter concludes with Christmas poem reprinted from the Dec. 15, 1923 The Sphinx.

Mystifier
Volume 3, Number 4
Fourth Quarter, 1993
6 pages

Contents:
Houdini's Journey into Code-Breaking
Flight and Magic
Magic at the Library of Congress
New Books at the Museum Shop
Backstage with Sid Radner

PREVIOUS ISSUE | INDEX | NEXT ISSUE

Related:

• Houdini the pioneer aviator
• When Houdini met Batman
• Penn & Teller show us the Library of Congress Houdini Collection

Mystifier, First Quarter 1993

Continuing my look back at Mystifier, the quarterly newsletter of the Houdini Historical Center that ran from 1991-2003.

The First Quarter 1993 Mystifier kicks off with the reproduction of an article called "Card Tricks Exposed" from The New Penny Magazine (No. 120, Vol. X). It doesn't provide a date, but it appears to be from very early in Houdini's first european tour (similar to his "Wizard Exposed" articles of 1901).

I recently asked the "Mystical Man" if he would mind enlightening the readers of The New Penny Magazine as to how certain tricks are performed–those shown in public, and others indulged in by "sharps" at card tables. He readily responded to this invitation, and also consented to go before the camera in order to illustrate pictorially his various explanations. These photographs, I think it will be admitted, are quite unique, and form a remarkably interesting feature of the expose.

This is actually a pretty major exposé, revealing card moves practiced by card sharps and also magicians. The newsletter notes that this article comes from Houdini's "jail breaker" scrapbook, given to museum by Tad Ware of Excelsior, Minnesota.

The newsletter continues with a reproduction of an unintentionally amusing article from a 1913 Variety headlined, "Magic on Decline". The article rings the death knell of the magic art and puts the blame on exposure acts and "the lack of a master performer of the calibre of Herrmann or Kellar." (Ah, hem.)

Many magicians have given up the fight and entered other occupations. At this very time New York has two former magicians of high ability performing in its first class theaters. One is a dancing comedian and the other a comic ventriloquist. I know another magician upon whom great hopes were placed, but he has given it up and is studying law.

Also reprinted from 1913 are two oddities: "Some Passing Thoughts" by George Schulte, and "What to Wear While Performing Magic Stunts" by Harry Palmer, both from The Sphinx.

In his "Backstage with Sidney Radner" column, Sid praises Frank Koval's newly published Illustrated Houdini Research Diary. He also states that "Ken Silverman is writing what I predict will be the most complete biography of Houdini to date." And he says Pat Culliton's Houdini's Strange Tales and accompanying cassette tape are "first class all the way."

Sid goes on to say that his interview with Dorothy Young has to be postponed to the next issue due to the death of Dorothy's husband in December. He also promises to reveal a photo of Dorothy coming out of the Radio of 1950 illusion from the collection of Manny Weltman. At the time, that was an unpublished image. He finishes by announcing his upcoming visit to the Library of Congress and librarian John Higbee. Organizing the McManus-Young collection, which he complains "is not what the magic fraternity would like", appears to have been one of Sid's major efforts at this time.

Mystifier
Volume 3, Number 1
First Quarter, 1993
6 pages

Contents:
Looking Through Scrapbooks
New Houdini Books at Museum Shop
Magic on Decline
Some Passing Thoughts
Fashion Tips for Magicians
Backstage with Sid Radner

Thanks to Gary Hunt of Handcuff Queens for supplying me with this issue. 

PREVIOUS ISSUE | INDEX | NEXT ISSUE

Related:

• LINK: An expose on the King of Card act of Harry Houdini
• Exposing The Wizard Exposed
• What is the best Houdini biography?

Houdini jumps into L.A. photo exhibition

A exhibition of select photographs from the Library of Congress is on show at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles. Among the 500 images culled from the Library's 14 million is one of Houdini.

The Houdini photo is not shown on the official website, so I went and had a look today. The photo is the iconic shot of Houdini during his 1908 Harvard bridge jump (below). The original photo is a glass lantern slide from the McManus-Young collection. The exhibition credits it to John Thurston.

Unfortunately, what's on display is not the original photo, nor was it among the printed images hanging on the gallery walls. The Houdini photo cycles along with a dozen others on a video screen representing "Art" alongside "Sports" and "Leisure." Still, it was great to see Houdini representing the art of his era.

Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America’s Library can be see at Annenberg Space for Photography, 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067. The exhibition is free and runs until Sept. 9.

Related:

• Delta Bravo finds Houdini's jump site (Harvard jump)
• Penn & Teller show us the Library of Congress Houdini Collection
• Houdini among "Windows on the Bowery"

Mystifier, Fourth Quarter 1992

Continuing my look back at Mystifier, the quarterly newsletter of the Houdini Historical Center that ran from 1991-2003.

The Fourth Quarter 1992 Mystifier is a standout issue in that it reprints a full account of a challenge packing crate escape at the Zoo-Hippodrome in Glasgow in 1904. This challenge had an interesting added element, as you can read below:

During the day representatives of the firm had visited the Zoo and complained that there was a trap door on the stage. They proposed to erect a platform on which the packing case should be placed. To that Houdini had no objections, so he called upon the carpenters present to proceed to business, and the band played. Four tradesmen immediately threw off their coats. Long stout beams were dragged on to the stage, and they set to work with hammer and nails to baffle, if possible, the daring performer. The music of the orchestra was almost drowned in the noise of the active woodworkers. By and by the platform was completed. It was about a couple of feet high, supported by struts, so that a clear view of the stage floor could be obtained underneath.

The newsletter continues with an article by Tom Boldt about the newly opened La Maison de Robert-Houdin-Centre National des Arts de la Magie et de I'illusion in Blois, France. A Christmas greeting from Houdini's December 1907 issue of the Conjurer's Magazine is reprinted along with "Helpful Hints for Young Magicians Under Eighty" from the August 12, 1908 issue.

Regular contributor Dr. Morris N. Young then provides an interesting article about the books Houdini traveled with on tour in 1911. Among the some 19 mentioned books that Houdini felt were important enough to keep with him at all times are curiosities such as The International Scientific Series Animal Locomotion and Grimms Fairy Tales.

In "Backstage with Sidney Radner", Sid reports on the recent discovery of a large cache of uncatalogued Houdini material in the Library of Congress. Incredibly, this material had remained unboxed since its arrival in 1927! Sid talks about meeting Dorothy Young for the first time at the 1992 Official Houdini Seance at the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame. He says that the BBC and National Geographic are both working on Houdini documentaries. Sid also notes that the first volume of Frank Koval's Illustrated Houdini Research Diary -- "an absolute must for Houdini researchers" -- is available from the museum shop for $20. So too is Pat Culliton's Houdini's Strange Tales.

Sid finishes by reporting that David Copperfield visited Appleton and the Houdini Historical Center on November 19, 1992, and "gave us a very generous plug during his performance in nearby Neenah, for which we give great thanks."

Mystifier
Volume 2, Number 4
Fourth Quarter, 1992
6 pages

Contents:
Looking Through Scrapbooks
Center to Honor Robert-Houdin
Queries
Houdini's Bookshelf on Tour
Helpful Hints for Magicians
Backstage with Sid Radner

Thanks to Gary Hunt of Handcuff Queens for providing me with this issue.

PREVIOUS ISSUE | INDEX | NEXT ISSUE

Related:

• The Challenge Packing Case escape
• Houdini the bibliophile
• A tip of the hat from Robert-Houdin and J. Eduardo Caamaño

Houdini in LOC pop-up Halloween exhibition

Houdini will be featured among more than 200 collection items on display at The Library of Congress' pop-up exhibition, "LOC Halloween: Chambers of Mystery." Below is a description and terrific artwork tweeted out today by Events at the LOC.

At "LOC Halloween: Chambers of Mystery," visitors will learn about the ancient and mysterious traditions behind these autumn holidays through a rich selection of books and archival special materials. The display will feature items of various themes including Halloween origins and traditions, curated ghost stories, a commemoration of Día de Muertos , Houdini's pursuit of the supernatural and the films that brought them all to life.

The display will be on view Friday, Oct. 27 through Tuesday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., and Wednesday, Nov. 1, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. in the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C.

For more information vist the official LOC webite.

Thanks to Dean Carnegie.

Related:

• Penn & Teller show us the Library of Congress Houdini Collection
• Houdini scrapbook in the Library of Congress
• Tom Interval finds Houdini's Unknown World

Have we been looking at this photo all wrong?

The above photo belonged to Edward Saint and is now part of the Library of Congress collection. There it is captioned: "Houdini is shown here with his brother William." I've let this image of Houdini and "Bill" enjoying a quiet moment in Machpelah cemetery roll over me all these years without thinking much about it. But recently I went down the rabbit hole with our great friend Colleen Bak from Queens, and realized I've been looking at this photo all wrong!

For starters, I don't think that is William Weiss. To my eye, that appears to be Oscar Teale, Houdini's private secretary who was tasked by Houdini to create the large marble exedra for the family plot in Machpelah cemetery in 1915-16. Teale appears to be holding something in his hand. What could that be? I'll come back to that.

So can we prove this is Machpelah? Happily, yes! While there are a several photos of Houdini in Machpelah, this is the only one that shows anything that is today still recognizable. The bench that Houdini and Teale are sitting on appears to be one of the stone benches that are still there today (although the benches today are replacements for the originals destroyed by vandals in 1993). Armed with this photo, Colleen and her husband Frank did a little digging (ha!) and pinpointed exactly where this photo was taken.

As you can see, this appears be have been taken in the South West corner of the family plot. There are three distinct graves behind both Colleen/Frank and Houdini/Teale that are unmistakable; an urn, angel, and obelisk. Unfortunately, this also reveals more vandalism as only the base and foot remain of the angel in the center of the image.

Now, the location of the bench in the Houdini photo brings up a few observations. First off, this is Houdini sitting almost on top of his own final resting place. Back then it appears the plot had a gated entrance where Houdini's grave is today. It also appears the bench is not positioned as it is today. Today it sits perpendicular to the plot, directly facing the other bench. (This is why the angle on the Colleen/Frank shot is somewhat different.)

But in the Houdini/Teale photo, the bench appears to be sitting at an angle. It's actually facing towards the exedra. And that's what makes everything fall into place and why I think we have been looking at this photo all wrong.

Look at the photo again with its newly understood position of the bench in mind. Houdini is looking in the direction of the exedra with concentrated interest, and Teale is looking at him as if seeking approval. And what are those in Teale's hands? Design plans maybe?

So far from being a moment of repose with a family member, this appears to be Houdini and Oscar Teale either inspecting the newly installed exedra or possibly planning where the exedra will sit (because we really have no way of knowing whether it's there -- possibly the benches proceeded it?).

If this was a planning session or first inspection, it seems unlikely this would be the only photo taken that day. So are there more photos out there? Is there one that will finally give us a good look at the exedra as it appeared in Houdini's lifetime (before the S.A.M. mosaic and bust). Just another piece of the Houdini jigsaw puzzle!

Thank you Colleen and Frank for the great detective work.

Postscript: After I finished this post, I stumbled on an article that highlights some Houdini diary entries for the year 1916 (the year of the exedra dedication) and noticed this:

Related:

• The Houdini-Weiss exedra turns 100
• Machpelah before the exedra
• Houdini's new view
• (Oscar Teale photo)

Houdini scrapbook in the Library of Congress

Here's a great video showing a Houdini scrapbook in the Library of Congress. I'm especially interested to learn that the famous "Dear Ma" postcard was "not visible" before the LOC's conservations efforts. You can watch by clicking the link below:

CLICK TO WATCH AT HISTORY.COM

You might have noticed the cover of a 1941 issue of Genii in this "Houdini" scrapbook. I'm guessing what we might be seeing is a scrapbook put together by Edward Saint after Houdini's death. Those were also donated to the Library of Congress. So we can blame Ed for buying "cheap dime store scrapbooks"!

Related:

• Penn & Teller show us the Library of Congress Houdini Collection
• Browse Houdini's library online
• Homeless Houdini

Bill Kalush shares Houdini gold in Washington

Conjuring Arts Research Center founder and The Secret Life of Houdini author William Kalush wowed attendees of the Washington Symposium on Magic History yesterday with his talk on Houdini. According to mega collector Arthur Moses, Bill's talk included fresh revelations and new unseen material.

Bill has done some research in the David Copperfield collection and has rediscovered some Houdini rarities that were misfiled years ago. First and foremost is a 112 page manuscript written by Houdini in 1924 called The Light Séance. Apparently this manuscript is connected with a 50-60 page Library of Congress manuscript on Spiritualism attributed to Houdini (but most likely written by Oscar Teale). The lost manuscript took up the first part of Bill's presentation.

Bill then showed a clip from a 1928 National Film Institute of Australia film titled Knights of the Air. The Paramount 2 reeler contains a lengthy segment about Houdini's Australian flights with film footage that is much more complete than the spotty fragments we have come to know.

Bill then revealed fresh information about Houdini's father, including a new unseen photo of Mayer Samuel Weiss (which makes this only the second known photo). Bill spoke of how he had uncovered a reliable sourced contact with Houdini relatives in Hungary from 1931 who were able to verify family history. According to these relatives, Houdini's father, who was a lawyer in Hungary (not a Rabbi), left the country because he failed a legal exam.

Thanks to Arthur Moses for these details of what sounded like an incredible talk. Hopefully Bill will be sharing these discoveries in print at some point. The Secret Life of Houdini Revisited? Bring it!

The Washington Symposium on Magic History concludes today.

The Washington Symposium on Magic History starts today

The highly anticipated Washington Symposium on Magic History kicks off today at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Houdini is going to be well represented at the conference. Bruce MacNab will be giving a special talk about his highly acclaimed new book, Metamorphosis: The Apprenticeship of Harry Houdini. David Saltman of The Houdini File will give a talk on magician Jerry Andrus and will share details about his recently completed historical novel that focuses on Houdini in Russia. William Kalush, co-author of The Secret Life of Houdini, will also give a talk on Houdini.

There will also be a private showing for conference attendees of rare artifacts from The Library of Congress' Houdini and McManus Young Collections. The 3-day event is being hosted by Kenneth Trombly.

With so many great Houdini happenings, I kills me that I couldn't make it. However, our friend Dean Carnegie of The Magic Detective is at the conference, so I will be watching his blog and Facebook for updates.

Have fun everyone!

Bruce MacNab and David Saltman to speak at D.C. Magic Symposium

Bruce MacNab and David Saltman have been added to growing roster of speakers at The Washington Symposium on Magic History set for April 25-27, 2013 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Bethesda.

Bruce MacNab will be giving a special talk about his highly acclaimed new book, Metamorphosis: The Apprenticeship of Harry Houdini. David Saltman, who runs the blog The Houdini File, will give a talk on inventor/magician Jerry Andrus. He will also share details about his recently completed historical novel that focuses on Houdini's time in Russia.

Another featured speaker will be William Kalush, co-author of The Secret Life of Houdini. There will also be a private showing of rare artifacts from The Library of Congress' Houdini and McManus Young Collections. The event is being hosted by Kenneth Trombly.

For more information and registration details visit the The Washington Symposium on Magic History at MagicPosters.com.

The Washington Symposium on Magic History

The Washington Symposium on Magic History is set for the weekend of April 25-27, 2013 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

The event is being hosted by Ken Trombly, a major magic and Houdini collector, and will of course feature some moments with our favorite Master Mystifier.

William Kalush, co-author of The Secret Life of Houdini and founder of the Conjuring Arts Research Center in New York, is scheduled to give a lecture on Houdini at the conference. There will also be "a private exhibit for our attendees only at the Library of Congress of some amazing relics of magic history from their Houdni and McManus Young Collections."

The event will honor two longtime friends of the magic community, Carl Williams and Nick Ruggiero.

For more information and registration details visit the The Washington Symposium on Magic History at MagicPosters.com.

Tom Interval finds Houdini's Unknown World

Magician and Houdini aficionado Tom Interval -- who runs the excellent website Houdini in the New York Times -- recently posted this terrific photo on Facebook. This is Tom in the Library of Congress Houdini collection holding a volume titled The Unknown World that should be very familiar to Houdini buffs (the shot of Houdini in his study holding this same book can be found in Houdini His Legend and His Magic by Doug Henning). What a find!

Now Tom checks in with some specific information for us about the very book in Houdini (and his) hands. Says Tom:

"The Unknown World was not a book but a magazine about the occult (see full tagline below). I assume the green clothbound book in the Houdini collection at the Library of Congress (and seen in that cool pic of Houdini) was a bound volume of some unknown number of issues. I can kick myself for not getting better pictures of it (and of everything else) that day (around 1990).

An interesting fact is that the editor of the publication was the same guy who conceived arguably the most popular tarot deck ever: Rider brand."

MORE INFO:

Title: The Unknown World

Tagline: "A monthly magazine devoted to occult sciences, magic, mystical philosophy, alchemy, hermetic archaeology, and the hidden problems of science, literature, speculation, and history"

Editor: Arthur Edward Waite (aka: A.E. Waite) (1857-1942)

Publisher: James Elliott and Co., Temple Chambers, Falcon Court, Fleet Street, E.C., London

Publication: Aug. 15, 1894 to June 15, 1895

A couple of good quotes from Vol. 1, No. 1, Aug. 15, 1894

"It should therefore be understood that this magazine is established chiefly to represent and increase the interest attaching to the investigation of those mysteries which are called transcendental, occult, and mystic. They will not be its sole subject, but it will treat in the main of these, and will avowedly make use of all means at its disposal to spread the knowledge of Mysticism and to multiply the acceptors of its instruction. . .The Unknown World has been founded to represent, as we believe, for the first time in periodical literature, the whole circle of the Occult Sciences. It will deal with their methods, history, and literature in such a manner that they will become intelligible to an unversed reader, while at the same time there will be matters of special interest and value to the well-equipped and earnest mind.

"The departments of Occult Science and history particularly embraced by the present editorial scheme are:—White and Black Magic, Necromancy, Divination, Astrology, Alchemy, Witchcraft, Crystallomancy, Elementals and Elementaries, the Rosicrucians, the Illuminati, Esoteric Freemasonry, the Mysteries, the Mystics, Hermetic Philosophy, the Archaeology of the Secret Sciences. . .In a word, The Unknown World will be devoted to the 'superstitions' of the past, or, more correctly, to the science of the future."

Thank you, Tom! I love this kind of thing.

Penn & Teller show us the Library of Congress Houdini Collection

Check out this terrific video of Penn & Teller in the Houdini Collection vault at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. I love these guys. I also love that we see here the actual "Dear Ma" postcard from Houdini's runaway days (pic below). I've seen this myself, and I've always tried to explain just how surprisingly small the postcard really is. Now you can see for yourself. Enjoy the tour.

By the way, if there's a government shutdown tomorrow, I'll be happy to look after the Houdini collection for free. Just throwing it out there.