Wild About Harry PRESS is open for business

Today, I'm throwing open the doors of Wild About Harry PRESS. This is my new retail website (powered by Shopify) and publishing imprint. Here, I intend to sell my own books, notably The Ultimate Houdini Chronology, the first volume of which will be released later this year.

For starters, I'm offering my limited author's stock of Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899, published last year by Mike Caveney's Magic Words. I'm offering a choice of SIGNED or SEALED. The book retails for $125, but as thanks for being my first customers, I've lowered the price of the sealed editions to $95. I'm pretty sure this is the lowest price for this book you'll find anywhere online. Supplies are limited.

I'm a one-man one-cat operation, so be patient with me as I learn the retail ropes. I'm looking forward to providing everyone with some great Houdini books!

Feel free to sign up to receive notifications when new books are added.

Related:

• Wild About Harry PRESS is coming soon
• YOU CAN NOW OWN HOUDINI'S FIRST DIARY
• ANNOUNCEMENT: I'M DONE WITH HOUDINI!

I hate AI and the feeling appears to be mutual

WILD ABOUT HARRY has just crossed over 16 million pageviews. You know who isn't impressed by that? Google. 15 years, 5782 posts, 21781 comments, and 16 million page views. Yet when I asked Google's generative AI to recommend a good Houdini blog, here's the list I got:

Hey, at least Joe Notaro's Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence made the list. I can't argue with that choice. And to be fair to Google, my blog does very well in the traditional links. It can even land at #1. Which makes the AI results even more bizarre. But as Houdini would say, "Such is life."

Thank you for visiting and supporting WILD ABOUT HARRY over the years. Even you bots!

Related:

• Houdini A.I. is inaccurate, artless, and everywhere
• When AI generates your Houdini facts
• Google is just not into you (Too Clever By Half)

Discover the Houdinarian Society

Houdini devotees Larrian Gillespie, MD and Shell Reinish (who is currently teaching a class on Houdini at UNLV) have launched the Houdinarian Society. The website is already packed with Houdini content, including videos, artifacts, links, reviews and research. They also have a dedicated Facebook page and a way to subscribe and receive alerts when new content is published.

Larrian was kind enough to give WAH a shoutout and join my Patreon as an Angel, so I'm excited to share the love. The Houdinarian Society is a terrific way to keep up with all that's happening in the world of Houdini, so get to browsing!

Related:

• Houdini Museum launches new website
• Roger Dreyer launches "Houdini Revealed"
• Houdini's early days online

Houdini Museum launches new website

Our friends Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz have launched an all-new website for their famous Houdini Museum Tour & Magic Show in Scranton, PA. It's very well done and worth a visit. Just click below to go.

I had the pleasure of visiting the museum last year, and I loved it. It's a unique and special place run by a pair of magic legends. Not to be missed!

Related:

• Ambassador's Tour
• Scranton honors Dorothy Dietrich and Houdini Museum
• "Haunted" Houdini printers block MISSING

'Houdini Revealed' mystery pic

Our friend Roger Dreyer of Houdini Revealed is my latest Angel patron and advertiser. He has also sent over this mystery photo from his collection. Can anyone help identify this woman? If so, drop a comment below or contact Roger here. I don't have a clue myself. I just love this as a great unpublished pic of a casual Houdini.

Thank you Roger for being an Angel!

Related:

• Roger Dreyer launches "Houdini Revealed" (1-3)
• Roger Dreyer's Houdini Revealed, Parts 4-6
• Announcing WILD ABOUT HARRY on Patreon

Misquoting Dumb Houdini

Recently I discovered the sardonic magic blog The Jerx (a take off on The Jinx). It's pretty funny and now a blog I follow. Of course, I had to see if Houdini had even gotten The Jerx treatment, and he certainly has! In fact, they have somewhat regular series called "Dumb Houdini".

In their initial post, "How Dumb was Houdini?", they point out that his oft-quoted, "My brain is the key that sets my mind free" is pretty dumb and makes no sense. But they correctly point out this is NOT what Houdini said. What Houdini actually said was, "My brain is the key that sets me free." That is much less dumb.

They also point out that people are selling merchandise online featuring the incorrect quote. This inspired The Jerx to launch their very own Dumb Houdini Store. That isn't a joke. Well, it is a joke, but the merchandise is real. At least I think it's real?

Speaking of quotes... 

Another quote you will frequently see attributed to Houdini is: "What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes." It's a good quote and it sounds like something Houdini would say. I've never questioned it. But recently someone contacted me asking if I could verify that the quote really was from Houdini.

I did a little research and found a page at Goodreads that attributes the quote to Houdini's A Magician Among The Spirits. I figured it came from one of his books, so that tracks. However, when I did a keyword search of my PDF of the book, I turned up nothing.

I then searched Miracle Mongers and Their Methods, Houdini's Paper Magic, The Right Way to Do Wrong, The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin, the Margery pamphlet, even Elliott's Last Legacy. Still nothing. The closest I came was the quote, "Has your brain deceived your eyes, or your eyes your brain?" (Unmasking p 308).

I then plugged the quote into newspapers.com and the earliest hit that came up was from 2008 when a Durham Academy valedictorian named it as his favorite quotation. A search of Ask Alexander turned up a single mention in a 2015 Genii. So not only can I not find this quotation during Houdini's lifetime, I can't even find it before the 21st century!

Then I found this clip from the 2001 film Swordfish.

So there's the quote. At the moment, this is the earliest utterance that I've been able to find. But is it even a quote? It's not all that clear if John Travolta's character is actually quoting Houdini or if this is his own definition of misdirection. But even if he is quoting Houdini here, this is a movie, which is under no obligation to be factual. So it's possible these words are entirely the creation of the screenwriter.

I'm still holding out hope that Houdini did say this. There is still a lot of his written material that I haven't searched. Like I said, it's a good quote and it sounds like something he might say. I really don't want to believe that we've been quoting John Travolta all this time. Because as The Jerx might say, that would be really dumb.

Related:

• Houdini in the classroom
• "I'm not an advertiser, I'm news."
• "It's not egotism, Hilliar; it's Houdini-ism."

Announcing WILD ABOUT HARRY on Patreon

Today I'm revealing what I think is a major complement to this blog. I've decided to launch WILD ABOUT HARRY on Patreon.

Don't worry! This blog will remain as active as ever with all the latest Houdini news and deep dives into Houdini history. Nothing will change. But for you hardcore Houdini nuts, Patreon is where you'll be able to get exclusive content that'll take you even deeper down the rabbit hole.

You see, I have a lot of material that, for one reason or another, I don't want to share on this public blog. Photos and videos that I'm not sure about copyright. Personal pics from inside private Houdini collections and archives. I also have gobs of original newspaper clippings and other source material that just end up going into a folder on my computer. But that's material I know some of you would love to have on your computer. Now you can.

It's all a bit of an experiment, but I've already posted some content and have ideas for more. Posting will be less frequent, but always something special. And as the internet grows more insane, I find having a more secure and private environment very appealing. I might even share some select Houdini secrets. (Shhh)

I'm offering three different membership tiers, which you can review on the site. You will be billed at sign-up and then monthly on the same date. You can cancel anytime.

Joining will also make you a true patron. You'll be supporting what I do here and the creation of my ultimate Houdini book. Every cent I collect will go directly into my research budget. Because the more I can travel and research, the more Houdini gold I'll be able to share with all of you. I truly appreciate the support and thank you in advance.

Anyway, that's the pitch! If you want to give it a try, click on over to Patreon and GO WILD.

Hope to see you there.

Related:

• What Is Patreon, and How Does It Work?
• Is Patreon Safe? (10 Reasons Why It Is)

Roger Dreyer's Houdini Revealed, Parts 4-6

Last year The Houdini Museum of New York moved to New Jersey and owner Roger Dreyer launched a new website called Houdini Revealed. He has also created a multi-part series of biographical Houdini videos. I shared parts 1-3 HERE. Now Roger continues the series below. Enjoy.

Related:

• Roger Dreyer launches "Houdini Revealed" (1-3)
• Houdini Museum of NY is moving to New Jersey
• Guest blog: The Houdini Museum of New York, Part I | Part II

LINK: WILD ABOUT HARRY WEEKLY #2

Click the headline to preview the second issue of my new WILD ABOUT HARRY WEEKLY email newsletter. But you'll have to subscribe to receive the special EXTRAs.

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE

Roger Dreyer launches "Houdini Revealed"

Last year The Houdini Museum of New York moved to a "top secret" location in New Jersey. Now owner Roger Dreyer has launched a new webpage called Houdini Revealed. Here Roger shares museum artifacts and memorabilia. He's also posted the first in a series of biographical Houdini videos, the first three of which are below. Enjoy.

Continue to Parts 4-6

Related:

• Houdini Museum of NY is moving to New Jersey
• Guest blog: The Houdini Museum of New York, Part I | Part II
• Houdini KOs Willard in the Record

10th Anniversary: Launch day!

It was 10 years ago on November 10, 2010 at 10AM that I launched WILD ABOUT HARRY. I had already launched a Houdini website called Houdini Lives! in 2006. My original plan was to use Blogger to create a news aggregator for Houdini Lives and other magic websites. In fact, I originally called this new site HOUDINI HEADLINES. But it quickly became clear to me that I could do so much more with the Blogger interface, so I changed the name and began migrating all my Houdini Lives content to this new site and writing new posts. And I've never stopped!

TEN YEAR UPDATE: 4,625 posts. 16,878 comments. 7,378,715 pageviews. I'm still wild about Harry. And so are you.

TOP 10 MOST VIEWED POSTS

Fact checking HISTORY's Houdini - Part One

The problem with Bessie

Fact checking HISTORY's Houdini - Part Two

The illicit loves of Harry Houdini

This is J. Gordon Whitehead

SOLD! Houdini straitjacket captures $46,980 at Christie's

What Sid told me

Time to rethink the rethinking on the Houdini punch

The gateway biography

The untold story of Houdini's 1914 Battery Park escape

Related: 

• Welcome to our WILD 10th year!

Locking down Houdini in Kansas

Don Creekmore, a lifelong resident of Kansas with a particular interest in the history of the Wichita area, is writing a book about Houdini in the Sunflower State. Don has launched a very well done website showcasing his research and asking for help in locating Houdini in Kansas. I love specialized work like this, and Don's site has me dazzled, especially all the new info he's uncovered on the California Concert Company. Have a look:

www.houdinikansas.com

"Like many youngsters, Harry Houdini was almost a mythical figure in magic and history to me. How could someone bigger than life have any notable connection to Kansas? As my interest in his life, feats and mythology grew I stumbled upon a piece of faded fragile paper that would set in motion my desire to learn about Houdini's connection to the state & people of Kansas. As fate would have it, I would get married to my high school sweetheart in the Wichita Orpheum theater where Houdini performed in 1923.
​
So what was the faded piece of paper that started everything? As they say, you will have to wait for the book....."  -Don Creekmore

Related:

• When did Houdini become "King of Handcuffs"?
• Coffeyville released in paperback
• Houdini got Drunk again

Houdini's 278 now has an official website

The owners of Houdini's New York brownstone have launched an official website devoted to their famous residence called "278 Houdini House" (https://house.278.nyc).

The site has just updated with a post announcing shipping of their first wave of 278 souvenir bricks.

Looks like this is going to be a terrific resource, so bookmark and follow 278 Houdini House today!

Related:

• Own an authentic brick from Houdini's 278
• New 278 owners committed to preserving Houdini history

"Houdini & Hardeen" is back online

Great news from the Houdini blogosphere. Jack Coray's Houdini & Hardeen is back! Here's how Jack explained it in his return post:

Click to enlarge.

Houdini & Hardeen has already clocked some impressive posts, including this post with a pic of Hardeen and Dr. A.M. Wilson that I've never seen. Jack is also promising to review every issue of Houdini's Conjurers Monthly Magazine; a great idea!

So revisit or visit for the first time Houdini & Hardeen, because one can never get enough of The Brothers Houdini!

https://houdiniandhardeen.home.blog

Related:

• Houdini's early days online
• Houdini vs. Hardeen in Oakland
• REVIEW: A Houdini book for everyone

Joe Posnanski launches his Houdini newsletter

Joe Posnanski, author of the upcoming The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini, has launched a free Houdini newsletter and blog. Says Joe:

What will you get here? Well, this will be pretty low key — I’ll send an email about once a week (these will also be posted on my Houdini blog), tell a few Houdini stories, tell a few magic stories, share some behind-the-scene book details, offer various updates, maybe show you a magic trick or two, maybe interview some of the amazing people who appear in the book. I’m sure we’ll have some giveaways too. I think it will be a lot of fun. And, hey, it is free and you can cancel anytime.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE

Pre-order The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Released date is October 22, 2019.

Related:

• LINK: Houdini Is Alive
• Here's the cover of Joe Posnanski's new Houdini book!
• Joe Posnanski discusses his upcoming Houdini book

Meet HoudiniFan

Today I wanted to give a shout-out to a relatively new blog, HoudiniFan, launched in April by webmiss Lisa. It has a lot of energy and creativity. Give it a visit:

https://houdinifan.tumblr.com

A blog dedicated to Harry Houdini, the amazing illusionist, escapologist, magician, & actor! A collection of my fave pix, gifs, footage & more! Stuff we've all seen before with my occasional crazy commentary. ;) Track: HoudiniFan

You can also follow Lisa and HoudiniFan on Twitter @Houdini1926.

Patrick Culliton launches 'Houdini The Key' forum

The great Patrick Culliton has launched a private website forum devoted to discussing Houdini's secrets, especially those revealed his seminal 2010 book, Houdini The Key. Patrick will also use the site to provide book updates and corrections. The catch is you have to own the book and register to get in. But secrets await!

http://houdinithekey.com

Related:

• 'HOUDINI THE KEY' HAS ARRIVED
• 'Houdini The Key' spills the secret of a second Water Torture Cell
• Houdini The Key released in a limited Second Printing

Houdini's early days online

Today I feel like giving a nostalgic shoutout to two Houdini websites that pioneered Houdini news and information on the net. While no longer updated, both sites are still available online.

First up is Bob King's "Houdini Tribute", which I believe may have been the very first Houdini site on the web. Bob devoted his site to historical Houdini ephemera as well as news and current events. It's still a fun place to explore as there are some hidden gems. The super old school design is also part of its appeal.

http://www.houdinitribute.com

The next site is George Ford's Houdiniana.com, launched in 1999. I always found Houdiniana an exciting destination as it was mostly devoted to current Houdini news and events. The site went offline in 2007 and George seems to have fallen out of the Houdini world. But he was a pioneer and a good guy.  Houdiniana can be viewed via the Wayback Machine.

Finally, there was Houdini Connection, launched in 1998. I don't know who ran this site. It stopped updating in 2007, but is still online.

http://houdinez.tripod.com/houdini.html

Related:

• David Byron captures Houdini on the Web
• Here's why Houdini Himself is offline
• Houdini Lives will die on June 30

Tom Interval introduces Blogcasts

The talented Tom Interval has come up with a clever new idea of a "Blogcast" in which he reads select posts from his Interval Magic and Houdini Museum blogs. His first Blogcast is his breakthrough 2018 post about Houdini's father:

Blogcast #1:
Harry Houdini’s Dad Fired for Not Speaking English?

Also check out Tom's Patreon page for special videos and content. He's a trailblazer!

Related:

• LINK: Rabbi Weiss’s Farewell Sermon
• Tom Interval finds Houdini's Unknown World
• This post by Tom Interval is Dynamite

Neil McNally launches Doug Henning documentary fundraiser

Our friend Neil McNally has launched a new webpage and Indiegogo fundraiser for his currently in-production documentary Doug Henning's Magical World. Neil has been spearheading a revival of interest in Doug via his popular blog The Doug Henning Project. This first ever documentary is another important step in celebrating and cementing Doug Henning's place in magic history. But to complete it, Neil needs our help.

You can learn more about the documentary, watch the trailer, and donate to the fundraiser at the official website:

www.doughenningfilm.com

You can go directly to the fundraiser at: 

Indiegogo

Related:

• "Houdini must have been crazy to do this."
• Doug Henning marks Houdini's 100th
•  Neil McNally launches The Doug Henning Project