Houdini

Houdini left behind him very complete biographical material in the form of diaries covering the last three decades of his life, many autobiographical fragments, letters, volumes of clippings, references, special articles, various books and pamphlets from his pen. These data are supplemented and enriched by the storage of memories he left in the mind of his wife... This biography is prepared from the data and records mentioned above, and from the recollections of Beatrice Houdini. While in general the secrets of magic are carefully guarded among those who practice the art, the author has been able to give intimate glimpses of Houdini's methods and to reveal the inner workings of a number of major mystifications which were his alone.-- from Foreword.