Ehrich Weiss, humble Hungarian immigrant and rabbi’s son, reinvented himself as a master escape artist and captured the imagination of the masses for the ages. This biography shows the man behind the myth and is a tribute of sorts also to his era. ( )

Totally absorbing - not just Houdini’s life story but the research needed to try to sort myth from facts - magic! ( )

First published at Booking in Heels.

This isn’t the first non-fiction book about Harry Houdini I’ve read. I’ve also picked up both The Secret Life of Houdini and Houdini and Conan Doyle. Luckily, each book approaches Harry Houdini from a different angle, so I still feel like I’ve learned something every time.

The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini probably isn’t the best place to start when you’re first starting out learning about Houdini; I’d recommend The Secret Life… for that. However, once that base knowledge is in place, this is a really interesting look at what Houdini meant to people generally, as well as the (many) specific magicians whose original inspiration came from the iconic escapologist.

I always appreciate when non-fiction books talk to you about how they conducted their research – the people they talk to, the author’s first impressions of them, the books they couldn’t get hold of, the museums they toured, etc. It seems to connect you to the subject matter, as though you’re journeying along with the author, and provides a jumping off point if you wanted to explore different paths on your own.

Joe Posnanski seems to have spoken to all the most renowned Houdini ‘experts,’ and toured all the relevant museums and sites. He has even had a tour of David Cooperfield’s personal museum, guided by the man himself! No stone has been unturned and no avenue unexplored in the making of this book.

I feel I should clarify that The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini is still very much about Houdini, however. I had worried before starting it that this would simply be a list of modern magicians’ careers with Houdini being used only as a loose connector. This is not that. We do hear about what prompted other magicians’ love of magic, but not for long and it very much isn’t the focus. It’s more about their feelings towards Houdini, which are then linked back to Houdini’s personality, choices or famous stunts.

It never got repetitive and was so much more than just a list of modern magician’s quotes about the man. I also appreciate that, despite the author freely admitting he loves Harry Houdini, his flaws and shortcomings are also explored at least somewhat objectively. Apparently Houdini was actually fairly crap at card magic, for example, despite lauding himself as the King of Cards.

In short, I probably wouldn’t recommend this as your first foray into Houdini, but I would pick it up as your second. It will debunk some of the more prevalent Houdini myths you may have heard whilst also providing a fascinating insight into Houdini’s legacy – both mainstream and magical. ( )

Most informative. Fact from fiction ( )

Alot of fun. A biography, and as with everything Posnanski, it's all about the wonder of things. Nice job in an area that he doesn't live in. ( )