harry houdini preview
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C E L Welsh
Illustrated by Lalit Kumar Singh
My name is Harry Houdini and I was born in 1874.
My business is not the same as ordinary men and women who sit behind desks shuffling paper. I have never been one
to stay still for very long.
Straitjacketed, handcuffed, locked in steamer trunks, dropped into water-filled containers, and suspended
over city streets – I like to keep myself busy.
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Albany, New York. 1926.
My experiences have given me a unique perspective on life.
Alright, steady now,
Vickery. Get ready to drop him in.
Okay. Ready when you are,
Collins.
It has travelled a long way.
The wealth of experience gained from risking my life is often
used to save my performance.
My Chinese Water Torture Cell was built in England.
I’ve lost count of how many times I have used it.
It ’s right...
I can’t see anything. Are
you sure?
There is a small crack
here.
Spotted something.
What is it, boss?
Wait! Set me down, boys.
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My performance is more important than my life.
I have become used to the attention my name creates...
and the effect it has on people.
Whoaaa!
I don’t believe it.
That ’s Harry Houdini!
The boy? His name is--
Yes, boss.
Hello, Kukol. Who’s your
friend?
Vickery, go and find the spare glass
for the water torture cell – be sure to check it for cracks. Collins, check the
water damage to the carpet.
Come on, kid! They need
some help.
...here.
Will do.
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Who?
A man called Buster Harper.
He is investigating spiritualist frauds
for me.
I see… it ’s from Harper.
Oh, yeah… the kid.
Now, tell me about the
boy, Kukol.
We should havejust enough time for
this to dry by the second act.
But I cannot allow fame to distract me. Time can be vicious when you take it for granted – even fatal in my profession.
He walked up to me ten minutes ago, mumbled your name and handed
me a letter.
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Th e Journal of Doct or Buster Harper
15th September 1926
Here begins my fi rst att empt at writing a journal. I have
rec eived a lett er fr om Harr y Houdini today. It seems the
number of negative reports made about him by members
of the spiritualist movement are increasing. Ever since he
app eared before Congress to debunk the lot of them, their
general att itude towards him has bec ome hostile.
Even Houdini’s former fr iend, Sir Arthur Conan Doy le, has
now bec ome his enemy.
1st October 1926
Houdini told me I only had to ask if I needed a favour
fr om him. Rec ently, it has occurr ed to me that there is one
way in wh ich he could help me. It has now been a year
since my poor sist er pass ed away, and her son, William, has
been lost without her and somewhat direct ionless .
However, it seems William has developed an interes t in
magic, although he hasn’t even fanned a dec k of cards or
made a coin disapp ear yet . But with the right guidance…
I will write at once to Houdini and ask if he will allow my
nephew to work for him.
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This is the life story of Ehrich Weiss. If you don’t recognise this man’s
name, that is because the world came to know him as the one and only
Harry Houdini.
George Bernard Shaw once remarked that Harry Houdini is the third most
famous name in history after Jesus Christ and Sherlock Holmes. While that
might be a bold and debatable statement, there is no doubt that Houdini
is the most famous magician to have ever lived. Almost a hundred years
after his death, his name is still synonymous with death-defying stunts and
unimaginable escapes.
His ability to get out of seemingly impossible situations, along with his knack
of dealing with the public and the press, made him a legend in his own
time. Some of his most notable escapes, which still cannot be explained,
were the Mirror Handcuff Challenge, the Milk Can Escape, the Chinese
Water Torture Cell and the Suspended Straitjacket Escape.
How did a poor, uneducated boy rise out of poverty and become the
greatest illusionist of the 20th century? The story of Houdini’s life is not only
entertaining, but also educational. His struggles in life and his determination
to succeed are a lesson to all.
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