Houdini: Master of Illusion

by Clinton Cox

A biography of the world's greatest escape artist exposes the secrets behind many of Houdini's tricks and also shows that it was his brilliancy, his physical dexterity, and his wild imagination that made him a true master of illusion.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Childrens, Magic, Middle Grade

224 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Mary K · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating person. A great, light, quick read. Most of Houdini’s tricks are revealed here - they’ve probably been revealed hundreds of times - but I understood for the first time how talented a magician has to be, how many months of practice goes into a single trick, how essential physical size and agility and skill and showmanship are to a great magic performance.

I also didn’t know anything about the man’s personal life - his dad served as a rabbi for a few years - and that was interesting, also.

At some point in my life I was CERTAIN I’d read that Houdini drowned in a water tank in front of a large audience because his assistants didn’t save him in time. When I got to the last chapter I thought, “OMG, here it comes,” but Houdini died from surgical complications. Go figure.

[Kurt Recker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was very fascinating, I really didn't know much about Houdini previous to reading the book, and for example I didn't know that his name wasn't even Harry Houdini. He wasn't born into greatness, but he found it none the less, his interests ranged from literature to magic to technology and everywhere in between. He was actually friends for a time with my favorite author of all time, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (author of the famed books of Sherlock Holmes) But he was not friends with him for a very long time, they became bitter rivals when it came to the beliefs of spiritualism, Houdini thought a hoax of it while Sir A.C. Doyle believed in it with a passion. But alas that is later in the novel, Houdini's name actually was the idea of a friend of his, for Houdini's hero growing up was a man who went by the name Houdin, and houdini's friend told him that in French the letter 'i' on the end of a word means like, so his name was like Houdin.

This book taught me a lot about Houdini and i really enjoyed reading it, i would sugest this book to anyone interested in Houdini but doesn't know much about him. Going into the book I really didn't like biographys but afterwards i'll have to give them a second look. This book was great and this has been my review on the book.

[Adriane Devries]

A fascinating study in megalomania, Clinton Cox’s biography of Houdini portrays the man whose name is still, almost a century after his death, synonymous with magic, daring and, ironically, the supernatural world he worked tirelessly to debunk. Written with a younger audience in mind, Cox’s account depicts the icon as almost pathologically braggadocious, yet always entertaining, and hard-working to the point of many near-death experiences. Houdini was a fascinatingly complex human who, having come from nothing, was justifiably proud of his achievements, enjoyed the luxuries of his famous lifestyle, yet also shared generously with those he loved. In contrast, he also indulged in public grudges and tantrums, often manipulating the press to ruin others’ reputations as vengeance. A storyteller as well as a skillful artisan, he and his co-star wife, Bess, embellished the facts of his amazing feats with lurid and untrue details that invited international press coverage, opportunities, and ultimately the fame he so desperately craved. His business acumen and indefatigable determination made him a legend and continue to set the standard for showmanship.

[Terry Hinkley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very in depth and informative writing. Learned a lot about Mr. Ehrich Weiss (Houdini) and how he got his stage name. Details on his most famous and not so famous stunts and tricks were fascinating. How he faced anti Semitism everywhere he performed and exposed mediums and spiritualists who took money from vulnerable people wishing to contact deceased loved ones. He was indeed a Master Magician and Showman.

[Eder Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this is a really good book. It help me learn more about Houdini's life and how he became one of the best magicians to ever live.

[Dogeared Wanderer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Houdini is a fascinating combination of genius, determination, and obsession. This biography is written for younger readers and covers the ups and downs of his tumultuous life in such a way that readers are not fully exposed to much of the darkness and despair he also suffered with.

Houdini was the greatest illusionist and escape artist of the early 20th century. Cox is a wonderful storyteller and makes this biography come alive with interesting facts and trick descriptions, including Houdini's famous Milk Can Escape. Born Ehrich Weiss, Houdini was passionate about rising above the poverty and pain of his past. He was a creative genius obsessed with overcoming any form of helplessness. He was incredibly strong and studied locks and illusion tricks constantly. It was almost a game to escape from anything.

He was also a fallible human being who obsessed about public opinion to the point of struggling with conflict in relationships with others and mastering challenges even when they endangered his health or safety. One of his biggest virtues was faithfulness to his wife until he died. Even though he had attraction to another woman later in life, he did not pursue adultery with her.

I haven't had a chance to read any other biographies of him so there's probably much more to his story than this student version, but it was an enjoyable, educational read. The author also included plenty of photos!

⚠️ Several pages describe Houdini's interaction with seances who rose in popularity in the early 1900s; Houdini attempted to expose them as merely illusionists rather than actual mediums with the dead.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Houdini: Master of Illusion by Clinton Cox was an interesting read. Clinton Cox covers the entire life, work, and death of the famed Houdini, a famous escape artist and magician. Houdini's whole life is told in under 200 pages, a very impressive feat for how much Houdini accomplished in his life. The reason I gave this book four stars and not five is the repetitiveness when explaining certain aspects of his life. When describing how Houdini performed each trick, the details were repetitive and reminiscent of the other explanations of his tricks. Some details were repeated and overused, yet it was still very interesting to read how some of the greatest escapes in history were performed. For anyone looking for information on Houdini, this book has almost all of it. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading biographies or anything about magicians. If I had a project on Houdini, this is the book I would turn to.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn on this book. Very good information & some of it was stuff I had not heard about Houdini before reading this book. The bibliography also looked interested & I may have to get some of the books off of it. Unfortunately, this book does not make you excited to ready biographies in general or to learn more about specifically Harry Houdini. In other biographies about Houdini, it felt like the authors were excited to share their information about Houdini & were just excited about the subject. I did not get that feel in this book. It was just told in a straight forward type of manner & that made it difficult for me to be excited about reading a book about Houdini. It may not be the case that the author is not excited about Harry Houdini but that's how it came across to me & it effected my reading of the book.

[Zack S. 6 Stilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Houdini Master of Illusion by Clinton Cox. Houdini was a magician back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Houdini was born in Budapest, Hungary but, he thought he was born in Appleton, Wisconsin. He thought that because his family moved to Wisconsin when he was just a young boy, he found at that he wasn’t when he became an adult. Most people were wondering how did he get out of a milk can that had a bunch of the toughest locks on it. Or how he somehow emerged out of the rivers that he got dropped into in a locked box. I liked this book because it was very descriptive on the words that the author chose to use. Also I liked it because it is my favorite genre biography because I like to see what other people think about famous people. I liked it because it was an easy read I finished it in a couple days. I think the book would’ve been better if it was longer because it was just a little short. I disliked it because you wouldn’t think that it is a good book if you just look at the covers, it would have gotten me a little more interested in the book before I actually started reading it if there was a better cover. Overall I think this book is just a really good book.

[Kellie Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about the complex nature of this mythic American figure in the straightforward writing style of Clinton Cox. Houdini's displays of ego, obsessions, and devotions are interwoven with his remarkable accomplishments.
My favorite passage of the biography is found on pages 158-159 as the events exemplify Houdini's need for attention in both public and private spaces. Houdini was an exceptionally hardworking person who ended up living an equally exceptional life.

[Joseph Baskaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book. It talks about Houdini and what happen during his childhood. The best part of the book is the middle of the book where he gets out of his USD trick which is one of his most famous tricks. He travels around the world to preform his world class magic that stunnes everyone he shows it to. This book never really bored me and it was very interesting. Overall this is a very good book.

[Tandava Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting to learn about Houdini’s life. The writing here is extremely unremarkable, so the interest is entirely from the subject, and not the author. But that makes it a quick, easy read, and certainly accessible to middle schoolers, so I’ll keep it in my classroom library.

[Abby C 6 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Houdini by Clinton Cox is a biography about Harry Houdini. He was a very famous magician in the early 1900s. As a child Houdini was into magic and dreamed about being a magician. When he got older he got his first job at a magic show. When doing one of his tricks he forgot the give the key to his partner and messed the whole trick up. He got fired from the job was the person in the box now. Then when he got even better at magic tricks he got better jobs for his magic. Then he got married to a girl named Bess who became his magic partner. I like this book a lot because it had a lot of detail to his life. I liked how it would tell who some secrets behind magic tricks and how they do them. Some things that I didn't like about the book was that in the beginning it was very boring. In the beginning it was starting the book and introducing him but once they go into it, it got better. Overall I thought the book was pretty good. I think that the another write this book to show some people what being a magician is like and how they perform there magic tricks. I think the theme of this book is to always follow your dreams because in the begining he always wanted to be a magician and he became one.

[Andrew Lovell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Houdini was an egotistical maniac. His hard work and dedication towards his artwork is admirable but this guy was a douche. He grew up a poor jewish immigrant and he wanted more than anything to prove that he was more than a street magician and that his dad was more than a failed rabbi. After his father's death he became obsessed with his mother...paralleling a relationship with Norman Bates from 'Psycho'. Although he was no doubt a master magician, he dedicated his life to destroying the reputation of those who disagreed with him. His petty grudges and obsession with defrauding others along with his embellishments and exaggerations of his own stunts showed his true character. As a magician he was top notch for his time but as for his character, he was someone we should all aspire not to be. **As for the writing of this book, It was choppy and didn't flow very well. I would look for a better biography on Houdini.**

[Yisrael Dubov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad. It was interesting (almost) throughout. Easy read. Didn't derail much from the topic at hand (like other people's lives and so on). I liked it.

[Reilly Gerding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Houdini, written by Clinton Cox, is a non-fiction book that describes most of the events that happened in Houdini’s life from birth to death. The book talks about Houdini’s journey from a poor boy that performed magic tricks at bars in Manhattan, to the world’s most famous and well paid magician. The books major theme would probably be that you should never give up on your dreams. Enrich Weiss was Houdini’s real name. He took the name from a previous magician when he was a boy, never loosing hope that one day he would be the next great magician. I believe that the book Houdini is an interesting and inspiring book.
Houdini and his wife Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner, traveled the world for many years performing in that would be sold out for Houdini’s Performance. Even though Houdini was recognized for things like talking to spirits, incredible level of physical and mental health, and even walking through brick walls, he was always known for his ability to escape any locked item. He was known as the, “only conjurer in the World that Escapes out of all Handcuffs, Leg Shackles, Insane Belts and Strait Jackets”(page, 34). He would often challenge a country’s police force by asking them to put him in there tightest restraints available. When the police were done they would go to another room and wait for Houdini to come out. Despite the police men’s efforts to keep him from escaping, Houdini would always escape within minutes of being locked up. I found this to be very interesting because most of the things he was able to escape seemed impossible to even move in.
I would give Houdini four out of five stars because it is a great story about a man’s journey to success. I would recommend this book to someone who likes biographies about famous people from the past, or someone who is interested in the journey of a great magician. This book really proved that anything is possible with hard work and dedication. After reading this book I found Harry Houdini to be a very inspiring man to me.

[Wesley M 8 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book “Houdini” written by Clinton Cox is about the man the myth the legend Harry Houdini. It talks about Houdini's life as a child and as an adult. It tells of what happened to him and why he became a magician. Some people tried to find out why Houdini was so good at magic and other people couldn't do it as good as he could. I really liked this book because it has an amazing story line. It has some parts that are were not needed but it was very rare. It also had some picture that I found rather more interesting because it gave me an idea of what it was like to see Houdini and his family. Another good part of this book was how it had more than just Houdini it had a lot of history as well. If I gave this book a connection it would be that you determine how you act not others even if they do things better or worse than you at somethings because we are all different.

[Jarret E 6 Elmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book Houdini by Clinton Cox is about the very famous magician. In the late 1800's and the early 1900's a famous magician named Houdini. He was traveling around the world doing all of the stupid stunt for money in front of a huge crowd. He was doing all of these stunts that seemed impossible. He did this one stunt that was supposed to be impossible but no one knew how he got out of the locked jail cells. Everyone was asking everyone how he got out but no one ever knew. I actually liked this book more than I thought I would. One of the reasons why I liked this book a lot is because it is very descriptive, It described all the situations with very good words. While in the middle of this book I had a dream that I was locked in a cage and was about to get beat to death. About when they started I had seem there was a secret door in the bottom of the cage. So I took the chance and I had made a miraculous escape. Another thing that I can connect to is that my name is Jarret, and my friend Braxton made up a nickname that sounded almost exactly about what my name is. The nickname is Farrot. Just like Houdini’s friend changed Houdin was his original name to Houdini. The life lesson to me is to always trust your gut, to trust your friends, and to have a good time with your friends.

[Samy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Houdini: Master of Illusion is a biography about the life of the great magician Houdini. Clinton Cox, the author, goes into great detail about Houdini’s entire life, from his poverty-stricken beginnings in Hungary, to his very first magic trick, to his first public escape, and finally his death. The author does a very good job summing up Houdini’s entire life in just 188 pages.
Before I picked up this book, I knew almost nothing about Houdini. Now, however, I know all about his most famous magic tricks, his motivations, and the reason he became famous. I learned about the “Golden Age of Magic” and about all his career exploits, both in the US and in Europe. Cox does a very good job presenting every side of Houdini’s personality so that the reader knows exactly what kind of person he was. Throughout the book, I didn’t know if I should admire him for his sheer determination or hate him for it.
Overall, I was surprisingly pleased with this book. It was a nice and easy read, and very informative as well.

[Adam Hale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harry Houdini is a household name these days, he is one of the most popular, if not the most popular magician who has ever lived.
There are many things you may think you know about him that you actually don’t, for example that’s not his real name, also he is not from Appleton, Wisconsin as he tells everyone, he is actually from Hungary. In the book you learn all of these facts and others, you also learn about his beginnings as a magician and his stunts that he has done. Especially the most famous stunt he and Beth performed, “metamorphosis”. You will also read about his cheating death multiple times. The only problem with the book is that it is a little short.
He is a very interesting person to learn about and I highly suggest that you check this out because it is a good read.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this book because it bored me and all it talked about was the name of the act and where he performsed it. It was cool when the author, Clinton Cox, talked about how the illiousion was done. I would not recomend this book unless you have to research Houdini. Then it would be great for all of the dry facts.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember when I was younger, I was just fascinated with Houdini and I read this book about 4 or 5 times. I should reread it again sometime soon!

[Brandt Ross]

It was a great book that went into great detail of the stunts like the vanishing elephant and what was wrong with him

[Kaitlyn Millet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about the life of Houdini, well written and engaging

[Graden]

Mysterious and fun it's very cool I love this book

[Benjamin Barnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a very interesting life. I just didn't realize his life was so monotonous. It was like wading through five feet of syrup.

[Kimball W 8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Houdini by Clinton Cox was a very good book about a magician named Houdini. This was a amazing book about him and his life and how he got raised and earned money. But he was one of the world's greatest magicians and he pulled all of these stunts that were like super daring for him to do and most of the time when people were freaking out that he was going to die or something because they didn't believe that he was going to do it. He had police strip him naked and have him hand cuffed behind his back and he got out of it and he escaped from being in containers chained shut and in water and escaped. I thought that this was one of the best books that I have red just because of the excitement in it and I just never wanted to put it down except for when the boring parts got there then it was just so boring. I think that the theme for this book was just because people say you can't do it doesn't mean stop trying.