Houdini and Conan Doyle: The Story of a Strange Friendship

by Bernard M.L. Ernst

Houdini and Conan The Story of a Strange Friendship is a non-fiction book written by Bernard M. L. Ernst. The book explores the unlikely friendship between two famous figures of the early 20th magician and escape artist Harry Houdini and author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. The book delves into the unique bond that formed between the two men, despite their vastly different backgrounds and interests. Houdini and Conan Doyle first met in 1920 and quickly became close friends, bonding over their shared interest in spiritualism and the afterlife. However, their friendship was eventually strained by their differing beliefs on the validity of spiritualism and the supernatural. Throughout the book, Ernst provides a detailed account of the events that led to the eventual breakdown of the friendship between Houdini and Conan Doyle. He also explores the impact that their friendship had on both men's lives and careers, as well as the broader cultural context of the time period. Overall, Houdini and Conan The Story of a Strange Friendship offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of two iconic figures of the early 20th century and the complex dynamics of their unlikely friendship.1933. To Houdini, Doyle was a good fellow who was often fooled and would be fooled again. To Doyle, Houdini was a remarkable man concealing the light of great mediumistic gifts under the bushel of gold he received for his performances as an illusionist. Both men were children of inspiration. Houdini was illiterate, but had the genius of character and imagination. Doyle, author and dreamer, had culture and perception. This book sheds light upon two of the most fascinating men of the times.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

260 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 2003

Reviews

[Becky Loader · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading "The confabulist," I had to read some non-fiction about Harry Houdini. What an amazing life he led!

Strange would be the mildest adjective I would use about the friendship between Houdini and Conan Doyle. Conan Doyle was a confirmed spiritualist, and Houdini was just as confirmed to prove spiritualism was a lot of bunk. This, naturally, caused a lively exchange between them in their letters and in person.

I especially liked the excerpts from their correspondence included in the text. This was a nice complement to the other books I read.