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 tells the fascinating story of the unlikely friendship between two of the most famous men of their Harry Houdini, the renowned escape artist and magician, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. The book explores the complex relationship between the two men, who first met in 1920 and quickly became close friends. Despite their vastly different backgrounds and personalities, Houdini and Conan Doyle shared a fascination with the paranormal and spent many hours discussing spiritualism, ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena. However, their friendship was not without its challenges. Houdini was a skeptic who was determined to expose fraudulent mediums and spiritualists, while Conan Doyle was a believer who was convinced that he had communicated with the spirits of the dead. As their disagreements over spiritualism grew more heated, their friendship began to unravel. The book is based on extensive research and draws on a wealth of primary sources, including letters, diaries, and interviews with family members and friends of Houdini and Conan Doyle. It provides a fascinating glimpse into the lives of two of the most intriguing figures of the early 20th century and sheds new light on their complex relationship. Overall, Houdini and Conan The Story of a Strange Friendship is a well-written and thoroughly researched book that will appeal to anyone interested in the history of magic, spiritualism, or the lives of these two fascinating men.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.