Magic Collection of Jim Rawlins Part III

Houdini, Harry. Miracle Mongers and Their Methods. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co, 1920. First edition. Brown cloth stamped in black. Portrait frontispiece of Houdini. Plates. 8vo. Insignificant foxing, else near fine. A handsome example. With a lengthy inscription on the flyleaf: “To my friend Walter Lippman, Best wishes, Houdini. I did the buried “alive” in Berlin Germany 1908 – rebuilt it in 1916 – & still have apparatus. H. May 27/26.” The book is again signed on the dedication page in ink by Houdini. Lippman, the father of modern journalism, was a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. Houdini’s inscription to the famed writer sheds further light on a stunt he infrequently performed, casting some light on the fact that he did present the feat in Germany in 1908, long before a poster advertising it was printed by Strobridge in 1914.