This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/8/2023
HOUDINI, Harry (Erik Weisz, 1874 – 1926). Houdini’s Paper Magic. New York: E.P. Dutton & Company, 1922. First edition, second printing. Publisher’s red cloth lettered and ruled in black. Color frontispiece, illustrations. 8vo. Dampstain to lower portion of front board through first five leaves, minor shelfwear, three ownership stamps of C.R. “Bud” Tracy. INSCRIBED AND SIGNED by Houdini to his fellow magician and close friend T. Nelson Downs on the flyleaf: “To my friend / T. Nelson Downs / Best Wishes / Houdini / June 17/1925 / and alls [sic] well.” Beneath the inscription is a rubber-stamped notation added by Tracy, “This book from the library of T. Nelson Downs.” Houdini and Downs were not only contemporaries, they were also close friends who made names for themselves at nearly the same time, in the same way: as variety artists in Europe with specialty conjuring acts. As opposed to Dante, Goldin, or even the Herrmanns, who presented more “general” acts (or even full-evening shows), Downs billed himself as the “King of Koins,” as his act was built upon a single effect – the magical minting of a seemingly unending stream of silver coins from mid-air. Houdini found fame by specializing in escapes from virtually any type of restraint, becoming not only the undisputed king of handcuffs, but also the “monarch of manacles.” The two remained friendly from their earliest days in show business until Houdini’s untimely death in 1926. This book is a remarkable reminder of the fraternal nature of the magic field and a special relationship between two of its most celebrated practitioners.