For many performers, stage life and real life are separate identities. For master illusionist Harry Houdini, the two were inextricably linked. In this widely acclaimed biography, Ruth Brandon shows how Houdini's obsession with his own mortality drove him to create death-defying stunts that not only captivated the public but also subdued his own raging psychological demons.
As Brandon relates Houdini's methods of escape, she asks: What was he trying to escape from? Her exploration of the psychic landscape of one of the most enduringly famous performers of the twentieth century makes for utterly fascinating reading. Brandon reveals much that is new: how Houdini invented a phantom son; why he wrote long daily letters to his wife, Bess, who lived one floor below him; his combative relations with mediums and spiritualists, including Arthur Conan Doyle; and the first full description of his fabled death. This definitive biography allows readers to peer into Houdini's psyche and understand him more deeply than ever before.
As Brandon relates Houdini's methods of escape, she asks: What was he trying to escape from? Her exploration of the psychic landscape of one of the most enduringly famous performers of the twentieth century makes for utterly fascinating reading. Brandon reveals much that is new: how Houdini invented a phantom son; why he wrote long daily letters to his wife, Bess, who lived one floor below him; his combative relations with mediums and spiritualists, including Arthur Conan Doyle; and the first full description of his fabled death. This definitive biography allows readers to peer into Houdini's psyche and understand him more deeply than ever before.
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Used availability for Ruth Brandon's The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini
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Hardback Editions
1995 : Hardback
| Title: Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini Author(s): Ruth Brandon Publisher: Random House Availability: Amazon More details... |
September 1994 : Hardback
| Title: The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini Author(s): Ruth Brandon ISBN: 0-679-42437-7 / 978-0-679-42437-6 (USA edition) Publisher: Random House Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
September 1994 : Hardback
| Title: Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini, The Author(s): Ruth Brandon ISBN: 0-394-22415-9 / 978-0-394-22415-2 (USA edition) Publisher: Random House of Canada Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
February 1994 : Hardback
| Title: The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini Author(s): RUTH BRANDON ISBN: 0-679-42682-5 / 978-0-679-42682-0 (USA edition) Publisher: Random House Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
October 1993 : Hardback
| Title: The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini Author(s): Ruth Brandon ISBN: 0-436-20060-0 / 978-0-436-20060-1 (UK edition) Publisher: Secker & Warburg Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
Paperback Editions
October 2003 : Paperback
| Title: The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini Author(s): Ruth Brandon ISBN: 0-8129-7042-X / 978-0-8129-7042-5 (USA edition) Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
August 2001 : Paperback
| Title: The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini Author(s): Ruth Brandon ISBN: 0-330-48780-9 / 978-0-330-48780-1 (UK edition) Publisher: Pan Books Availability: Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
November 1995 : Paperback
| Title: The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini Author(s): Ruth Brandon ISBN: 1-56836-100-9 / 9781568361000 (USA edition) Publisher: Kodansha America Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
October 1994 : Paperback
| Title: The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini Author(s): Ruth Brandon ISBN: 0-7493-1882-1 / 978-0-7493-1882-6 (UK edition) Publisher: Mandarin Availability: Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
1993 : Paperback
| Title: The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini, Author(s): BRANDON (Ruth) Publisher: Secker & Warburg (1993) Availability: Amazon UK More details... |
Paperback
| Title: The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini Author(s): Ruth Brandon ISBN: 0-333-90226-2 / 978-0-333-90226-4 (UK edition) Publisher: Papermac Availability: Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
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