Saturday, October 26, 2019

You can still get Houdini The Key by Patrick Culliton

If you've read Joe Posnanski's The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini then you are now keenly aware of Houdini The Key by Patrick Culliton (and Houdini's Ghost). Joe spends a good chunk of his own book in search of this all-important work that reveals Houdini's most closely guarded secrets, including the Water Torture Cell.

But Joe made a few mistakes. First, the slipcase and cover of the book is not made of vinyl. It's made of a "bulletproof library cloth" called buckram. (That looks a lot like vinyl!) But more importantly, the book is not as hard to get as Joe believed. Patrick initially produced only 278 copies. But as those sold out, he quietly produced another 113, available only to those who missed the first run. Some of those are still available to buy direct from Patrick for the cover price of $195 (plus $12 postage), which is well below what the book sells for in auction. And Patrick will even sign it for you!

So if want Houdini The Key all you need to do is CLICK HERE.

Related:
at

4 comments:

  1. Professor Slim KingOctober 26, 2019 at 10:50 AM

    So there are almost 400 copies now. Will he make more when these sell out?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John CoxOctober 26, 2019 at 11:04 AM

      There are 391 total. I doubt Pat will produce anymore. He likes the idea of 278 and 113 together.

      Click the related link "Houdini The Key released in limited Second Printing" and read Patrick's lengthy comment in there. At the time, he would not sell one of the 113 to anyone who already bought one of the 278. This second printing was only for people who missed the first run. The reason for this is Pat found with his other major limited release, Houdini Unlocked, speculators and collectors snapped up all the copies they could to sit on them. This is not the point of a book, and certainly not a textbook, which is what Pat considers The Key to be. I agree and applaud this. But perhaps he'll now let an additional copy go to the right person. Up to Pat.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousOctober 26, 2019 at 2:16 PM

    I for one feel very fortunate to have a copy on my bookshelf. It's from the 2nd run of 113 and Patrick inscribed it for me. It is a very large text book filled with information you cannot find in any other book. I wish I had jumped at the chance when he was selling Unlocked. One day I'll get one on an auction,..hopefully! - Jack C. of Cincinnati.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John CoxOctober 26, 2019 at 3:17 PM

      The Unlocked set is magnificent and truly hard to find. One of the two books, "The Secret Confessions of Houdini", is basically an earlier version of The Key. But "The Tao of Houdini" is completely new and a remarkable work. Lots of mouth watering stuff in there.

      Delete