This book is a republication of the 1920 edition of Houdini's Miracle Mongers and Their Methods, as originally published by E. P. Dutton & Company. In it, Houdini collects notes and stories about various dime museum attractions and circus wonders he met personally while traveling or learned about while studying his profession. These tales includes feats of sword swallowers, fire eaters, poison defiers, human ostriches, and more. Do not try them at home. Or anywhere else.This Centennial Edition appears 101 years after the original E. P. Dutton publication. One year escaped us.
Actually, Miracle Mongers and Their Methods was published in early 1921, so this really is a "Centennial Edition." But apart from calling it this, there doesn't appear to be anything added or special about this particular reprint.
But if you've never picked up a copy of what is probably Houdini's best book, you can buy this one at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
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| New York Herald, Jan. 30, 1921. |
My 1st ed. of _Mongers_ is dated 1920.
ReplyDeleteYeah, they all say that. It's the copyright date. It's possible that's when it was printed. But it appears the publisher Dutton actually released it around the last week of January 1921. At least that when all the papers noted it as being released and the first reviews appeared (Variety reviewed it on Feb. 4). Houdini had copies in hand in January as he gave a copy to Bess for her birthday on the 23rd.
DeleteAhh. Fascinating!
ReplyDeleteAt least that's my take on it at the moment based on what I can find in newspapers. But happy to amend if someone can find a review or any mention of a release in 1920. I did consider the possibility of an earlier UK release, but I don't think this book was released in the UK?
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