Items related to The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini
Synopsis
Everyone has heard of Harry Houdini. Over 60 years after his death, his death-defying escapes still inspire imitators and ad-men. When we think of Houdini, we think of a small man, manacled, jumping off a bridge into icy water, suspended from a skyscraper or emerging, seemingly against the odds, from a sealed coffin. His tricks, and they usually were tricks, were very clever and effective, but the author argues that the man himself was far more interesting than they were. Brandon examines the phenomenon of fame - what is it that compels a man to perform acts of near-suicidal bravado to gain public acclaim, and what is it that draws vast crowds of people to watch? She considers the nature of a man whom she believes was probably sexually repressed, and yet performed almost naked draped in chains and manacles, who wrote love letters to his wife - who was in another room - five times a day, and who struggled obsessively for years to prove or disprove the existence of life after death. Brandon argues that it is in the death that the key to Houdini's life, and success, is to be found. More complex than simply seeing a small man triumph against the odds, she claims that his escapes can be read as drama of death and resurrection, a signal, perhaps, that one can return from the other side. By the author of "The New Women and the Old Men", and "Being Divine".
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
"What is it about this mother-fixated, death-obsessed, overly competitive insomniac...that continues to fascinate us?...What [Ruth Brandon] found was a man with a gift for self-promotion equaling that of Madonna's."
--USA Today
--The Boston Globe "Superb...Brandon is a shrewd and incisive biographer."
--John Banville, Los Angeles Times Book Review
Book Description
'Brandon has chosen a fascinating subject and written a book that rises to it superbly . . . A compelling account of a peculiar life' Sunday Times
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherMartin Secker & Warburg Ltd
- Publication date1993
- ISBN 10 0436200600
- ISBN 13 9780436200601
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages352
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The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini
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Hardback. Condition: Good. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR005316781
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The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini
Published by
Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd 11/10/1993, 1993
ISBN 10: 0436200600
ISBN 13: 9780436200601
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Hardcover
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The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini
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Vintage Publishing, United Kingdom, Lodnon, 1993
ISBN 10: 0436200600
ISBN 13: 9780436200601
Used
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Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
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Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Everyone has heard of Harry Houdini. Over 60 years after his death, his death-defying escapes still inspire imitators and ad-men. When we think of Houdini, we think of a small man, manacled, jumping off a bridge into icy water, suspended from a skyscraper or emerging, seemingly against the odds, from a sealed coffin. His tricks, and they usually were tricks, were very clever and effective, but the author argues that the man himself was far more interesting than they were. Brandon examines the phenomenon of fame - what is it that compels a man to perform acts of near-suicidal bravado to gain public acclaim, and what is it that draws vast crowds of people to watch? She considers the nature of a man whom she believes was probably sexually repressed, and yet performed almost naked draped in chains and manacles, who wrote love letters to his wife - who was in another room - five times a day, and who struggled obsessively for years to prove or disprove the existence of life after death. Brandon argues that it is in the death that the key to Houdini's life, and success, is to be found. More complex than simply seeing a small man triumph against the odds, she claims that his escapes can be read as drama of death and resurrection, a signal, perhaps, that one can return from the other side. By the author of "The New Women and the Old Men", and "Being Divine". The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR004934680
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The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini
Published by
Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd 11/10/1993, 1993
ISBN 10: 0436200600
ISBN 13: 9780436200601
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The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini
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The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini
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ISBN 10: 0436200600
ISBN 13: 9780436200601
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The life and many deaths of Harry Houdini
Published by
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ISBN 10: 0436200600
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The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini
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The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini
Published by
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ISBN 10: 0436200600
ISBN 13: 9780436200601
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The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini
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ISBN 10: 0436200600
ISBN 13: 9780436200601
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