Handcuff King. Escape Artist. International Superstar. Since his death eighty
years ago, Harry Houdini's life has been chronicled in books, in film, and on
television. Now, in this groundbreaking biography, renowned magic expert William
Kalush and best-selling writer Larry Sloman team up to find the man behind the
myth. Drawing from millions of pages of research, they describe in vivid detail
the passions that drove Houdini to perform ever-more-dangerous feats, his secret
life as a spy, and a pernicious plot to subvert his legacy.

After years of struggling on the dime museum circuit, Harry Houdini got a break
that put him on the front page of a Chicago newspaper. He never looked back. Soon
Houdini was performing for royalty, commanding vast sums, and exploring the new
power of Hollywood to expand on his legend.

At a time when spy agencies frequently co-opted amateurs, Houdini went to London
and developed a relationship with a man who would run MI-5. For the next several
years, the world's most famous magician traveled to Germany and Russia and
routinely reported his findings.

After World War I was successfully concluded, Houdini embarked on a battle of
his own. He created a group of disguised field operatives to infiltrate the seamy
world of fake spirit mediums. In doing so, Houdini triggered the wrath of fanatical
Spiritualists, led by the esteemed British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Death
threats became an everyday occurrence, but the group would pose an even greater
danger to Houdini's legacy.

Rigorously researched, and as exciting as a good thriller, The Secret Life of
Houdini traces the arc of the master magician's life from desperate poverty to
worldwide legend, initiating the reader along the way into the arcane world of
professional magic. In this remarkable book, Kalush and Sloman decode a life based
on deception, providing an intimate and riveting portrayal of Houdini, the man and
the legend.

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