Around 130 items of ephemera relating to Harry Houdini, including a recording of his wife's last seance for him in 1936, 41 magazine articles, photographs, postcards, catalogues, cuttings, facsimiles.

A fascinating archive, reflecting Houdini's immense iconic status. The collection is in good condition, with only a few items showing signs of aging, such as a handful of magazines with loose covers or other pages. Apart from two items (described first below) the collection is divided into two parts, A and B: Part A comprises general Houdini ephemera, and Part B magazines featuring Houdini, 1909-1997. The first of the two odd items is a reel of tape (with cd of same) featuring a twenty-minute recording of Bess Houdini's last seance for her husband, with Dr Edward Saint, on the roof of the Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel, on the tenth anniversary of Houdini's death, 31 October 1936, described on the tape as 'the greatest attempt to pierce the unknown and form a spirit contact ever conceived by mortal man'. Also present on the tape is a twenty-five minute recording of an episode of the radio show 'The Master Mentalist Dunninger'. Both seance and radio show are divided into two parts. The tape also contains a two-minute passage by the collector, describing how the tape was obtained for him by Thomas K. Horbecker, and is now in 'my collection of Houdiniana which includes personal letters, photographs and a great deal of scarce Houdini material'. The second of the two odd items is an undated (1920s?) programme for a performance at Parson's Theatre [Hartford, Connecticut] ('5 DAYS [...] L. LAWRENCE WEBER PRESENTS HOUDINI. "The Greatest Necromancer of the Age - Perhaps of all times." - The Literary Digest.') On one side of a piece of cream paper, 34 x 14 cm. The programme contains a deal of small type under a variety of headings including 'PALIGENESIA', 'DO THE DEAD COME BACK?', 'THE MARGERY TEST EXPLAINED' and 'HOUDINI'S $10,000 CHALLENGE' (with sticker stating that the item is 'Original Magic Memorabilia from the Temple Collection'). PART A: Around ninety items of post-Second World War Houdini ephemera, including photographs, catalogues, postcards, cuttings, photocopies, facsimiles, promotional material, theatre programmes, set of 1961 commemorative stamps. Including: 'Houdini: A definitive bibliography' by Manny Weltman; 'The Houdini Birth Research Committee's Report' by Lawrence Arcuri (Magico Magazine reprint); inscribed copy of Benjilini on Houdini (1994, 'Published by the Great Benjilini', Brooklyn, NY); 'Production Notes on George Pal's "Houdini" (A Paramount Picture in Technicolor)'; programme of the '50th Annual Convention. The Houdini Club of Wisconsin' (1988); programme of the Hull Magicians' Circle 'Tribute to Houdini' (1976); eleven-page photocopy of typescript headed ' "Houdini's Caretaker". Nov. 16, 1985. A Trip into the Past'. PART B: Forty-one magazines containing material relating to Houdini, published between 1909 and 1997. The first eight magazines, published in Houdini's lifetime, are as follows: 1. 'The Magician. A Monthly Journal.', February 1909. Containing 'An Original Story by HARRY HANDCUFF HOUDINI': 'Cupid presents the Bullet-Catching Trick.'2. 'The Magician. A Monthly Journal.', March 1909. Illustration of Houdini on cover, and short accompanying paragraph inside, in which he is described as 'positively the originator of the Handcuff Act'.3. 'The Magician Monthly', October 1911. Caricature ('Fred Velasco 1911') of Houdini and the devil on cover. Article 'Impressions from the Front. No. 8. Harry Houdini', with cartoon by Velasco. Also portrait of Houdini, as President, on page giving a monthly report of Magicians' Club.4. 'The Magician Monthly', January 1914. Full-page illustration of Magicians' Club dinner 'To Welcome Harry Houdini ('Mr Wetton in the Chair'), with portrait insert of 'Harry Houdini: Our Honoured Guest'.5. 'The Magazine of Magic', October 1915. Article: 'Harry Houdini. His Latest Escape.' (upside down in front of Kansas City Post Building, from the 'best and strongest straitjacket owned by the Kansas City police department).6. 'The Magazine of Magic', January 1920. Article, with photograph: 'Harry Houdini. The new film star is on is way to England.'7. 'The Magazine of Magic', March 1920. Three-page article: 'The Harry Houdini Dinner. A Great Magical Function' ('held in the Ball Room of the Savoy Hotel, London, on Sunday, the 8th February, 1920').8. 'The Magical Bulletin', May 1923. Cover photograph of 'Houdini Night' ('Los Angeles Magicians make merry at Banquet and entertainment in honor of Harry and Mrs. Houdini, City Club, April 12th, 1923').Items 9-12 from the 1930s:9. 'Goldston's Magical Quarterly', Summer 1934. Article: 'Harry Houdini as I knew Him. By Betty Ross (The Queen of Interviewers)'.10. 'The Tops. An Independent Magazine of Magic', February 1936. Report: 'News from Hollywood. "The Great Houdini" to be produced by Paramount.'11. 'The Sphinx. An Independent Magazine For Magicians', October 1936. 'Address Given by Houdini before The Club of Odd Volumes in Boston in 1922', Together with account of trick 'The Self-Extricating Card by Houdini'. Cover photograph of 'The Houdinis Presenting "Metamorphosis"'.12. 'The Sphinx.' October 1939. Article 'Those Years of Magic', comprising reminiscences of Houdini by his brother Theo Hardeen (who also features on the cover), with photograph of Houdini and Hardeen, and full-page portrait of Hardeen. Also inside the cover a full-page memorial to Houdini by Hardeen, facing a full-page illustration of Houdini and his wife, within a pair of handcuffs, captioned 'Eyes of Memory Never Sleep. Mrs. Harry Houdini'.Items 13-18 from the 1940s:13. 'Genii', August 1942. Hardeen article and cover portrait.14. 'Genii', October 1943. Article: 'Were Houdini alive today what would he be doing?' facing article on 'Hardeen. Brother of Harry Houdini'.15. 'The Conjurors' Magazine'. 'Hardeen Memorial Issue' with his photograph on cover. Filled with articles and illustrations about Hardeeen and Houdini.16. Programme for the 'S.A.M. All star Houdini Memorial Show.', Barbizon Plaza, November 1946. With illustration by F. Rigney.17. 'The Conjurors' Magazine', May 1948. Article: 'The Last Man to see Houdini alive' by Bruce Reynolds.18. 'The Sphinx', October 1948. Cover photograph, with accompanying internal text, of 'the late Houdini in the performance of one of his most famous feats', 'The Chinese Water Torture Cell'.Items 19 to 23 from the 1950s, are six magazines featuring Houdini, comprising two issues of 'Genii, The Conjurors' Magazine' (that of October 1955 containing a transcript of 'The Final Houdini Seance. Taken from the actual recording', and that of October 1956 being the 'Houdini Memorial Issue'); two issues of 'The Magic Circular'; and 'The Sphinx', September 1951, featuring 'The Truth About Robert-Houdin and Houdini' by S. H. Sharpe and 'A Quarter of A Century Later. The Anniversary of Houdini's death'. Items 24 and 25, two magazines from the 1960s, including 'The Linking Ring', October 1966, featuring 'Houdini and the Hippodrome Handcuffs' by Arthur Setterington. Items 26 to 34, nine magazines from the 1970s, including three issues of 'M - U - M. Magic Unity Might' and two issues of 'Genii'. Items 35 to 39, five magazines from the 1980s, including 'The New Tops', September 1985, featuring a 25-page article: 'Houdini: Inside Facts (from an interview with Marie Hinson Blood, the niece of Houdini, and illustrated with photos, clippings and other memorabilia)' by Robert E. Olson. Items 40 and 41, two magazines from the 1990s, including 'M.U.M', October 1997, Houdini special.