Harry Houdini Original Vintage Magic Memorabilia Collectibles Autographs For Sale

Harry Houdini

Authentic SIGNED AUTOGRAPHED Magic Book 
"The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin"
1908

Amazing Piece of History!

It has been about a decade since we acquired one of these most Prized Houdini Treasures,  his Autographed Book 

Acquiring a book written and personally signed by Harry Houdini is a remarkable experience because it represents a direct connection to one of the most legendary figures in entertainment history. Houdini was not only the world’s greatest escape artist but also an author, historian of magic, and relentless investigator of fraud and spiritualism. A signed book carries both his words and his unmistakable signature, creating a rare artifact personally touched by the man whose daring performances captivated audiences more than a century ago.

For collectors, owning such a piece is more than acquiring a book, it is preserving a tangible link to the life and legacy of a true icon. From the golden age of stage magic, an authentic artifact from the era when Houdini’s name captivated audiences around the world. Few opportunities capture the mystique and excitement of early twentieth-century magic collecting quite like this

Condition:
NOTE:  Although we have acquired a few Signed copies of "The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin" over the past 35 years, none of them do I remember being in the extraordinary condition as this Gem.  Typically the binders are rough, the book is often partially detached from binder, cover usually has stains, and binder lettering is severely faded or completely worn off.   As you can see from the multiple images, this is an amazing preserved find! With exceptionally nice survived binder text. 

NOTE About Authenticity:  
 I have collected and studied Harry Houdini's signature for over 35 years and have a good "eye" for his authentic handwriting and am also skilled at immediately identifying the forgeries.  Lately I’ve been spotting many forgeries online, even from long time sellers who have a less than solid reputation.  

A few things to beware of:
Be especially weary of dealers who get Defensive when you ask if they will guarantee their autographs will pass reputable authentication like PSA.  Forgers and forgery sellers have a disdain for professional authentication for obvious reasons.     Even though the professional authenticators are not perfect  (no human service will ever be, such as Doctors),  and Ive caught some mistakes over the years,  they are the best defense against the dishonest autograph sellers. 

The History Channel show ”Pawn Stars” solicited me to appear in an episode with a Houdini signed book.  Over the years countless people have confided in my opinion on Houdini’s signature.   Which is why I Guarantee Authenticity and Guarantee it will pass any of the big Authentication Services. 
Note:  Based on 35 + years experience and my opinion  I do Not consider the “Forensic Examiners” that are always popping up to be autograph experts, which is why no reputable dealer or auction house that I am aware of uses them. . 

* See enlargeable images

NOTE:  *  An EXTREMELY Rare discovery:
Owning a signed 120-year-old Harry Houdini book is remarkable, but pairing it with the original 1908 promotional poster that advertised "The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin" is the kind of discovery collectors wait a lifetime for.   We also have that Museum-grade Book Promotion Poster from 1908 offered separately here on cvtreasures.com.   

Autographed Book Description:
HOUDINI, Harry (Erich Weisz, 1874 – 1926). The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin. New York: The Publishers Printing Co., 1908. First edition. Brown cloth decorated in white and black. Frontispiece portrait of Houdini behind tissue, plates. 8vo. Cloth rubbed, old cellotape to illustration list and index tipped-in at rear, else very good. INSCRIBED AND SIGNED on the flyleaf, “Best wishes, Harry Houdini / Be Sure to read at least the introduction/ Xmas 1919.” 

GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC for LIFE  

* See enlargeable images

Note: Many historians, magicians and escape artists that spent a lifetime trying to figure out How Houdini did his seemingly impossible escapes were so frystrated they could never solve the Houdini puzzle, they resorted to, “Houdini must have been in on the act”.  But, of course they could never orive that either!   

Houdini  first attracted notice in vaudeville in the United States and then as "Harry 'Handcuff' Houdini" on a tour of Europe, where he challenged police forces to keep him locked up. Soon he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, straitjackets under water, and having to escape from and hold his breath inside a sealed milk can with water in it.

From 1907 and throughout the 1910s, Houdini performed with great success in the United States. He freed himself from jails, handcuffs, chains, ropes, and straitjackets, often while hanging from a rope in sight of street audiences. Because of imitators, Houdini put his "handcuff act" behind him on January 25, 1908, and began escaping from a locked, water-filled milk can. The possibility of failure and death thrilled his audiences. Houdini also expanded his repertoire with his escape challenge act, in which he invited the public to devise contraptions to hold him. These included nailed packing crates (sometimes lowered into water), riveted boilers, wet sheets, mail bags, and even the belly of a whale that had washed ashore in Boston. Brewers in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and other cities challenged Houdini to escape from a barrel after they filled it with beer.

In 1904, the London Daily Mirror newspaper challenged Houdini to escape from special handcuffs that it claimed had taken Nathaniel Hart, a locksmith from Birmingham, five years to make. Houdini accepted the challenge for March 17 during a matinée performance at London's Hippodrome theatre. It was reported that 4000 people and more than 100 journalists turned out for the much-hyped event. The escape attempt dragged on for over an hour, during which Houdini emerged from his "ghost house" (a small screen used to conceal the method of his escape) several times. At one point he asked if the cuffs could be removed so he could take off his coat. The Mirror representative, Frank Parker, refused, saying Houdini could gain an advantage if he saw how the cuffs were unlocked. Houdini promptly took out a penknife and, holding it in his teeth, used it to cut his coat from his body. Some 56 minutes later, Houdini's wife appeared on stage and gave him a kiss. Many thought that in her mouth was the key to unlock the special handcuffs. However, it has since been suggested that Bess did not in fact enter the stage at all, and that this theory is unlikely due to the size of the six-inch key. Houdini then went back behind the curtain. After an hour and ten minutes, Houdini emerged free. As he was paraded on the shoulders of the cheering crowd, he broke down and wept. At the time, Houdini said it had been one of the most difficult escapes of his career.

Guaranteed Authentic for Life
Conway's Vintage Treasures

Note: CVtreasures stamp Not on original