| A Magician Among the Spirits Contributor(s): Houdini, Harry (Author) |
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ISBN: 1108027482 ISBN-13: 9781108027489 Publisher: Cambridge University Press OUR PRICE: $47.49 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: May 2011 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Anthropology - Cultural & Social - Body, Mind & Spirit | Spiritualism - General |
| Dewey: 133.9 |
| Series: Cambridge Library Collection - Spiritualism and Esoteric Kno |
| Physical Information: 0.79" H x 5.5" W x 8.5" (0.99 lbs) 354 pages |
| Themes: - Topical - New Age |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Harry Houdini (1874-1926), whose real name was Erik Weisz, was one of the most famous magicians and escapologists of all time. He was highly sceptical of the many claims made concerning psychic and paranormal phenomena, which were very popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He attended hundreds of s ances for the purposes of his study, and never experienced one he believed genuine. In this book, published in 1924, he described the mediums and psychics whom he revealed as fraudulent, exposing the tricks which had convinced many notable scientists and academics. These included spirit writing, table rapping, spirit manifestations, and levitation. Among those he revealed as frauds was the famous medium Mina Crandon, and his exposures led to a public split with his former friend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a firm believer. The book is a fascinating account of superstition and gullibility. |