Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini | 
 enlarge | Author: Sid Fleischman
Publisher: Greenwillow
Category: Book
List Price: $18.99
Buy New: $9.79
You Save: $9.20 (48%)
New (6) Used (9) from $6.93
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 937363
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Pages: 224
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 10 x 7 x 0.6
Dewey Decimal Number: 793.8092
ASIN: B0013L4DBC
Publication Date: August 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
p Who was this man who could walk through brick walls and, with a snap of his fingers, vanish elephants? In these pages you will meet the astonishing Houdini#8212magician, ghost chaser, daredevil, pioneer aviator, and king of escape artists. No jail cell or straitjacket could hold him! He shucked off handcuffs as easily as gloves. /p p In this fresh, witty biography of the most famous bamboozler since Merlin, Sid Fleischman, a former professional magician, enriches his warm homage with insider information and unmaskings. Did Houdini really pick the jailhouse lock to let a fellow circus performer escape? Were his secrets really buried with him? Was he a bum magician, as some rivals claimed? How did he manage to be born in two cities, in two countries, on two continents at the same instant? /p p Here are the stories of how a knockabout kid named Ehrich Weiss, the son of an impoverished rabbi, presto-changoed himself into the legendary Harry Houdini. Here, too, are rare photographs never before seen by the general reader! /p
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini August 6, 2007
Jewish Book World Magazine (New York, NY)
Harry Houdini's showmanship made him a standout among magicians. Author Sid Fleischman uses the same technique to stand out in the crowded field of Houdini biographies. Escape! captures readers with its flamboyant vocabulary, humor, insider understanding, wonderful photographs with excellent captions and a clearly stated theme which shapes the details of an exciting life. Fleischman organizes this rags-to-riches tale around Houdini's shameless vanity that supported his "megaphone self-promotion" of his self-made legend: sharing that Houdini doctored facts and photographs. Fleischman analyzes Houdini's family relationships, evaluates his career and lasting fame, and explains them to youngsters as part human flaw, part the need to escape anti-Semitism, and part the drive to trump all competitors and fakes. The self-taught Houdini never had a magic lesson. Loyalty to fellow magicians keeps author-magician Fleischman from revealing Houdini's methods, although his bibliography includes books that tell all. br /Hungarian Jewish immigrant Ehrich Weiss, searching for a way to financially aid his poor family, finds vaudeville and his stage name, The Great Houdini. Ironically, Houdini later unmasks his youthful idol and name inspiration, Robert-Houdin. This biography dramatically recounts what Houdini got out of: handcuffs, milk cans, straight jackets, jail cells, frozen rivers and coffins. It also spotlights what he got into: airplanes and first-flight records; entertaining troops during World War I; supporting the sons of rabbis, who like himself, performed on the stage; movies; the Encyclopaedia Britannica; the Library of Congress and a crusade bashing phony spiritualists. br /Fleishman's rich, intimate account is possible from two special boosts to normal biographical research. He had access to material published privately for magicians and he knew Houdini's widow, Bess, who gave him information and photographs. From the clever table of contents to the sad postmortem, this book overflows with fun facts delivered by out of the ordinary colorful language proving reading can be magic. A treat for readers age 9 - adult. br /
 Escape: The Story of the Great Houdini May 31, 2007
Ben Rose
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The book was an interesting read. It showed how exciting Houdini actually was. It was well written and even though it's nonfiction, it was exciting. This information was well-done enough so I could use it for a sixth grade report.
For Magicians Of All Ages! March 13, 2007
B. Gosse (Hoffman Estates, IL)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this book for a Valentine's present for my husband, who has been doing magic tricks and illusions since he was a young boy. He has always been fascinated by the Great Houdini, so when I saw this book, I took a chance. We have both enjoyed this book tremendously. It is written in very nice, simple language, with large print, and wonderful never-seen before photos. I would highly recommend this little magical gem!
A 2007 Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Older Readers January 29, 2007
Rachel Kamin (West Bloomfield, MI USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Biographies can be dull and plodding, but this one is just the opposite. Partly because of the nature of the subject - the fascinating magician, illusionist, and escape artist Harry Houdini - and partly because of the bright prose of the author, this biography is engaging, humorous, and a pleasure to read. It is full of colorful language like prestidigitator, bamboozler, razzmatazz, razzle-dazzle, ragamuffin, derring-do, braggadocio, boondocks, bunkum, and blunderbuss. It is also infused with the showman's Jewish side, recalling Houdini's birth as Ehrich Weiss to an impoverished but scholarly rabbi in a Budapest ghetto, his self-invention and brashness as an immigrant, the effects of anti-Semitism, and his lifelong love of learning. According to the author, Jews are significant in the history of magic. Along the way we get a history lesson in vaudeville and other popular entertainments in turn of the century America and Europe. We also see Houdini as quite the overachiever; in addition to his legendary feats, he was an author, editor, pilot, and collector of magician memorabilia. REVIEWED BY SUSAN BERSON (DENVER, CO)
An excellent, lively text makes for a biography perfect for reports. January 6, 2007
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Ages 9 and older will find ESCAPE a vivid story of master escape artist and magician Houdini, a man who could walk through brick walls and escape the most impossible circumstances. This biography comes from an author who was a former professional magician himself, and offers stories of how the son of an impoverished rabbi changed himself into the world-known Houdini. An excellent, lively text makes for a biography perfect for reports.
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