One of the Largest Magic Libraries Ever Assembled
Harry Houdini stands as the signature name in magic, but many may be surprised to learn that he was also one of the great collectors of magic literature. Long before the internet made research easy, Houdini spent decades building a remarkable private library devoted to magic, spiritualism, witchcraft, psychic phenomena, and the history of deception.
Houdini once remarked:
"The love of bibliographic research has been the cornerstone of my life from my earliest years."
By the end of his life, he had assembled one of the largest private collections on these subjects ever formed.
Houdini the Collector
Though remembered primarily for escapes and stage performances, Houdini was every bit as serious about collecting as he was about performing. While touring, he spent spare hours visiting bookshops, corresponding with collectors, interviewing retired magicians, and tracking down rare material.
He even placed want ads seeking books and ephemera for his growing library.
Houdini acquired collections from fellow magicians and collectors, including material once owned by the Davenport Brothers, Edwin Fay Rice, Elliott Robinson, Harrington, Young, Alexander, Heinberger, and G.W. Hunter.
In many ways, Houdini approached collecting the same way he approached magic itself: with relentless curiosity.
Magic, Spiritualism, and Psychic Research
Much of Houdini's later life was devoted to investigating mediums and spiritualist claims. Initially open to the possibility of genuine phenomena, he eventually became one of the most outspoken critics of fraudulent mediums.
His interest in spiritualism extended far beyond the stage. Houdini collected books, pamphlets, manuscripts, and research materials documenting séances, psychic phenomena, demonology, witchcraft, and supernatural beliefs.
"[I've] accumulated one of the largest libraries in the world on psychic phenomena, spiritualism, magic, witchcraft, demonology, evil spirits, etc.," Houdini himself wrote in 1924, "[With] some of the material going back as far as 1489." (A Magician Among the Spirits)
The line between magician, historian, skeptic, and collector was often blurred in Houdini's life.
Death Strikes on Halloween Afternoon
Just days after what would be his final stage performance, the strong and seemingly healthy Houdini was suddenly dead at age 52.
His shocking death resulted not from a death-defying magic stunt, but from peritonitis. The great magician's appendix had ruptured following a stomach-punch from a fan who challenged him to take the hit.
Following Houdini's untimely death, his grieving widow Bess continued to conduct séances in repeated attempts to channel the spirit of her dead husband on the eve of Halloween each year until she, too, went to the grave.
Though the annual séance tradition continues to this day, Houdini has failed to make contact.
What Happened to Houdini's Library?
In May, 1927, sixteen large packing cases arrived at the doorstep of the United States Library of Congress. Inside, library curators unpacked Harry Houdini's exhaustive book library in excess of 5,000 volumes, a generous donation bequeathed by Houdini himself.
The collection included 1,727 books, pamphlets and periodicals on magic and 3,420 on spiritualism. The packing crates also contained manuscripts, theatrical posters and 126 personal scrapbooks filled with news clippings.
Today, much of the collection remains at the Library of Congress, and portions have been digitized for public study.
For both collectors and historians, the library offers a remarkable snapshot of what fascinated one of magic's greatest figures.
Magic Libraries as Collectibles
Houdini understood something many collectors still recognize today: books are only part of the story.
Important magic collections often contain lecture notes, dealer catalogs, correspondence, photographs, posters, manuscripts, scrapbooks, and ephemeral material documenting the history of conjuring.
Many longtime magicians worked towards assembling libraries over decades without ever considering that their collections might one day hold historical or collector value.
Not every magic library ends up at the Library of Congress, but collections assembled with care often continue to educate and inspire future generations of magicians and collectors.
Selling Magic Books & Collections
Britannic Auctions handles rare magic books, Houdiniana, gambling literature, manuscripts, photographs, posters, and other magic collectibles. Whether you have a single rarity or an entire library assembled over a lifetime, we welcome inquiries and offer a free evaluation of magic collectibles that may be suitable for auction.
