Penn & Teller, the self-styled “Bad Boys of Magic,” bring hard-edged satire to the often-cliched and cozy world of conjuring. These guys are magicians, but their act is as different from David Copperfield’s as the music of the Talking Heads is from that of Tony Bennett.
In fact, a lot of explanation is in order. I am Harry Houdini.” -E.L.*** Penn & Teller Get Killed: For those who have never seen Penn & Teller, a bit of explanation is in order. “He seemed to express in his whole being and in his whole deportment: ’I am who I am. His naivete and his shrewdness, his shyness and his exhibitionism, his kindness and his unforgiving antagonisms proclaim a complicated and unknowable man.” -New York Review of Books “A master of cunning and endurance.” -NPR “Houdini was the scourge of spiritualists.” -The Wall Street Journal “There is no trick of the recognized masters, from Cagliostro’s magic mirror to Kellar’s Hindoo lamp and Maskelyne and Devant’s Haunted Window, that Houdini did not succeed in fathoming and, when he liked, duplicating.” - The New York Times
“He was the embodiment of something incredible … he came to represent the sum of all amazements.” - The Guardian “Houdini’s words give a sense of the man and his times in a way that a straight autobiography might miss.” - The Washington Post “Bold, brash, self-absorbed, and aggressively, astonishingly clever, Houdini is now my number one fantasy dinner party seatmate.” - Library Journal, What We’re Reading column In an exclusive introduction to this volume, Teller-magician, comedian, and silent sidekick of Penn Jillette-speaks up about the greatest magician of modern times. Revealing the secrets of his signature tricks, including handcuff and rope escapes, and debunking the methods of his rivals, he proves himself to be just as clever and nimble a writer as he was a magician-and surprisingly free with trade secrets! All of which makes this unique selection of works both the ultimate anti-etiquette guide and proof that things are not always as they seem. This volume presents the best of those writings alongside little-known articles by Houdini on his own brand of deception: magic.
It collected Houdini’s findings, from interviews with criminals and police officers, on the most surefire ways to commit crime and get away with it. Originally published in 1906, The Right Way to Do Wrong was a masterclass in subversion conducted by the world’s greatest illusionist. One of the most intriguing figures of the twentieth century conducts a master class in subversion …
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