Table of Contents
Los Angeles, November 30, 1915 xi
The Truest Believer 1
Childhood
Lies and Illusions 11
The Origin Story 15
The Silverman Boxes 19
The Runaway Child 27
Bahl Yahn, the Strong Man 37
Metamorphosis
Torrini 47
The Name 53
The Early Days 65
Acid on the Dress 73
Sideshow 77
King of Cards 85
Magic Made Easy 97
Escape
Beck 103
Naked Ambition 107
Scotland Yard 115
Not a Love Match 121
The Fight of Cologne 129
Mirrors
The Mirror Cuffs 137
How He Did It (Theory One) 143
How He Did It (Theory Two) 147
How He Did It (Theories Galore) 151
My Guess 157
Miracles
The Needles 163
The Challenges 167
Straitjackets 173
The Bells of the Kremlin 181
Life and Death 189
Copperfield
Epic Rap Battle I 203
Korby's Clothing Store 205
Elephants and Statues 211
Epic Rap Battle II 225
Torture
Nothing Supernatural 229
Houdini Upside Down 231
The Empathy of Escape 237
The Secret 245
Inescapable Death
The Dutiful Son 251
Spirits of the Night 255
The Punch 263
The End 271
The Afterlife
There Is No Death 279
The Grim Game 285
The Unmasking 293
Afterword: Houdini's Ghost 299
Acknowledgments 309
A Selected Bibliography 313