Written by himself, this is the life of the French conjurer whose name Harry Houdini later borrowed. Robert-Houdin describes his apprenticeship as a watchmaker, his fascination with automata and sleight of hand, the rival performers he watched and exposed, the opening of his Paris theatre, and the mission to Algeria on which the French government sent him to outdo the marabouts.
An entertaining insider’s account of nineteenth-century magic, full of tricks, mechanisms and stage rivalries. Download the free EPUB.