Hutchinson released a revised hardcover edition in 1932 promoted as the "First cheap edition." Added to the text was a dedication ("To my wife Dorothy") and a new "Author's Note" in which Cannell expressed surprise at the controversial reaction of the book:
The Secrets of Houdini was first published in hardcover by Hutchinson & Co.
I can't help but wonder whether Goldston was the true author of this book and used Cannell as a front? It's possible. Cannell makes reference to "his friend" Will Goldston within the first few paragraphs of his introduction (he says Goldston is a "spiritualist"?), and you don't have to go very deep into the book before you find a photo of Houdini and Goldston. Cannell is only credited with two other works, In Town Tonight (1935) and Modern Conjuring for Amateurs (1938).īut reading The Secrets of Houdini, it's pretty clear that famed magic publisher and Magicians Club President Will Goldston had a hand in this book, even though his name does not appear as publisher or even as a contributor. According to MagicPedia, John Clucas Cannell was a journalist, author, amateur magician and also Vice-President of the Magician's Club in London. Not all that much is known about the author, J.C. So how did this book come to be without the apparent involvement or blessing of Beatrice Houdini and Bernard Ernst? The book is arguably superior to the officially sanctioned Houdini's Escapes by Walter B. First published in the UK in 1931, the book does indeed expose some key Houdini methods and contains an impressive collection of rare photographs. Cannell is a remarkable and somewhat mysterious book.
Today I continue my examination of books about Houdini with images and insights from my own collection.
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