The Houdini Pitchbooks

Harry Houdini (1874-1926) was the quintessential immigrant success story. Brought to America as a small boy, his family had little means of financial support. Yet young Erik Weisz (birth name) rose above his family’s poverty and became the world’s most renowned escape artist, magician, and debunker of spiritualists. He was fearless when taking on a challenge and incapable of accepting defeat. Pitchbooks, as they were known, were commonly used by performers and businesses in the latter 19th and early 20th centuries as an expansion of early playbills or advertising. Instead of a single sheet flyer, these multi-page pamphlets enabled the advertiser or performer to further extol their talents or products while generating additional financial revenues. Includes all the known Houdini pitchbooks and their variants. This body of work includes over 40 different rare pitchbooks, including their cover images, along with the history of each. Variants include such differences as cover colors, page counts, minor text changes, revised editions, publication dates, printers, etc. An unmatched and valuable resource guide.