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4th out of 12 books
—
2 voters
Masters of Mystery: The Strange Friendship of Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini
by
Christopher Sandford (Goodreads Author)
Renowned mystery author Arthur Conan Doyle and famous illusionist Harry Houdini first met in 1920, during the magician's tour of England. At the time, Conan Doyle had given up his lucrative writing career, killing off Sherlock Holmes in the process, in order to concentrate on his increasingly manic interest in Spiritualism. Houdini, who regularly conducted séances in an at...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
November 22nd 2011
by Palgrave Macmillan
(first published 2011)
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I won this book through the Goodreads First Reads Program.
A meticulous study of the relationship between master illusionist Harry Houdini and the remarkable Arthur Conan Doyle, best known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Both men shared a tremendous interest in Spiritualism, spending many years and much of their fortunes on trying to contact those who had passed on to the next world. However, as time passed, their paths turned sharply in different directions, with Houdini bent on debunking fak...more
A meticulous study of the relationship between master illusionist Harry Houdini and the remarkable Arthur Conan Doyle, best known as the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Both men shared a tremendous interest in Spiritualism, spending many years and much of their fortunes on trying to contact those who had passed on to the next world. However, as time passed, their paths turned sharply in different directions, with Houdini bent on debunking fak...more
I absolutely loved this book. As a huge Houdini fan (and, I suppose a slight fan of Sherlock Holmes) I couldn't wait to read this book and when I started, I couldn't stop. It was fascinating and exciting.
As somebody who was raised with a spiritual belief, but who also allows myself to be somewhat sceptical, this book managed to satisfy my inner spiritualist as well as my inner sceptic on equal levels. Loved it!
As somebody who was raised with a spiritual belief, but who also allows myself to be somewhat sceptical, this book managed to satisfy my inner spiritualist as well as my inner sceptic on equal levels. Loved it!
This wasn't quite as entertaining a read as Hiding the Elephant by Jim Steinmeyer, but Masters of Mystery: The Strange Friendship of Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini by Christopher Sandford added dimensions to the era of spiritualism that the former book only touched on. I had never known that Doyle and Houdini had corresponded extensively despite their differing views on spiritualism. Nor did I know that, Doyle--creator of the scientifically-minded detective Sherlock Holmes--was an outspoke...more
Well-researched/-documented, but not all that interesting, summary of the spiritualist movement of the early 1900's. Part of my issue is that, unfortunately, with non-fiction, you can't fabricate an audience-pleasing finale. There never was an "a-ha" moment when the dupes of all the frauds find out how "used" they were. But, obviously, that's not the author's fault.
However, I did learn a lot about Houdini and Conan Doyle.
However, I did learn a lot about Houdini and Conan Doyle.
I really enjoyed this biography, but I love Doyle and Houdini. The fact that they had similar backgrounds and were both interested in the spiritualism religion, albeit from opposing viewpoints was fascinating. Sandford did a great job of not only giving readers an unbiased look into the lives of these men and their families, he also incorporated the world history of the time. A really interesting read.
I received an ARC of this book from GoodReads on November 12, 2011. As I am also attending school right now, my leisure reading time is minimal. I will post a review as soon as possible... sorry for the delay.
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway. Thanks!
The story of an usual pair of friends. I struggled to become engaged at times, but wanted to finish the book. Beginning in the 1920's these two very different men formed a unique relationship, especially considering their later strongly differing views on Spiritualism.
Without wanting to give away details, both men were obsessed in their own way with contacting the dead, especially relatives that had passed, and this was the crux of the...more
The story of an usual pair of friends. I struggled to become engaged at times, but wanted to finish the book. Beginning in the 1920's these two very different men formed a unique relationship, especially considering their later strongly differing views on Spiritualism.
Without wanting to give away details, both men were obsessed in their own way with contacting the dead, especially relatives that had passed, and this was the crux of the...more
I couldn't finish this one after reading a chapter and a half, It was very much a, then this happened, then this person did this, then this person did that, style of writing and it just couldn't keep my interest, because there was no real excitement to keep me reading.
I just could not get too far with this book. After reading a couple of chapters, I stopped. I actually found it boring.
Reading this now... Another great find in the library's New Non-Fiction section.
I'm a fan of both Houdini and Conan Doyle and their respective works. I first heard about their friendship and philosophical disagreements at a presentation by Jamy Ian Swiss, the magician, lecturer, and mentalism myth buster. Intriguing! I heard about it again at the Houdini Museum in Scranton PA... Facinating!!
I've been eager to learn more and I hope this book will slant my thirst.
5/27 -- Only 20 pages in so far...more
I'm a fan of both Houdini and Conan Doyle and their respective works. I first heard about their friendship and philosophical disagreements at a presentation by Jamy Ian Swiss, the magician, lecturer, and mentalism myth buster. Intriguing! I heard about it again at the Houdini Museum in Scranton PA... Facinating!!
I've been eager to learn more and I hope this book will slant my thirst.
5/27 -- Only 20 pages in so far...more
I enjoyed this book tremendously. I was always aware that Conan Doyle was interested in the paranormal but this book gives a further depth of understanding on the man behind Sherlock Holmes. It was interesting to find out the relationship between Conan Doyle and Houdini. I recommend this book highly to fellow Sherlockians and fans of Conan Doyle. Mr. Sandford did a fantastic job.
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Number 1 Xmas prassie!!!!!!!
enjoyable, though my guess would be that it managed to alienate fans of each man
I liked this book but didn't love it. I loved the information given about the two men. But didn't really see how the book wanted to tie them together. Rather interesting. Slow at times. I would give it three stars.
Very interesting but kind of hard to get through, maybe because I was on vaca.
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Christopher Sandford has published acclaimed biographies of Kurt Cobain, Steve McQueen, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, and Roman Polanski. He has worked as a film and music writer and reviewer for over 20 years and frequently contributes to newspapers and magazines on both sides of the Atlantic. Rolling Stone has called him "the preeminent author in his field today."
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