Gibson, Walter: Houdini's Escapes and Magic ©1930, 1932 Bernard M.L. Ernst, Blue Ribbon Books, Inc., NY Hardcover, 633 pages

Image courtesy e-Bay seller CoronaSmith

Comments: From the title page, "Prepared from Houdini's private notebooks and memoranda with the assistance of Beatrice Houdini, widow of Houdini, and Bernard M.L. Ernst, president of the parent assembly of the Society of American Magicians."

John Cox on his Wild About Houdini Website (www.wildabouthoudini.com) writes that in 1930 Houdini's Escapes was published by Harcourt, Brace and Company. Then Houdini's Magic was published in 1932. In that same year, Blue Ribbon Books published a combination edition titled "Houdini's Escapes and Magic", but the copyright in that book still said 1930.

Contents (From book, updated Dec 2022, descriptions added for Book 2):

v Preface (Bernard M.L. Ernst)

Book 1 Houdini's Escapes:

2 Part One - Introductory
3 Houdini's Notes
7 Houdini's Methods
12 The Escape Act
17 Handcuff Escapes
22 Rope Ties
26 Houdini's Cabinets
27 - The New Scene Cabinet
30 - The Built-Up Cabinet
31 - The Platform Cabinet

35 Part Two - Rope Ties and Chain Releases
37 Houdini's Trick Rope
39 The Sailor Challenge
41 The Rope Pillory
43 The Self-tie
45 The Gallows Restraint
49 Ladders and Rope Challenge
55 Chain Releases
55 - The Chain and Lock
56 - The Chain Challenge Act
59 - The Dog Chain Escape
61 The Escape Board

65 Part Three - Special Challenges
67 The Straitjacket Escape
72 The Blanket Restraint
77 Escape From a Crazy Crib
81 Hot Water and Wet Sheets
84 The Mail Bag Escape
87 The Pasteboard Box Escape
93 The Basket Escape
97 The Paper Bag Escape

101 Part Four - Box Escapes
103 Box Escapes of Various Types
104 - The Under-Water Escape
106 - The Packing Box Escape
109 - The Sliding Panel Box
111 - The Telescopic Box
112 - The Slide-up Box
114 - The Metal-Rimmed Box
118 The Lead Sheeted and Lined Box
123 The Double Box Escape
126 The Niagara Falls Escape
128 The Indian Box Mystery
136 The Buried Box Escape
140 The Iron Express Box
141 - The Metal Bathtubs
141 - The Sprinkling Wagon Escape
142 The Iron Box Challenge
146 The Shelved Box Escape
149 The Plate Glass Box

155 Part Five - Under Water Escapes
157 Rubber Bag and Glass Box
159 - First Method
162 - Second Method
163 - Third Method
164 - The Bag Escape
166 The Crystal Water Casket
175 A Glass Cabinet
177 The Submerged Trunk Escape
183 Houdini‘s Double Box Mystery
188 Milk Can Escapes
191 - The Unprepared Milk Can
193 - The Milk Can Challenge
196 - The Regular Milk Can
197 The Double Milk Can

201 Part Six - Trunks, Barrels, Coffins
203 Trunk Escapes
207 Barrel and Cask Escapes
207 - The Barrel Challenge
212 - The False-bottomed Barrel
214 - The Side-trap Barrel
214 - The Double Barrel
216 The Great Coffin Imposture
219 Sheet Iron Coffin Escape
223 The Metal Casket Escape
227 The Galvanized Iron Coffin

231 Part Seven - Miscellaneous Escapes
233 The Wooden Log Escape
235 Pillory Escapes
235 - Pillory Number One
236 - Pillory Number Two
238 - Pillory Number Three
239 The Glass Cylinder
243 The Glass Tube Test
244 - First Method
245 - Second Method
246 - Third Method
246 - Fourth Method
249 - Fifth Method
251 Escape From a Block of Ice
255 The Automobile Tire Escape
257 The Maine Tramp Chair
261 The Knife Box
264 The Spirit Collar
266 The Champion Lock Cuff
268 Two Tricky Doors
271 The Valise Challenge

275 Part Eight - Spectacular Mysteries and Escapes
277 The Cradle of Steel
280 Walking Through a Brick Wall
283 Walled in Alive!
287 The Cylindrical Cross Escape
296 The Suspended Brass Tube
302 The Great Cell Mystery
306 The Rack Test
312 The Spanish Maiden Escape

316 Conclusion

Book 2 Houdini's Magic (page numbers start over)

11 Part Two - Impromptu Tricks
13 Coin Transportation: with a coin and two handkerchiefs in glasses
15 The Magnetic Table: table follows the magician
16 The Spooky Ball: a ball moves mysteriously on a table and can be examined
18 The Talking Glass: a glass suspended on a string "sings" yes or no answers
20 Four Coin Assembly: a coin matrix effect
25 Cut and Restored String
28 Balanced Drinking Straw: balances on the hand
29 Two from One: two knots appear in a handkerchief
31 The Dissolving Knot: from handkerchief
33 Vanishing Pocket Knife: vanishes from the hands

35 Part Three - Card Tricks
37 A Good Key Card: how to make
38 Half and Half: card passes from one half the deck to the other
40 The Traveling Card: from one envelope to another
43 Card Reading Trick: magician reads cards in envelopes in a hat
45 A New Card Box: card vanishes from box and is found on spectator's back
47 The Imprisoned Card: card vanishes from a slotted envelope prison and is found in an envelope
50 A Spelling Trick: card spelling with an arranged deck
52 Card Counting Trick: double prediction of two cards counted to

57 Part Four - Slate Tricks
59 Slate in Bag: messages appear on a slate sealed in a bag
61 Improved Slate Writing: allows slates to be examined beforehand
65 Novel Slate Writing: using a swami type gimmick
68 Spirit Slate Effect: message appears
72 Single Slate Trick: single slate wrapped in newspaper, and when removed has message
73 Newspaper Test: selected headline from several newspapers appears on a slate

77 Part Five - Message Reading
79 Crystal Gazing Mysteries: various methods described
88 Sealed Message Reading: using a special envelope
91 Sealed Envelope Test: method to read messages in envelopes while held by spectators
96 A Billet Reading: a two person act

101 Part Six - Platform Tricks
103 Red and Green Silks: vanished and restored handkerchief
106 The Vanishing Glass: glass vanishes in a cylinder of paper
109 A Clinging Wand with Vanish
112 A Vanishing Wand: with an addition
113 The Traveling Die:  a large die transposes with a handkerchief in a hat
116 With the Linking Rings: idea to unlink two ring and pass for inspection
118 A Neat Production Tube: using a chair servante
121 Perfection Paper Tearing: three color strips torn and restored
124 Cone and Egg: solid cone and egg transposition and more
128 Houdini’s Afghan Bands: a red, white and blue finish
133 The Vanishing Table Leg: variation of the vanishing wand

137 Part Seven - Stage Tricks
139 The Traveling Ball: ball passes from box on the right to one on the left
142 Kellar’s Wine and Ribbon: after wine is poured from a bottle, streams of ribbons and flags appear from it
147 Hat Suspension: magician's hat floats about the stage
150 A New Dyeing Tube: an alternative device
154 Ching Ling Foo’s Paper Trick: strips of torn paper put in bowl of water are removed dry and changes to long strips in various colors
158 A Duck Production: from a tub of water
161 Chinese Rice Bowls: with approach on removing the disk

165 Part Eight - A Second Sight Act
167 A Second Sight Act: for two people
169 Explanation of the Principle
171 The Watch Test: assistant tells what time the watch was set to
175 The Figure Test to 10,000: assistant determines number chosen
178 The Playing Card Test: assistant discovers cards chosen
181 The Slate Test: initials written on a slate determined
183 The Book Test: line or word from a book
117 The Colored Pencil Test: three numbers written in three colors and the total divined
118 Presentation of the Act

191 Part Nine - Stage Illusions
193 Dunninger's Six Chicks: six assistants vanish in a cabinet
200 Frame and Cabinet: assistant appears from a cabinet
204 The Cask Illusion: assistant appears from an examined casket
208 A Vanish in Mid-air: assistant vanishes from a suspended table
214 Sawing a Woman into Twins: Woman sawn in two turns into two small twins
221 Sardines in Oil: appearance of six assistants dressed as fish from a sardine can
225 The Transformation Cabinet: magician changes into another person six feet above
230 De Kolta's Illusion: vanish of assistant under a flag at center stage
234 The Flight of Venus: vanish of a girl on a sheet of glass
240 The Giant Ball of Wool: girl vanishes and found in a center of a ball of wool
244 A Vanish from a Ladder

249 Part Ten - Special Stage Effects
251 Living Head Illusion: animated head without a body
254 Art and Nature: pedestal changes to a farmer
258 The Decapitation Act: with a guillotine, and head demands to be returned to the body
265 The Torture Pillory: escape trick
268 A Milk Bottle Escape: another escape

271 Part Eleven - Antispiritualistic Effects
273 A Spirit Cabinet: though tied in a cabinet, manifestations take place
277 The Spirit Knots: knots appear in a clothes line though the ends are held
280 The Vanishing Chair: comedy trick
283 Spirit Photography: a photo of a spectator is developed and includes an image of a selected famous person
288 A Materializing Cabinet: manifestations appear from a small cabinet
291 Some Mediumistic Effects
291 - Floating Light
291 - Floating Face
291 - Cold and Clammy Hands
293 A Great Cabinet Act: more manifestations by an assistant in a cabinet

299 Part Twelve - Notes on Kellar
301 Kellar's Rope Tie
303 The Cabinet Tie
307 Kellar's Committee Cabinet
308 Notes on Suspension
309 A Kellar Reminiscence

315 Conclusion