The Witch of Lime Street: Séance, Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World

Jaher brings Harry Houdini’s crusade against spiritualism back into popular knowledge in his gripping first book. At one point, Houdini thought his legacy would be that crusade, not his death-defying magic tricks. Spiritualism, a 19th-century religious movement predicated on belief in communication with spirits, experienced a resurgence after WWI. Houdini had posed as a medium early in his career and knew all the tricks of fake mediums, so when Scientific American held a controversial contest awarding a cash prize to any medium who passed their scientific tests, Houdini sat on the five-person jury. Through that contest he met Mina “Margery” Crandon, one of the most famous and convincing mediums in the country. Despite the conviction of his fellow judges, Houdini declared Crandon a fake and reproduced—to much public consternation—the feats that brought her notoriety. Jaher paints a fascinating portrait of spiritualism in at this time (Arthur Conan Doyle, a huge proponent, makes many appearances) and notes the anti-Semitism and sexism directed at Houdini and Crandon, respectively. Jaher meanders before reaching his main focus, but it’s a small price for such a fascinating look at the Spiritualist movement in 1920s America. [em](Oct.) [/em]