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The Metamorphosis
Winner, Best Atlantic Published Book Award
Shortlisted, Canadian Regional Design Award
met-a-mor-pho-sis: a complete change of form, structure, or substance, as transformation by magic or witchcraft.
In May of 1896, a young magician from New York City joined the cast of the Marco Magic Company and embarked on a summer-long tour of eastern Canada, including New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. It was during this excursion that Handcuff Harry AKA Harry Houdini first showcased the talent that transformed him from a small-time conjurer, who performed for pennies in dime museums, into the world’s most celebrated escape artist. When he wasn’t performing on stage, Houdini was barnstorming through the streets of every town and city he visited, astounding onlookers in police stations, hardware stores and hospitals by freeing himself from the clutches of every restraining device strapped or wrapped around him.
In this absorbing book, enriched by rare, period photographs, Bruce MacNab recounts a fascinating but shockingly untold chapter in the career of the man whose name is still synonymous with the word magic.
Thrill to the extraordinary untold story of the early career of escape artist extraordinaire Harry Houdini!
Gasp at heroic trials and dreadful tribulations as a struggling young magician goes on the road with the acclaimed Marco Magic Company to conquer the competitive and challenging theatre circuit of eastern Canada!
Witness elaborate acts of illusion as Houdini astounds crowds by effortlessly freeing himself from the clutches of even the most inescapable of restraints!
Swoon as Houdini goes out on his own with his young wife in tow!
Cheer as he mesmerizes and marvels with the miraculous metamorphosis!
Cast your gaze upon a veritable cornucopia of rare photographic images, many never before seen in public!
Be astonished as we finally unveil the mysterious truth behind Houdini’s fabled straitjacket escape!! Guaranteed to be 100% true!!!
“[A] magical history tour of the highest order … Nova Scotia writer Bruce MacNab, according to experts cited all over, has simply nailed the untold apprenticeship of Harry Houdini as the magician performed throughout Maritime communities more than a century ago. … you cannot escape the fact that this is an absolutely exceptional book.”
– Chronicle Herald
“Bruce MacNab’s absolutely fascinating reconstruction of Harry Houdini’s summer-long 1896 tour of Eastern Canada was Atlantic Canada’s ‘sleeper’ book of the past year. … It’s a fabulous book to read and savour, with an engaging narrative, detailed research and striking visuals, including rare news clippings, vintage posters, illustrative maps and newly unearthed photographs. … In his first book, the author has produced a gem that won the 2012 APMA Best Atlantic Published Book Award. … It has great appeal to those with a passion for Victorian Canadian life, travelling circuses, magic tricks, fortune tellers and freak shows. Fans of the master magician as well as curious people of all ages will also marvel at Houdini’s sleights of hand and the secrets of his illusions. … Shedding new light on Houdini’s career is quite an accomplishment, but it’s the author’s polished writing style and the richness of the illustration that makes The Metamorphosis a very entertaining summer read.”
– Chronicle Herald
“It’s a fascinating read.”
– Vancouver Sun
There are no awards found for this book.
Details
Dimensions:
368 Pages
8.875in * 6in * 0.904in
532gr
Published:
October 26, 2012
Publisher:
ISBN:
9780864926777
9780864928337 – MobiPocket
9780864927606 – PDF
9780864928283 – EPUB
Book Subjects:
Featured In:
Language:
eng
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