Project Gutenberg 1996-02-01 Public domain in the USA. 104 Houdini, Harry 1874 1926 Weiss, Ehrich Deadota, Giovanni Weisz, Erik Miracle Mongers and Their Methods A Complete Exposé of the Modus Operandi of Fire Eaters, Heat Resisters, Poison Eaters, Venomous Reptile Defiers, Sword Swallowers, Human Ostriches, Strong Men, Etc. Produced by Charles Keller. HTML version by Al Haines. "Miracle Mongers and Their Methods" by Harry Houdini is a detailed exposé on the techniques and tricks of various performers who claim supernatural abilities, written during the late 19th century. The work serves as a historical account of entertainers such as fire-eaters, sword swallowers, and other so-called 'miracle mongers.' Houdini's first-hand experiences and knowledge of stage illusions provide insights into the methods behind these performances and the psychology of both the performers and the audiences who are often captivated by their acts. The opening of the book introduces Houdini's perspective on wonder and illusion, emphasizing human fascination with the extraordinary. He recounts the origins of fire worship and the mystique surrounding fire-eating across different cultures, linking historical practices with contemporary performances. Houdini illustrates the ritualistic nature of these acts, such as the fire-walking ceremonies of different peoples, while foreshadowing the scientific explanations that will follow in subsequent chapters. As he lays the groundwork, readers anticipate a thorough investigation of the art of illusion, including the secrets behind the celebrated feats of daring performed by famed entertainers throughout history. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Magic tricks -- History Magicians -- Biography GV Text Browsing: Biographies Browsing: Culture/Civilization/Society 273328 268412 2024-09-01T05:29:53.400287 2023-10-01T05:15:33.641369 text/html text/html 263142 2021-01-01T08:40:22 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 101574 2021-01-01T08:40:22 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 163405 2024-09-01T05:29:58.427284 application/epub+zip 167779 2024-09-01T05:29:54.820285 application/epub+zip 167779 2024-09-01T05:29:53.943274 application/epub+zip 284773 2024-09-01T05:30:01.135263 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 273184 2024-09-01T05:29:57.840272 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 294409 2022-09-01T05:51:11.426546 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 252538 252500 2024-09-01T05:29:52.745278 2023-10-01T05:15:33.254369 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 252336 2021-01-01T08:40:22 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 99697 2021-01-01T08:40:22 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 18440 2024-09-01T05:30:01.270239 application/rdf+xml 11807 2024-09-01T05:29:54.294287 image/jpeg 2856 2024-09-01T05:29:54.120267 image/jpeg 161139 2024-09-01T05:29:53.424296 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia