ERNST, Bernard M.L.; Hereward Carrington [Harry Houdini; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Oscar Teale].

Houdini and Conan Doyle.

First Edition of Houdini and Conan Doyle; Inscribed by Bernard M.L. Ernst to Fellow Magician Oscar Teale

New York: Albert and Charles Boni, Inc, 1932.

$2,750.00

In Stock Item Number: RRB-149956

Custom Clamshell Box (+$450)

* Custom Clamshell Boxes are hand made by the Harcourt Bindery upon request and take approximately 60 days to complete

Add to cart

Ask a Question Shipping & Guarantee

First edition of this historical account on the friendship between writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and magician Harry Houdini. Octavo, original publisher's orange cloth, top stain green, frontispiece of Conan Doyle and Houdini. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Oscar S. Teale With every good wish from Bernard M.L. Ernst November 17, 1933." The recipient, Oscar Teale (1901–1986), was an American magician, lecturer, and historian of magic whose work bridged performance, scholarship, and the preservation of conjuring as a serious cultural practice. He served as the private secretary to Harry Houdini during the final years of Houdini’s life, a position that granted him direct access to the magician’s professional correspondence, research, and anti-spiritualist investigations, and later informed Teale’s influential role in preserving and interpreting Houdini’s legacy. In very good condition with light rubbing and spotting to the spine and extremities. Accompanied by an original flyer for the book laid in. An exceptional association, rare and desirable signed.

Bernard M. L. Ernst (1897–1971) was an American writer and historian of magic best known for his rigorous documentation of stage magic, escapology, and anti-spiritualist performance in the early twentieth century. After taking a sustained interest in magic, he became Harry Houdini’s personal attorney and later the legal representative of Houdini’s estate, overseeing the magician’s correspondence and private papers while also collecting magic memorabilia. He lectured on Houdini and magic at Columbia University and, in 1926, succeeded Houdini as President of the Society of American Magicians. 'Houdini and Conan Doyle' offers a concise historical account of the complex friendship and eventual estrangement between the magician Harry Houdini and the writer Arthur Conan Doyle. Drawing on correspondence, public statements, and contemporaneous accounts, Ernst traces how their relationship—initially grounded in mutual admiration—became increasingly strained due to irreconcilable views on spiritualism. While Conan Doyle emerged as a committed believer in psychic phenomena, Houdini devoted considerable effort to exposing fraudulent mediums, a stance that directly challenged Doyle’s convictions.