The Boy Of Death - Chapter 52

Background information on on his magic career

True name Erik Weisz

Houdini began his magic career in 1891, but had little success.[15] He appeared in a tent act with strongman Emil Jarrow.[16] He performed in dime museums and sideshows, and even doubled as “The Wild Man” at a circus. Houdini focused initially on traditional card tricks. At one point, he billed himself as the “King of Cards”.[17] Some – but not all – professional magicians would come to regard Houdini as a competent but not particularly skilled sleight-of-hand artist, lacking the grace and finesse required to achieve excellence in that craft.

When Weiss became a professional magician he began calling himself “Harry Houdini”, after the French magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, after reading Robert-Houdin’s autobiography in 1890. Weiss incorrectly believed that an i at the end of a name meant “like” in French. However, “i” at the end of the name means “belong to” in Hungarian. In later life, Houdini claimed that the first part of his new name, Harry, was an homage to American magician Harry Kellar, who he also admired, though it was likely adapted from “Ehri”, a nickname for “Ehrich”, which is how he was known to his family.[13]

When he was a teenager, Houdini was coached by the magician Joseph Rinn at the Pastime Athletic Club.[14]