Sale of Books from the library of Harry Houdini
We're very proud to offer a rare chance to purchase two lots of books previously owned by Harry Houdini. These books all bear Houdini's signature and stamps from his collection. They have solid provenance having been gifted by Houdini to The Magicians' Club, spearheaded by Will Goldston, and purchased from the Goldston estate by the Davenport family, the current owners. The first round of bidding closes on the 31st of October.
Lot 1., the larger of the two lots, is twelve bindings of Fortgesetzte Magie, oder die Zauberkräfte der Natur by Johann Samuel Halle. Ignoring the Houdini connection, this is an important and rare early magic series containing many descriptions of early magic effects and automata, mixed with scientific and natural experiments and demonstrations. The volumes range in edition with dates from 1790 to 1801. The title page of each example it presented in order in the "Closer Details" section at the bottom of this page.
Every volume of this series is signed by Houdini on a "Presented by..." stamp added when he gave these books to Goldston's club library. They also all bear Houdini's personal library stamps on page edges and on various pages throughout each book. In addition, the five last volumes have Houdini's own accession labels to the top of the spine, likely in Houdini's hand writing. The labels to the bottom of the spine are from the books' time in Goldston's club library and they also contain many stamps for The Magicians' Club.
Lot 2., the smaller of the two lots, contains part of the series Neuer Wunder-Schauplatz der Künste by Johann Heinrich Moritz Von Poppe. This consists of one binding combining volumes 1 and 2 and a second with volume 5 and 6. Presumably Houdini gave this incomplete set to Goldston when he found a complete set. Again, each copy is signed by Houdini on a "Presented by..." stamp and they also bear Houdini's personal library stamps on page edges and on various pages throughout each book. The first of the two volumes also bears two faux-signature stamps of Houdini's. The latter is signed twice, with a Houdini signature on the inside front cover unrelated to him presenting the book to Goldston's club.
As with the larger set, these texts are sought after as early magic books in their own right, setting aside Houdini's ownership. They contain striking fold-out depictions of gimmicks and tricks. These books date from 1839 and can be seen in more detail in the "Closer Details" section at the bottom of this page.
Provenance:
Will Goldston was a noted magic dealer, publisher and author. He also organised The Magicians' Club in London, inviting his close friend Harry Houdini to be the club president. Houdini held this position from the founding of the club in 1911 through to his death in 1926.
As well as being president, Houdini regularly performed for the club at their functions and gave generously to the club to secure its home. Alongside time and money, Houdini also donated books from his collection to help build the club's library.
Following Will Goldston's death in 1948 the Davenport family bought his business assets. Gus Davenport became the proprietor of Goldstons and the owner of books from The Magicians' Club library, including these rare examples from Houdini's collection. Gus died in 1973 and the books in the present sale were inherited by his son John Davenport.
Today the books are owned jointly by John Davenport and his wife Anne Goulden. They wish to pass them on to a new owner, or owners, and have asked Treece's and CollectingMagicBooks.com to manage the sale.
More information on the history of these books, Houdini, Goldston, The Magicians' Club and Gus Davenport can be found in this article on Treece's Magic History:
How to bid:
These books will be sold through blind bidding in two rounds via the form below.
The deadline for initial bids on both lots is 5pm GMT on the 31st of October, 2025.
Once the deadline has been reached all bidders will be told the highest bid on the table for each lot by the 4th of November. They will then be asked for final and best offers with a deadline of 5pm GMT on the 7th of November, 2025. People who do not bid in the first round will not be eligible to bid in the second round.
The winning bidder(s) will then be invoiced for the amount once shipping and insurance has been calculated by the 11th of November, 2025.
Please note: Bids are legally binding, they are not a starting point for negotiation. If you win a bid you are legally bound to complete the transaction within five working days of being invoiced.
Payment must be made in GBP via bank transfer. Payments in other currencies, or via other methods may be arranged, but any charges will be the responsibility of the purchaser.
Insured shipping is charged at cost to the bidder. Insurance is mandatory and is charged to the winning bidder at cost (1.5% - 3% of sale price, depending on value). Bids made do not include shipping or insurance charges, these are charged on top. Shipping and insurance will be through DHL.
To bid on either or both lots please fill out the form below. You will receive an email confirmation. If you do not receive an email confirmation within one working day, please email info@collectingmagicbooks.com.
Lot 1.
Fortgesetzte Magie, oder die Zauberkräfte der Natur by Johann Samuel Halle. 12 Bindings from the collection of Harry Houdini and Will Goldston's library at The Magicians' Club. Each binding signed by Houdini and bearing stamps from Houdini's collection and from The Magician's Club.
No bids accepted below £4800.
Lot 2.
Neuer Wunder-Schauplatz der Künste by Johann Heinrich Moritz Von Poppe. 2 Bindings from the collection of Harry Houdini and Will Goldston's library at The Magicians' Club. Each binding signed by Houdini and bearing stamps from Houdini's collection and from The Magician's Club.
No bids accepted below £800.
More detailed condition assessments and photographs of both lots can be viewed below the bidding form in the "Closer Details" section.
For any more details please contact us on info@collectingmagicbooks.com
Closer Details:
Lot 1.
Condition: These are all well worn and marked with occasional ink marks, creasing, discolouration and small tears.
The below photographs show internal endpapers, title pages and selected pages of each binding in order. Click any image to enlarge.
Lot 2.
Condition: These are all both well worn and marked with ink marks, creasing, discolouration and small tears. The spine of the book containing volumes 1 and 2 is detached and well worn.
The below photographs show internal endpapers, title pages and selected pages of each binding in order. Click any image to enlarge.
