"In the presence of his collection I lost all track of time. 12 Methley Street, Kennington Park Road, S.E." There Houdini continues: I felt as if the King of England stood before me and must do him homage."Īgainst doctor's orders, Houdini traveled the next day to Evanion's home, "a musty room in the basement of No. In his trembling hands lay priceless treasures for which I had sought in vain - original programs and bills of Robert-Houdin, Phillippe, Anderson, Breslaw, Pinetti, Katterfelto, Boaz, in fact all the conjuring celebrities of the eighteenth century, together with lithographs long considered unobtainable, and newspapers to be found only in the files of national libraries. "I remember only raising my hands before my eyes, as if I had been dazzled by a sudden shower of diamonds. Evanion then showed him a small portfolio of items he had brought. Eventually Houdini came downstairs and discovered the elderly man waiting in the lobby. Houdini was ill at the time, and because Evanion's appearance was so shabby, hotel staff would not allow him up to Houdini's room. Learning of Houdini's interest in collecting from a newspaper interview, Evanion came to see the magician at his hotel during his tour of the UK in 1904. It's a story that certainly should stir any collector as I expect we have all had our own "Evanion experience." One of the best parts of The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin is when Houdini tells the story of how he acquired many of his rarest magic treasures from magician and collector Henry Evans Evanion.
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