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The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. The Columbia University Press

Houdin, Jean Eugène Robert

Jean Eugène Robert Houdin or Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (zhäN özhĕn´ rōbĕr´ ōōdăN´), 1805–71, French conjurer and magician. Originally a clockmaker, he was celebrated for his optical illusions and mechanical devices and for his attributing his "magic" to natural instead of supernatural means. Houdin was the first to use electromagnetism for his effects. He wrote an autobiography (1857) and Secrets of Prestidigitation and Magic (1868). Harry Houdini, who named himself for Houdin, wrote The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin (1908).

See H. R. Evans, The Master of Modern Magic (1932).

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Copyright The Columbia University Press

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. The Columbia University Press

Robert-Houdin, Jean Eugène

Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin: see Houdin, Jean Eugène Robert.

Columbia