| The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. |
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| Houdin, Jean Eugène Robert |
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or Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (zhäN özh n´ r br´  d N´) (KEY) , 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). | 1 | | See H. R. Evans, The Master of Modern Magic (1932). | 2 |
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| | | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2007 Columbia University Press. |
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