HOUDINI, Harry (Erik Weisz, 1874 - 1926). The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin and Handcuff Secrets. [Ira Davenport, His Copy.] London: George Routledge and Sons, 1909. 8vo. Brown cloth stamped gilt, black and white. Frontispiece, photos and line drawings. OWNERSHIP NOTATION OF IRA DAVENPORT, one half of the famous Davenport Brothers, on the ffep: "From Houdini / Received at Mayville / June 3rd 1910." 

Houdini not only featured the Davenport Brothers in his famous Unmasking (in this edition, Ira and his brother William are pictured on several pages and discussed in glowing terms), he also sought out Ira and was imparted the secrets of the Brothers' cabinet effect upon their meeting. Long before Houdini became an escape artist, the Davenport Brothers used techniques of escape to effect their theatrical seances while bound in a large wooden cabinet. These "materializations" made the Brothers worldwide sensations. 

Davenport family ownership signature in ink to dedication page. Rubbing to cloth, hinges tender, one signature loose, minor staining, smoky odor to pages.