NEMCA Newsletter Subscribers,

Join us this Sunday, August 30th at 2 PM Eastern for Ken Trombly’s new lecture, Houdini and the Spiritualists. This event is open to both NEMCA members and non-members.

The Zoom Meeting room opens at 1:50 PM
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88109398991?pwd=Mblx3joyx370JQWEGua6FJhafL8ObD.1

Houdini and The Spiritualists

Much of Harry Houdini's life was intertwined with episodes and personalities associated with spiritualism and its practitioners. Just as he sometimes blurred the line between conjuring and the spirit world in his early days, throughout his meteoric career many of his conjuring feats were ascribed by some to unseen forces. His friendship with Arthur Conan Doyle came to an end over the latter’s belief in spiritualism.

Houdini testified before a congressional committee in support of a bill to prohibit fortune telling in Washington, DC, and his work against fake mediums continued up until his untimely death. In this talk, Ken shares his thoughts concerning Houdini’s relationship with spiritualism and its adherents, and will illustrate this fascinating story with items from his collection of original Houdini ephemera.

About Ken Trombly

A longtime collector with a fascination for magic history, Ken Trombly has given presentations before magic collector groups in Washington, DC, Boston, LA, Chicago, and London. The proprietor of Magicposters.com, Ken is also the author of The Art of Magic- A Lifetime of Collecting (Vanishing Inc, 2025). He is an Associate Member of the Inner Magic Circle, sits on the Milbourne Christopher Awards Selection Committee, and is the newest member of NEMCA’s Board of Directors.