Following Harry Houdini’s untimely death in 1926, his widow Bess sold the famed illusionist’s massive collection of magic and theatrical history to a New York real estate developer. Assembled over decades from his vast network of dealers and friends, Houdini’s collection ultimately came to the University of Texas in 1958. Using examples from the Ransom Center’s archives, Eric Colleary, the Ransom Center’s Cline Curator of Theatre and Performing Arts, unravels the surprising stories behind Houdini’s collecting, rivaling the drama of his greatest escapes.