Harry Houdini is still the world's most famous magician --- thanks to his inventive tricks, death-defying stunts and incredible talent for publicity. He claimed he could escape from anything! The immigrant son of a rabbi, Harry overcame grueling poverty to become a one-man phenomenon, wowing audiences around the world.

Harry happily hung upside down from skyscrapers, leapt into rivers in chains and survived in an airless coffin --- but driving a car made him nervous. He also starred in six Hollywood movies, some still available on video. This biography in the Snapshots: Images of People and Places in History series introduces young readers to the multitalented, mysterious and contradictory man behind the tricks, escapes and dangerous feats.