Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Important correction to Houdini bookcase story

On Sunday I reported that Houdini's famous bookcase is longer inside his former home at 278 West 113th St in Harlem. This was something noticed by open house attendees on Sunday. I then reported that it had been sold to an anonymous collector, which certainly got everyone's attention!

Well, I've just gotten off the phone with Beverley Draggon, the always helpful realtor from Douglas Elliman Real Estate who is handling the sale of the house. She tells me that information is wrong. There was no sale.

I've now rewritten and reposted the story with the confirmed information, and apologize to everyone. Didn't mean to spread "fake news."

UPDATE: So it looks like I wasn't wrong after all. Read: David Copperfield has Houdini's bookcase and a message for all of us.



  1. Have they been removed from 278 or are they still there?

  2. And what about the bathtubs and the piano?

  3. I do know for a fact that one of the tubs has sold. But I really don't know what's up with the bookcase and piano. It's all slightly mysterious. But eventually we'll get the whole story and I will report all. But as I said in my original post, it appears the great dissolution of Houdini's historic 278 has begun.

    1. The dissolution actually began when Bess liquidated most of Harry's stuff and sold 278. It was over after the bill of sale to the Bonannos. It was a nice bonus that the Bonannos decided not to jettison one bookcase, the piano, and other objects. I'm just glad I got to see these objects in modern color photos.

    2. Yes, I guess that's true. I wonder what happened to that second bookcase and when?


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