How rare is the Sardina book on Houdini and Houdin in French?

That wouldn't be Robert-Houdin, would it?

No. Just Houdin.

Kev:

In the US and UK, copies are seldom offered for sale. In France, however, if one knows who to ask, a copy can often be found without too much difficulty at a reasonable price (say 40 Euros).

Clay

Amazing! I didn't know Robert-Houdin's father in law wrote anything.

Try to stay on subject on this thread. I'm asking about a book by Sardina about Houdin and Houdini.

Sorry. I didn't know that Sardina had written a book about Houdini and Robert-Houdin's father in law.

Your forgiven. Nobody can know it all, but they try to make it seem that way. Those I can live without.

Sure gets tiresome having to wade through crap like this.

Doesn’t the Café keep an eye on their staff, or see that they abide by their own rules?

Anyone else agree?

I thought it was just me who noticed it. I'll be away from the keyboard for a few days, so the typo(etc.) police will have time to rest and mello out. I hope.

Damon:

I think I understand your point. We all have our pet peeves. Perhaps like Bill, incorrectly referring to Robert-Houdin is one of my (minor) pet peeves. And in the past, I have gently and politely offered a correction, but only when I believe the incorrect reference is related to ignorance – that’s why I didn’t bother correcting Kevin when I responded to his post. (And here, I am not using “ignorance” in a negative way. We are all ignorant to one degree or another when it comes to many things.)

I doubt that the exchange between Kevin and Bill relates much to ignorance. Kevin knows better and he just chose to be stubborn – at least that’s my guess. And that’s probably why Bill approached it the way he did. I guess one could say that we all knew who Kevin was referring to, so why make a fuss. That is indeed one way to look at it. But another way to look at it is to wonder why an experienced collector can’t get a name right. It’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I’ve always thought it a good thing to refer to magicians by their proper names.

Clay

Clay,

Spoken like a true diplomat. I’m sure you’re right on most all of your points. You are a first class gentlemen, and I always enjoy your posts and points of view, but most of all, the respect you show others. You should be proud of your help and contributions that have benifitted us all.

I think I’ve just gotten tired, (and couldn’t bite my tongue any longer), of having to wade through Bill’s many posts that are not informative and only belittling of others. Some seem to be directed at Kevin, and not just for the Robert-Houdin miss-naming thing either. Here’s just one of the latest examples I came across directed at another forum poster:


denzildon wrote:
I figured out how he did the trick!!! Took me a couple of times to view the video. You got to give the guy some credit though for awing the audience. Looks like I'm going to add this to my arsenal. Thanks for the video vanilla!!!

Bill’s response:
Your ARSENAL? Is your magic a weapon? Do you fight people with it? The words you use tell a lot about your thinking.

Now what does that mean? And what purpose did it serve? Is a snipe like that really necessary? I feel sorry for the poor guy having to read a response like that, and for no good reason. If he won’t stand up for himself, someone has too or it will continue and we all lose. No one should be allowed to bully and demean others here in that way – especially not a staff person!!! I think we should expect a little higher standard than were getting. I thought the Café’ had a no tolerance policy against personal attacks? Maybe it’s a rule directed too the rest of us and not the staff.

He has over 9600+ posts and counting fast. And that’s in less than four years!!! No one needs to be heard from that much. Let these forums breathe a little. That’s just plain wanting to hear your self talk, and the sheer volume of non-sense like the above is spoiling many of the threads. He has many good and interesting posts as well, don’t get me wrong; we just wish he could stick to those and leave the other stuff out.

I don’t know Bill, and mean no disrespect too him. I just don’t think he understands what this makes him look like to the rest of us. And who knows, maybe he doesn’t care. I really don’t know. I do know I’m not the only one that feels this way. I only wish those that have said so would make their thoughts known here. I think he has them afraid of his poison pen, and that’s even more regrettable.

Once again, I should have just bit my tongue and not posted anything. But I think it’s too important to keep these forums free of trivial and especially belittling mean spirited posts that ruin it for us all.

THE END

I just buried an in-law today, and watched her husband, who also has terminal cancer, almost jump on her coffin as it was lowered into the earth. And visited my own parents' plot up the hill and a family friend's gravesite in between. Perhaps there are more important things to worry about than trivial postings on some internet chat board, mine included. Perhaps spending a little more time with our families and friends while they're still alive might be a better use of our time than sitting at a keyboard going "Nyah-Nyah" to each other.

I should have known better than to step in the mud with the others.

Signing off for good.

Me too. Viva Houdin!

Mark:

Thank you for the kind comments, but like everyone else, I’ve had my moments, with posts and attitudes I’ve copped that I’d like to forget (and make everybody else forget)! Ha! Oh well, live and learn.

Now, back to “Houdin.” In responding to Kevin’s query, I forgot to mention that I THINK someone over in France told me that at least 500 copies of Les « erreurs » de Harry-Houdini were printed (but don’t hold me to that, folks). Absent an abnormally high rate of attrition, and assuming that number is in the ballpark, I wouldn’t consider the French edition of Sardina’s work to be rare, or even scarce. But as we all know, one man’s “relatively common” is another man’s “rare.”

Cheers!

Clay