pages: unmaskingrobert00houdgoog.pdf, 42
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unmaskingrobert00houdgoog.pdf | 42 | EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF ROBERT-HOUDIN tastes led him back to his father's trade, watchmaking. While working for his cousin at Blois, he visited a book- shop in search of Berthoud's "Treatise on Clockmaking," but by mistake he was given several volumes of an old encyclopaedia, one of which contained a dissertation on "Scientific Amusements," or an exposition of magic. This simple incident, he asserts, changed the entire current of his life. At eighteen, he first turned his atten- tion to magic. At forty, he made his first appearance as an independent magician or public performer. On page 44 of his "Memoirs," American edition, Robert- Houdin refers to this book as an encyclopaedia, but several times later he calls it "White Magic." In all probability it was the famous work by Henri Decremps in five vol- umes, known as "La Magie Banche Dévoilée," or "White Magic Exposed." This was written by Decremps to injure Pinetti, and it exposed all the latter's tricks, in- cluding the orange tree, the vaulting trapeze automaton, and in fact the majority of the tricks later claimed by Robert-Houdin as his own inventions. In 1828, while working for M. Noriet, a watchmaker in Tours, Jean-Eugene Robert was poisoned by improperly prepared food, and in his delirium started for his old home in Blois. He was picked up on the roadside by Torrini, a travelling magician, who nursed him back to health in his portable theatre. Just as young Jean recovered Torrini was injured in an accident, and his erstwhile patient remained to nurse his benefactor and later to help Torrini's assistant present the programme of magic by which they made their living. His first public appearance as the representative of Torrini was made at Aubusson. [ 35 ] |