BIBFRAME Work

Title

Spirit sleuths

Other Titles (e.g. Variant)

How magicians and detectives exposed the ghost hoaxes

Type

• Text
• Monograph

Contribution

• Jarrow, Gail (author )

Subject

• Mackenberg, Rose, 1892-1968 (LCNAF)
• Houdini, Harry, 1874-1926 (LCNAF)
• Magicians--United States--History--20th century (LCSH)
• Spiritualism--United States--History--20th century (LCSH)
• Mediums--United States--History--20th century (LCSH)
• Impostors and imposture--United States--History--20th century (LCSH)

Genre Form

• Literature (LCGFT)
• Juvenile literature

Language

• eng

Illustrative Content

• illustrations

Classification

• DDC: 793.8092, B (Assigner: dlc)
• LCC: GV1545.H8 J37 2024 (Assigner: dlc) (Status: uba)

Content

• text

Supplementary content

• bibliography
• index

Summary

"After millions of people died during World War I and from the 1918 influenza pandemic, the popularity of spiritualism soared. Desperate to communicate with their dead loved ones, the bereaved fell prey to extortion by fraudulent mediums and fortune-tellers. But magician Harry Houdini wasn't fooled. He recognized the scammers' methods as no more than conjurer tricks. Angered by the way people were exploited, Houdini set out to expose the ghost hoaxes. In his stage show, he revealed the fraudsters' techniques, and he used a team of undercover investigators to collect proof of séance deceptions. His head secret agent was a young New York private detective and disguise expert, Rose Mackenberg-a woman who continued her ghost-busting career for decades, long after Houdini's death in 1926"-- Provided by publisher.

Authorized Access Point

Jarrow, Gail. Spirit sleuths

Intended audience

• Children
• Ages 10-17
• Grades 5-12
• juvenile

Admin Metadata

• Date: 2026-09-11T20:11:21.870012+00:00
• Agent: cbc
• Status: c
• Derived from: 23374554

Admin Metadata

• Date: 2026-09-11
• Cataloger id: Unknown
• Description level: bibframe-2-6-0
• Description language: eng
• Description authentication: pcc