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A book given by the legendary magician Harry Houdini (1874-1926) to a bookshop owner and his wife as thanks for aiding him in his hour of need is to be sold by Bonhams Auctioneers in Bath on Tuesday 31 May.

The vendor recalls: “My grandfather, John Salkeld (born 1826), owned an antiquarian bookshop in London which was frequented by many of the Victorian literati such as Macaulay, Dickens and hackeray who used it as a sort of unofficial club. Mr Gladstone, the Prime Minister, was also one of his clients. My grandfather used to personally deliver books ordered to the eminent politician’s home.”

Another famous client of the Salkelds was Harry Houdini who collected playbills and often visited the shop in Clapham Road. On one occasion after successfully escaping from the London police’s manacles – all part of his famous act of course - he hid in the Salkelds’ shop warehouse until morning to get away from the crowds.

Eliza Salkeld, the vendor’s grandmother, came to Houdini’s aid, binding Houdini’s bleeding wrists with bandages.

Bonhams will be selling a copy of “The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin” (1908), which was given to Eliza Salkeld on 24 November 1908 in London as signed and dated by the author, Harry Houdini. It is expected to sell for between £2,000 and £3,000.

The sale will also feature other Houdini ephemera, including a booklet entitled “Life, History and Handcuff Secrets of Houdini” stamped with Bradford Music Hall, Monday 17th and a poster advertising an appearance at Regent Theatre, Salford with his “inexplicable Barrel Mystery” (estimate: £300-500).

Gill Atkins, Bonhams’ Book specialist, says: “Houdini memorabilia is very much sought after the world over. Items relating to Houdini from before 1910 are particularly rare because he did not achieve his legendary status until after this date. Also the majority of Houdini’s former possessions currently belong to various institutions in the United States, so it is highly unusual for such a collectable item to be up for sale in this country, especially one with such an interesting provenance.”

A copy of “The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin” (1908) by Harry Houdini inscribed to his fellow magician, Edward Rice, and signed twice by the author was sold in 2001 for US$3,680.

Born Erich Weiss in Budapest, Hungary, in 1874, Houdini’s parents took him to America with them when he was four. He grew up in Wisconsin, America and began performing magic as a teenager first calling himself Eric the Great. After reading "The Memoirs of Robert-Houdin," the autobiography of one of the greatest magicians of the day, he adopted the name Houdini as a mark of his admiration.

Houdini was probably most famous for his Challenge Act, which saw him escape from any pair of handcuffs produced by a member of the public. Increasingly, his escapes become more daring and he successfully freed himself not just from handcuffs, but from almost any location, from jail cells to padlocked mailbags. Houdini also asked police officers in the cities where he performed to design their own challenges which further enhanced his reputation as an escape artist.

In 1908, the year Houdini gave Eliza Salkeld a signed copy of his book after she helped him in his ‘escape’ from his fans, Houdini had just started performing his celebrated ‘milk can’ escape. Around the same time, he also staged a series of ‘manacled bridge jumps’ which drew large crowds and a great deal of publicity.

Houdini died on 31 October 1926.

On 24 May 24, 2000, Bonhams and Butterfield in Los Angeles held a historic sale of Houdini memorabilia attended by collectors from across the globe including famous names such as, David Copperfield, Lance Burton and David Connolly. Two thirds of Houdini’s personal collection was offered for sale, including a large collection from the ‘Houdini Magical Hall of Fame’. One of the highlights of the sale was a boxed collection of wrist and ankle shackles which sold for US$80,000. The set comprised twelve individual contraptions including a wrist-ankle-neck shackle, two sets of wrist cuffs, a large padlock and a heavy link chain.

For more details visit the Bonhams web site.