Houdini, Harry, 1874-1926

Tweed Roosevelt examines five different types of books about Theodore Roosevelt, ranging from biographies to other works in which he plays only a marginal role, and Roosevelt cites several examples of each. Roosevelt also identifies four “really, really bad books” about Theodore Roosevelt, but he focuses on James Bradley’s The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War. Roosevelt details some of the shortcomings of Bradley’s book, including unnecessary numbers of footnotes, unsubstantiated claims against Theodore Roosevelt, and selective use of quotations. Roosevelt also considers how authors manage to publish and publicize such bad books, and he cites the unwillingness of reviewers to write negative reviews and the historical ignorance of those who interview the authors.

Eight photographs and two illustrations supplement the text.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2010

William N. Tilchin examines why Theodore Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for his mediation of the Russo-Japanese War. Tilchin asserts that Roosevelt had gained a great deal of diplomatic experience prior to the 1905 negotiations at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, including his work in acquiring the rights to build the Panama Canal. Tilchin also notes that Roosevelt had a sense of the larger geopolitical stakes at hand in the war; namely, preserving the balance of power in both Asia and Europe, and he highlights how Roosevelt deployed his friendships with Kentaro Kaneko of Japan and the United States Ambassador to Russia George von Lengerke Meyer throughout the negotiations. 

A silhouette illustration and three photographs of Roosevelt accompany the article as does a text box acknowledging the financial firm Roosevelt & Cross for its support of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Photograph showing Theodore Roosevelt and Houdini, full-length portrait, both standing, aboard the Imperator.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1914

Creator(s)

Unknown

In the “Book Notes” column, John A. Gable reviews two books that cover different aspects of the era of Theodore Roosevelt. He praises David McCullough’s The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 for its “careful research, balanced judgment, and good prose.” Gable compares McCullough’s verdict on Roosevelt’s actions regarding the Canal with the work of other Roosevelt scholars, and he gives over much of his review to an extended quote from a letter McCullough wrote to President Jimmy Carter supporting passage of the 1977 Canal treaties.

Gable endorses, with some reservations, They Were Ragtime, a popular history of the United States in the Progressive era written by Warren Forma. Gable lists many of the personalities from entertainment, the arts, and the business world who populate Forma’s work, and he argues that the work is valuable for its look at popular culture in turn of the twentieth-century America. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal