Desirable TLS, one page, 8.5 x 11, personal letterhead, May 3, 1922. Letter to British scribe and Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle, in full: "I wrote you the other day about the bearer of this letter, Mr. Edward H. Morrell. He would very much like to make your acquaintance, and trust that you will see your way clear to grant him an interview." In very good to fine condition, with some light creasing, scattered small stains, and a faint rusty paperclip impression to the upper left corner.
Houdini first met writer Arthur Conan Doyle while the former was touring the United Kingdom in 1920 as a part of his ongoing crusade to debunk beliefs in spirits and the occult. Houdini, who was even known to attend seances in disguise to observe supposed clairvoyants, chronicled these exploits in A Magician Among the Spirits, first published by Harper & Brothers in 1924. This book and his activities cost Houdini his friendship with Doyle, one of the most prominent spiritualists of the day—a public feud developed between the two, and Houdini did not spare Doyle from harsh criticism in the book.
Edward H. Morrell was an American convict, activist, and writer (1868-1946) whose dreadful experiences while incarcerated at the Folsom and San Quentin State Prisons led him to be a noted lecturer on prison reform. He became known as the 'Dungeon Man of San Quentin' for the five years he spent in solitary confinement.
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