He certainly was a great showman. He was also very great skilled in many other ways - but it was his willingness to challenge anybody to restrain him using any sort of restraints, which grabbed my imagination. As I got to know more about him I decided I wouldn't have liked him very much as a person - but that doesn't mean we didn't have a lot in common.
Was he a masochist? Did he get off on physical CHALLENGE - ENDURANCE - SURVIVAL - RESTRAINT?
At this point I neither know nor care - but a lot of people do.
So, for those who want to explore the myths and hard facts there are lots of books; some which perpetuate the misinformation HOUDINI generated during his lifetime - others attempt to expose the deceptions - while some try to psychoanalyse the man behind the smoke-screen of self-publicity.