Who We Are
The Harry Ransom Center at UT Austin is an internationally renowned humanities research library, archive, and museum located right here on UT campus. We serve as a vital resource for scholars, students, and the public who are interested in the creative process of writers and artists across history. Visitors have free access to engage with the Center's extraordinary collections in literature, photography, art, film, and the performing arts.
What We're Working On
"Every hour which I could spare from my professional work was given over to study in libraries, to interviews with retired magicians and collectors, and to browsing in old bookstores and antique shops where rare collections of programs, newspapers, and prints might be found.” - Harry Houdini
Opening on August 29, 2026 - January 27, 2026, the Ransom Center's upcoming exhibition Houdini's Library invites visitors to step inside the mind of one of the most extraordinary collectors of the early twentieth century. Beyond his feats of escape and illusion, Harry Houdini was a relentless seeker of knowledge who built one of the world’s most remarkable libraries devoted to magic, spiritualism, and the history of theatre. Drawing on his vast collection at the Ransom Center, the exhibition reveals Houdini not only as a performer, but as a historian, skeptic, and preservationist, someone who believed that the key to mastery lay in the understanding the past. Through his books, posters, correspondence, and other ephemera, Houdini’s Library uncovers how an obsession with learning and collecting shaped Houdini’s life and career.
Visitors of Houdini's Library will discover that Houdini was far more than a daring escape artist: he was a serious thinker, reader, and historian of his own field, and his feats onstage were grounded in extensive practice, deep study, and historical awareness. Houdini recognized that the history of magic and performance is exceptionally fragile and ephemeral, and he collected to understand where he came from, to honor earlier performers, and to correct the record when it was wrong. These materials survived because Houdini valued them, and today they will new generations to continue to learn and make discoveries in ways that would otherwise be impossible.
Houdini's Library is the first exhibition to focus on Houdini's library, the collection that mattered most to him and shaped how he worked, thought, and understood himself. As caretakers of a large portion of Houdini’s original library, this is a story that can only be told at the Ransom Center.
How You Can Help
As a free and open destination for all, the Ransom Center brings collections to life through exhibitions that encourage discovery and spark curiosity.
For generations, Harry Houdini has been celebrated as a daring escape artist and master showman. Yet the thing that mattered most to him—his library—has rarely been the focus of his story. Houdini’s Library is the first exhibition to delve beyond Houdini as a performer and into his deeply personal archive: the books, papers, and ephemera that shaped how he worked, thought, and understood himself. Designed to surprise and intrigue, this exhibition shows us that Houdini’s most dazzling performances were grounded in quiet study.
Please support our work to prepare exhibitions that spark imagination and bring the wonder of the Center’s collections to life.
Gifts to Support the Ransom Center's Exhibition Houdini's Library contribute to...
Advocates 📣
Community Advocates
Generated 3281 clicks and 310 gifts, totaling $35,401Soh Nishiyama
Generated 302 clicks and 116 gifts, totaling $19,672Luke Mastrian
Generated 339 clicks and 233 gifts, totaling $18,348David Griffin
Generated 170 clicks and 61 gifts, totaling $11,515Randall Ford
Generated 113 clicks and 16 gifts, totaling $5,825Anna Boxall
Generated 295 clicks and 21 gifts, totaling $3,765Mark Carella
Generated 130 clicks and 18 gifts, totaling $3,717Victoria Mena
Generated 97 clicks and 7 gifts, totaling $3,560Sam Zarou
Generated 71 clicks and 21 gifts, totaling $3,260Katelyn Rood
Generated 174 clicks and 16 gifts, totaling $3,233Leaderboards & Donors 🎁
View All Donors
Advocates, you have until 10:00 p.m. CST to solidify your rankings. Good luck!
Gift Count Leaders
1. Luke Mastrian – 232
2. Soh Nishiyama – 116
3. David Griffin – 59
4. Jacob – 38
5. Rizky Pratama – 29
Dollars Raised Leaders
1. Soh Nishiyama – $19,672
2. Luke Mastrian – $18,338
3. David Griffin – $11,414.60
4. Randall Ford – $5,675
5. Mark Carella – $3,717
Winners will be announced on May 1.
35 days ago by Pablo MoraLonghorns, this is the final sprint of 40 Hours for the Forty Acres!
Make your final gift now and help push us across the finish line at 10:00 p.m. CST.
Competing on a leaderboard? Every gift and share can still change the standings and this is your last chance to claim advocate incentives.
35 days ago by Pablo MoraFinal hour, Advocates! Nothing is locked in! Every share and every gift can still change the leaderboard. The top five advocates in each challenge earn extra match dollars for the designation of their choice.
Gift Count Leaders
1. Luke Mastrian – 231
2. Soh Nishiyama – 116
3. David Griffin – 59
4. Jacob – 38
5. Leonard Ali Wako Memon – 25
Dollars Raised Leaders
1. Soh Nishiyama – $19,672
2. Luke Mastrian – $18,288
3. David Griffin – $11,414.60
4. Randall Ford – $5,675
5. Mark Carella – $3,717
One final update will be placed on the 40 for Forty site at 9:30 p.m. CST.
35 days ago by Pablo MoraHere’s where things stand right now in our Advocate Challenges. Every share and every gift counts, nothing is locked in yet. Remember that the top five advocates for each challenge get additional match dollars for a designation of their choice.
Current Leaders
Advocate Challenge: Gift Count Highlighting the advocates who have generated the highest number of gifts so far:
1. Luke Mastrian - 189 gifts
2. Soh Nishiyama - 76 gifts
3. David Griffin - 48 gifts
4. Jacob - 27 gifts
5. Leonard Ali Wako Memon - 23 gifts
Advocate Challenge: Dollars Raised Highlighting the advocates who have generated the highest cumulative dollars so far:
1. Soh Nishiyama - $13,950
2. Luke Mastrian - $13,428
3. David Griffin - $9,695
4. Randall Ford - $5,475
5. Mark Carella - $3,567
Huge thanks to our advocates who are pushing hard and setting the pace. Leaders, defend your spot as we make our way to the 10:00 p.m. CST finish line!
36 days ago by Pablo MoraWe’re excited to share a snapshot of the current standings in our two Advocate Challenges during 40 Hours for the Forty Acres. These rankings reflect where things stand right now and there’s still plenty of time to keep moving up! Remember that the top five advocates in each challenge get additional match dollars for a designation of their choice.
Advocate Challenge: Gift Count Highlighting the advocates who have generated the highest number of gifts so far:
1. Luke Mastrian - 156 gifts
2. Soh Nishiyama - 35 gifts
3. David Griffin - 26 gifts
4. Jacob - 18 gifts
5. Leonard Ali Wako Memon - 15 gifts
Advocate Challenge: Dollars Raised Highlighting the advocates who have generated the highest cumulative dollars so far:
1. Luke Mastrian - $8,943
2. Soh Nishiyama - $5,960
3. David Griffin - $4,945
4. Randall Ford - $4,375
5. Emily Quigley - $2,376
A huge thank you to everyone who has already stepped up as an advocate. Your outreach, enthusiasm, and commitment are powering 40 Hours for the Forty Acres.
Keep sharing your links, keep spreading the word, and keep up the great work, we can’t wait to see how these leader boards shift as we approach the finish on April 30 at 10 p.m. CST!
36 days ago by Pablo Mora