This book was on my reading list for years, but I held off purchasing it because it has been out of print for some time and second hand copies are quite pricey. Earlier this year I purchased the book and read it slowly over the course of several weeks. I found it to be quite an enjoyable read in some respects, and quite disheartening in others.

What intrigued me about Alexander were two things in particular:

1. The level of success he achieved. If not the most financially successful mind reader of all time, certainly one of the most financially successful, having earned an estimated 4 million dollars while he was actively performing from 1915 to 1927. Adjusted for inflation, that would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 million dollars in today's money.

2. His Q&A act was unlike anything I had ever heard of. Alexander advertised that people could write their questions down at home, seal them in their own envelope, and bring their sealed question to the show. Not only that, they did not have to seal their question in an envelope, they could seal it in anything of their choosing. And some did, sealing their question in tin cans, lead pipes and more. When they came to the show, the sealed questions were collected and put in a container that Alexander never went near. Yet he knew their questions and provided answers. Quite baffling, indeed.

Alexander The Man Who Knows tells the life story of Claude Alexander Conlin, and includes detailed descriptions of his professional show, personal life and many sordid affairs.

I found it to be a fascinating and enjoyable biography. However, it would be hard for anyone to describe Conlin as a man of character, as he had many brushes with the law, was alleged to be a serial adulterer, married up to 12 times, sometimes to more than one woman at once, and was a suspected murderer. For as much success as Alexander achieved in his professional life, his personal life was quite sad.

By the way, if you are hoping this book reveals the secrets of Alexander's legendary Q&A, it does indeed. However, you don't have to buy this book to learn them. Claude Alexander Conlin published his secrets in 1921 in his book The Life and Mysteries of The Celebrated Dr. Q, which you can now buy on Lybrary.com for $10.

Great review .. I may need to get this. Is there an audio book?

An audio book would be great, but unfortunately it does not appear to be offered.

Ebay has a copy for $4,995.

I'm gonna hope for a reprint!

I have one for sale in the for sale forum for considerably less (less than $200) for those who are interested.

Yeah, but it has free shipping. LOL. Not sure why people list some books at absurdly high prices like that. There were a fair number of copies in the $200 - $300 range earlier this year on different sites. But it does look like prices have gone up recently.

Earlier this year I reached out to David Charvet asking if a reprint was planned but no response. So perhaps not.

That's a great price, and I see you still have it available.

Thanks! Yes, its still available as of now, and it definitely is a great read. Very interesting and very well written.