Ten of the best imaginary meetings in literature

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the best imaginary meetings in literature.

One entry on the list:

Harry Houdini and Archduke Franz Ferdinand

This is but the cutest of many invented (but historically possible) encounters in EL Doctorow's Ragtime, set in New York in the early 20th century. An enthusiast for powered flight, Houdini is teaching German officers how to fly. One of his pupils is Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who seems to believe that Houdini is the inventor of the plane.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue