author
Hercat
1843–1914
A journalist and actor who turned himself into a successful stage magician, this British entertainer wrote practical, lively books on conjuring, ventriloquism, and paper folding. Performing as “Hercat,” he helped bring popular magic and variety-theatre skills to a wide reading audience.
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About the author
Best known by the stage name Hercat, R. D. Chater was a British magician and writer active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sources describe him as having started out in journalism and acting before moving into professional conjuring, with periods of work in both Britain and America.
He became especially associated with stage illusion and entertainment, and was noted for performance pieces such as The Mystery of She. Alongside his theatre work, he wrote instructional books on conjuring and related arts, including ventriloquism, chapeaugraphy, shadowgraphy, and paper folding.
There is some variation in the sources on his exact birth year, but they agree that he died in 1913 and that “Hercat” was a pen name formed as an anagram of Chater. His books remain of interest as lively examples of how stage magic and popular performance were taught to general readers in his era.