Thomas Alan Waters (also known as T.A. Waters) (1938–1998) was an American magician, writer about magic, and
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
author.
History
Born to Thurston Alan Waters and Pauline Ruth (Kunkle) Waters, T. A. Waters was a professional magician and magic author. He wrote several booklets on
mentalism
Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Performances may appear to include hypnosis, telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognition ...
and
bizarre magic
Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...
which were later reassembled in his big book ''Mind, Myth & Magick'' (1993). At one point, he was the librarian at the
Magic Castle
The Magic Castle is a clubhouse for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It is in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California and it bills itself as "the most unusual private club in t ...
, in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. He was a founding member of The Delta Group, a private mentalism group with many notable members that was formed in the Los Angeles area. As a mentalist, he was noted for his Any Card at Any Number routine.
Waters appears (thinly veiled as "Sir Thomas Leseaux", an expert on theoretical magic) as a character in the Lord Darcy
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
Michael Kurland
Michael Joseph Kurland (born March 1, 1938) is an American author, best known for his works of science fiction and detective fiction. Kurland lives in San Luis Obispo, California.
Writing career
Kurland's early career was devoted to works of sc ...
's ''
The Unicorn Girl
''The Unicorn Girl'' is a science fiction novel by Michael Kurland, originally released in 1969, that follows the adventures of two men from San Francisco in the 60s after they meet a mysterious young woman looking for her missing unicorn. This n ...
'' (1969) (in which he also appears, even more thinly veiled, as "Tom Waters"). He himself wrote ''
The Probability Pad
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (1970), a sequel to ''The Unicorn Girl''; these two novels, together with
Chester Anderson
Chester Valentine John Anderson (August 11, 1932 – April 11, 1991) was an American novelist, poet, and editor in the underground press.
Biography
Raised in Florida, he attended the University of Miami from 1952 to 1956, before becoming a ...
's earlier ''
The Butterfly Kid
''The Butterfly Kid'' is a science fiction novel by Chester Anderson originally released in 1967. It was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1968. The novel is the first part of the Greenwich Village Trilogy, with Michael Kurland wri ...
'' (1967), make up the collaborative Greenwich Village Trilogy.
Published works
* ''The Psychedelic Spy'' (1967)
* ''Love that Spy!'' (1968)
* ''The Blackwood Cult'' (1968) (Lancer Books) (Magnum Books 73769)
* ''The Probability Pad'' (1970) (the third volume in the Greenwich Village Trilogy)
* ''Psychologistics'' (1971)
* ''Centerforce'' (1974)
* ''Deckalogue'' (1982)
* ''Cardiact'' (1984)
* ''The Encyclopedia of Magic and Magicians'' (1988)
* ''Mind, Myth & Magick'' (1993)