Mysteries of the Unexplained
Reader's Digest
Nonfiction, Unexplained Phenomena
***
DESCRIPTION: This book includes brief accounts of a variety of encounters with the paranormal and supernatural, everything from doppelgangers and ghosts to UFO sightings and cattle mutilations.
REVIEW: Originally published in 1982, it already feels dated. It's another example of what I call Paranormal Lite, where a collection of anecdotes on the subject are gathered without much attempt to speculate on the phenomena that caused them. The articles are extremely brief, rarely lasting much longer than a few paragraphs. While many are intriguing, there is just too little information presented to sink one's teeth into. This is a good book if you just want something to page through now and again for a brief glimpse at the world of unusual things, without having to get too deeply engrossed. I wouldn't have bothered buying it if it hadn't been deeply discounted.
You might also enjoy:
Strange & Unexplained Phenomena (Jerome Clarke and Nancy Pear, Nonfiction - Cryptids, UFOs, and other odd experiences and encounters)
Cryptozoology A - Z (Loren Coleman & Jerome Clarke, Nonfiction - Mysterious animals past and present)
Monsters: An Investigator's Guide to Magical Beings (John Michael Greer, Nonfiction - An alternative approach to unexplainable phenomena)
A Complete Guide to Mysterious Beings (John Keel, Nonfiction - Many unexplained mysteries discussed)
The World's Most Incredible Stories: The Best of Fortean Times (Adam Sisman, editor, Nonfiction - Popular articles from a long-running periodical on strange things)
Mysterious Places (Jennifer Westwood, editor, Nonfiction - Historic and prehistoric places that defy explanation)
The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved and Unsolved Mysteries: Past and Present (Colin Wilson and Damon Wilson, Nonfiction - Strange phenomena and instances from around the world)
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Reader's Digest Facts and Fallacies
Reader's Digest
Nonfiction, Unexplained Phenomena
***
DESCRIPTION: A collection of historical oddities, amazing phenomenon, and unexplained mysteries. From magnetic humans and internal combustion to the mysteries of evolution and the natural world, this book has something for just about everyone. Old superstitions are debunked, the sources of many modern tales are explained, and unexplainable, unique occurrences are mentioned.
REVIEW: A good alternate title would've been "Paranormal Lite," but it's not a bad little read. True, the book is far from little, but it rarely discusses anything for more than a page. Many different oddities, running the gamut from the afterlife to strange anecdotal coincidences, are included here, making for some interesting reading. They tend to list a lot of stuff as "debunked" so the poor little reader doesn't have to fret about things too much, without mentioning just how, when, or where the idea lost credibility. Otherwise, the range of topics makes this fun to look through occasionally. My library on this sort of thing is far from extensive, so this is the only place I have any mention of some of these topics, but the briefs do little more than make me wish I had a more extensive article at hand on the subject. This book is at its best when listing trivial tidbits, such as dumb historical crimes, outrageous patents, and words with no apparent source that are nevertheless in common usage. For anyone interested in the unexplained, but who doesn't want to think too much about it, I recommend this. For anyone else, like those who want some depth to their armchair investigations, this volume has some points of interest, but, unless it's in the Bargain Book shelf (where I found it), I wouldn't shell out the cash for it.
You might also enjoy:
Strange & Unexplained Phenomena (Jerome Clarke and Nancy Pear, Nonfiction - Cryptids, UFOs, and other odd experiences and encounters)
Cryptozoology A - Z (Loren Coleman & Jerome Clarke, Nonfiction - Mysterious animals past and present)
Monsters: An Investigator's Guide to Magical Beings (John Michael Greer, Nonfiction - An alternative approach to unexplainable phenomena)
A Complete Guide to Mysterious Beings (John Keel, Nonfiction - Many unexplained mysteries discussed)
The World's Most Incredible Stories: The Best of Fortean Times (Adam Sisman, editor, Nonfiction - Popular articles from a long-running periodical on strange things)
Mysterious Places (Jennifer Westwood, editor, Nonfiction - Historic and prehistoric places that defy explanation)
The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved and Unsolved Mysteries: Past and Present (Colin Wilson and Damon Wilson, Nonfiction - Strange phenomena and instances from around the world)
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