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And
the winners are...
Behind the Crystal Ball: Magic,
Science, and the
Occult from Antiquity Through the New Age
by Anthony Aveni
Times Books
A professor of astronomy and anthropology
argues
that magic has more in common with science than most people tend to
think. He surveys the history of magical and supernatural beliefs from
ancient Greece and Rome all the way through to the New Age. He contends
that we cannot separate a culture's perception of reality from its
times, that magic is in the eyes of the beholder.
Darwin's Black Box : The Biochemical
Challenge to
Evolution
by Michael J. Behe
Free Press
A biochemist points to the limits of
evolutionary
theory. He finds that natural selection falls short of explaining the
complexity and interdependence of biochemical systems. Behe argues that
life is "irreducibly complex" and must be the product of "intelligent
design." Coming from an establishment scientist, this position is
clearly heretical.
American Folklore: An Encyclopedia
by Jan Harold Brunvand, ed.
Garland
More than 500 entries from over 250
authors on
everything from quilt making to blues music. So what? Well, this meaty
one-volume overview of folklore also includes many extensive entries on
contemporary legend, including ghost stories, conspiracy theories,
Ouija, UFO lore, vampires, witchcraft, and more. With so many popular
anomalies rooted in anecdote, rumor, and personal experience,
researchers would do well to check out the essays from top-notch
folklorists on these topics.
Biological
Anomalies, Mammals II : A Catalog of Biological Anomalies*
by William R. Corliss
The Sourcebook Project
This latest volume in the opus known as The
Sourcebook Project is another indispensable collection of anomalies
drawn from the scientific literature. Topics include unrecognized
animals, the anomalous distribution of mammals in space and time,
anomalies in the fossil record of mammals, unexpected bodily functions,
and much more. (*Must be ordered directly from The Sourcebook Project,
PO Box 107, Glen Arm, MD 21057)
High Strangeness : UFOs from 1960
Through 1979 (Vol 3)
by Jerome Clark
Omnigraphics
The third volume of this awesome
encyclopedia
from a UFO proponent, yes, but a true expert. Clark has arguably read
and written more words about UFOs than anyone, dead or alive. This is
the essential, albeit expensive, reference work on UFOs. The other two
volumes are also highly recommended: UFOs
in the 1980s (Vol. 1) and Emergence
of a Phenomenon: UFOs from the Beginning through 1959 (Vol. 2).
Reincarnation : A Critical Examination
by Paul Edwards
Prometheus Books
Never mind the conclusion. This is
perhaps the
first systematic evaluation of all facets of reincarnation by a
philosopher with a good sense of humor. For believers, this is
criticism to be reckoned with.
Deep Atlantic: Life, Death, and
Exploration in the
Abyss
by Richard Ellis
Knopf
This volume just came to our
attention and it's
fabulous. Plunge five miles below the surface of the sea into a bizarre
realm inhabited by creatures who strain the bounds of credibility,
superbly illustrated with drawings by Ellis himself. We hardly know
anything about the creatures of the deep ocean. We especially liked
"Anomalopidae," for obvious reasons. These well-known "flashlight fish"
have an organ below the eye that contains luminous bacteria that can be
exposed when the fish lowers a special opaque flap. Ellis mentions this
to segue into a description of the positively astonishing sighting of a
fish that uses a "searchlight." Plenty of weirdness here.
The Night is Large; Collected Essays
1938-1995
by Martin Gardner
St. Martin's Press
The best single collection of
Gardner's essays,
many of which deal with his critiques of the paranormal. Gardner is
head and shoulders above most other debunkers, and must be taken
seriously as a major voice from the orthodox science community. Gardner
(not Randi) is the real "hit man" for the orthodox community.
Fortean
Studies,
Volume 3*
Steve Moore, Editor
John Brown Publishing
So it's not strictly a book. This enormous
annual
volume has more real meat on its bones that most standard books. Topics
include screaming skulls, the New England UFO flap of 1908, giant
birds, the god who drank urine, giant footprints in Carson City, a
critique of Bernard Heuvelmans' sea-serpent classification system, and
a collection (with commentary) of virtually every contemporary document
extant pertaining to the mysterious Springhill Jack. The latter, by
Fortean Times publisher Mike Dash, is a small book in itself. There's
also a complete index of the 1995 issues of Fortean Times. *Order
directly from Fortean
Times.
Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola
Tesla: Biography
of a Genius
by Marc J. Seifer
Birch Lane Press
A major new biography of Tesla who
left behind
many claims of inventions that produced anomalous results and whose
work is the foundation for much that is published in Extraordinary
Science and by the Tesla Society.
The Unexplained: An Illustrated Guide
to the World's
Natural and Paranormal Mysteries
by Karl Shuker
JG Press
Nothing new here really, but a
balanced,
beautifully illustrated overview of the great variety of fortean
mysteries by one smart zoologist. Shuker's other books are also
recommended, especially In
Search of Prehistoric Survivors.
The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal
by Gordon Stein
Prometheus Books
A remarkably good book despite a few
poor entries
by the usual CSICOP debunkers and an exorbitant pricetag. The late
Gordon Stein tried to do a well-informed book and had excellent people
contribute: Truzzi's piece on pseudoscience even manages to criticize
the CSICOP approach. Far from perfect, but far better than other
general encyclopedias of the paranormal.
Origins
of the
Olmec Civilization*
by H. Mike Xu
University of Central Oklahoma Press
A Shanghai-born professor of foreign languages
and
philosophy suggests that the Olmec civilization of Central America may
have Chinese origins. His discovery of Shang-dynasty Chinese characters
on Olmec artifacts provides the best evidence yet for the presence of
Chinese in America 3000 years ago. (*Must be ordered directly from: UCO
Press, University of Central Oklahoma, Box 198, Edmond, Oklahoma
73034.)
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