P. G. Maxwell-Stuart. Witch Hunters: Professional Prickers, Unwitchers and Witch Finders of the Renaissance. Tempus, 2003.
In this study of learned and folk witch hunters, Maxwell-Stuart continues his revisionist examination of the witchcraft panic, arguing that we cannot judge those involved from the Olympian peaks of the the twenty-first century.
Gordon Cooper with Bruce Henderson. Leap of Faith: an Astronaut's Journey into the Unknown. HarperCollins, 2000.
Mercury and Gemini astronaut Gordon Cooper's day of fame was nearer to 40 than 30 years ago, which is perhaps why his memoirs are spiced up with UFO stories.
Jim Miles. Weird Georgia: Close Encounters, Strange Creatures, and Unexplained Phenomena. Cumberland House, 2000.
Some of the best Fortean writing these days takes the form of regional studies, and this one by Jim Miles, who is an economics teacher by profession and a historian and Fortean by avocation, has produced a huge round up of Georgian Forteana.
Philip Plait. Bad Astronomy: misconceptions and misuses revealed, from astrology to the moon landing 'hoax'. John Wiley and Sons, 2002.
In the first of series of books on 'bad science', astronomer Philip Plait examines a range of misconceptions about astronomy, including a range of pseudo-sciences from Velikovsky to UFOs.
David Alexander. Conspiracies and Coverups . Berkely Books, 2002.
A popular introduction to the world of conspiracy theories, with sections on everything from the sexual politics of the JFK and FDR eras, to the wild tales of Roswell.
Robert Trundle. UFOs: Politics, God and Science. European Press Academic Publishing, 2000.
When someone who lays claim to being an academic philosopher writes a book on any topic, however controversial, the reader might expect to see logically presented, cogently argued points, and a superior ability to critically evaluate evidence and sources. Surely even a UFO book by such a writer should be one that forces to take notice of its arguments.
Tim Rifat. Remote Viewing: what it is, who uses it and how to do it. Vision Paperbacks, 2001.
Tim Rifat's formula for writing this stuff is to take some old fashioned magic and superstition, dress it all in a coating of technical sounding verbiage from a variety of disciplines to blind with science, and serve with a salad of paranoia and conspiracy theories, with a topping of motivational and management crap. Serve cold.
John Harrison. Synaesthesia: the Strangest Thing. Oxford University Press, 2001. £16.99.A leading authority on the subject of synaesthesia outlines the research and experiments conducted by his mentor Simon Baron-Cohen and himself on this curious confusion of senses.
Philip L Rife. America's Loch Ness Monsters. Writers' Club Press, 2000. Philip L Rife. Bigfoot Across America. Writers Club Press, 2000. Philip L Rife. America's Nightmare Monsters. Writers Club Press, 2001 ⛛ This trio of books shows different patterns in the dissemination of monster stories, and how these can be seen to gradually seen to drift away from the paws and pelts cryptozoologists.
C L Turnage. Sexual Encounters with Extraterrestrials: a Provocative Examination of Alien Contact. Timeless Voyager Press, 2001.
C L Turnage is not, as you might expect from the books title, a male writer for Playboy or Hustler, but a female American ufologist and member of the Ancient Astronaut Society.
Eva Pocs. Between the Living and the Dead: a perspective on witches and seers in the early modern age. Central European University Press, 1999. ⛛
Eva Pocs' study of Hungarian witch trials, shows that these trials were rather more transparent than those in the West, allowing more of the folkloric background to be discerned behind the ecclesiastical presuppositions.
Bob Rickard and John Michel. Phenomena: a Book of Wonders. Thames & Hudson, 1977. 🔻
Tantalising hints of the contents of this book have been appearing in Fortean Times over the past year or so, making us eager for its appearance. The wait was worth it. In this large format, lavishly illustrated Fortean primer, the authors have concentrated on establishing and demonstrating the fundamental unity of the whole range of strange phenomena.
Peter White. The Past is Human. Angus & Robertson, 1975.
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It is perhaps inevitable that books refuting the claims of von Daniken and his confreres shall be written in a more sober style, less amenable to those who take their information on such matters in easily consumed nuggets of sensation. So it is with this book, to a disappointing degree.