Customer Reviews

Encyclopedia of the Strange, Mystical, and Unexplained

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My interests outside of the business arena tend to slide toward the eclectic. Eclectic is not defined as occult which this book seems to be associated judging the Amazon links.

I believe it is a very serious and much needed encyclopedia of diverse items that would not normally be found bound into one book. When I say serious, I mean to say that each topic is viewed from a well-rounded perceptive. If possible a brief history is given then a more detailed view of the topic. In all topics (over 500!) the view is provided from a neutral standpoint. The compiler never advocates nor dismisses a particular point. Therefore, it is an excellent starting place for more in-depth coverage as all references are listed or a simple quick overview of the item.

`Much needed' is defined as being a reference book that is continually in use at my house. Here are some recent examples:

Recently I was watching the trailers for the movie Angels and Demons. The term illuminati was used. I went to this book and read all that I needed to know about this secret society.

Last month, I was reading the Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality and was very interested in her chapter 6 - Isn't God a Trip? Particularly the peyote ceremony the author attended. This topic along with a plethora of similar topics was readily available in the Encyclopedia of the Strange.

In another religious-themed tome this month, I read several references to a St. Teresa of Avila. Yep. She was in the book listed under the Ts.

So you see, this is a book that is not flaky, new age, or of the occult in any way or form. It is simply an extremely handy reference for - as it says - the strange, mystical and unexplained. My sincere thanks to Rosemary Ellen Guiley for putting this work together for us.

I hope you find this review helpful.

Michael L. Gooch

I was very absorbed in the reading of thise concise book. It is a compact format of all things mystical and unexplained, written in a dictionary style. I like it for it provides you with an overview or summary to use as future reference.

This book is simply an interesting book of generalized information on many different subjects, from A - Z. The topics are short, but well documented. The book's contents are just as the title states. Many interesting topics in this book such as apparitions, psychological terms, and Rosemary Ellen Guiley documents her information very well, and clearly. I'm glad to have this book, it helps my studies immensely. I purchased this book from Amazon.com I purchase all of my book from Amazon.com. I trust this book company completely. They have a great selection of all the types of books I need. Prices here are always reasonable.

This is a good source of many varied subjects.
My only gripe is not from her, but from Amazon.com.
They list the publication date as 2001. Actually the publication date is 1991. Since she is a prolific writer, I was hoping to see newer topics as of 2001. This type of omission is commonplace with Amazon.com. Why do they think they have to lie about publication dates.