Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved [Paperback]

Colin Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mammoth Books | Publication Date: December 30, 2000

An expert examination of the most perplexing and still unexplained mysteries in more than two thousand years of human history. From Atlantis, the Bermuda Triangle, and Bigfoot to Tunguska, vampires, and zombies, the most fascinating subjects previously featured in Colin Wilson's popular Unsolved Mysteries Past and Present, The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Mysteries, and The Unexplained now appear along with new, equally mystifying material in one tremendous revised and updated volume. In it, Wilson shares his expert research and investigation into seventy-five of the world's most enduring mysteries, among them crop circles and crystal skulls, monsters and meteors, pyramids and poltergeists, the Hope Diamond and the Holy Shroud of Turin.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Colin Wilson, renowned criminologist, TV and radio personality, is one of the most popular and respected writers on both criminology and psychology. His many books include The Mammoth Book of True Crime and A plague of Murder. Colin Wilson is the best-selling author of more than 50 books, including The Outsider, The Criminal History of Mankind, A Plague of Murder and many other works of non-fiction and fiction. He lives in Cornwall. Colin Wilson is the best-selling author of more than 60 books on subjects ranging from Jack the Ripper and UFOs to the mysteries of the supernatural and serial killers. He lives in Cornwall. Colin Wilson, renowned criminologist, TV and radio personality, is one of the most popular and respected writers on both criminology and psychology. His many books include The Mammoth Book of True Crime and A Plague of Murder. Damon Wilson is author of several books, most notably The Mammoth Book of Nostradamus. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Running Press; First Edition edition (December 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786707933
• ISBN-13: 978-0786707935
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unsolved mysteries for the "pros"..., August 30, 2003

By 

Takis Tz. (InYourHead) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved (Paperback)

What makes this book by Colin Wilson pleasantly unpredictable is that it contains far more "unsolved mysteries" than the "usual" and expected `Bermuda triangle`, ÙFOs`, `Bigfoot`and so on. Sure enough it contains entries about those phenomena, but it goes deeper than these and explores stories such as those of Fulcanelli or Junius (both brilliant and yet unknown stories), a more detailed account on the -possibly- false identity on the man who spent 40 years in prison claiming he was Rudolph Hess (more than likely he wasnt) , a good comprehensive and all-inclusive "report" on whether Homer actually existed and what he really did write etc.. I read books on such matters on a systematic basis and yet i found that a good portion of the ones
contained here I`d never heard before.

I`ve used quotation marks widely on the above paragraph trying to stay in line with Wilson`s -always- careful treading when he deals with theories about unsolved mysteries.

If you`re a fan of Colin Wilson you`ll find this to be another excellent contribution of his to the "paranormal" field of research (or to be somewhat more precise: to the not so normal field of research).
If you`re not familiar with this incredible and ultra prolific researcher this book is a great one to start from as:
-it recquires no previous specialised reading on your part (Wilson will keep you in the know with several references and explanations throughout your reading)
-ìt`s a wildly fun book even for those that might`ve never picked up a reading on such matters
-and, it`s Colin Wilson. That, at least for the insiders, should suffice..

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Thorough, Sometimes Repetitive, Sometimes Interesting, February 6, 2004

By 

Ricky Hunter (New York City, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved (Paperback)

The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved is certainly what it claims to be. It is indeed mammoth as it ranges from the paranormal to more historical mysteries. The authors', Colin Wilson and Damon Wilson, pet theories become abundantly clear as certain themes and concepts are repeated throughout the book, such as their ideas concerning poltergeists which are shoe-horned into far too many of the entries outside of the one for poltergeists. They also have an annoying lack of scepticsim concerning anything paranormal yet pull away the cobwebs from more historical occurences with great ease. Still this book will be a treat for anyone looking for a one volume compedium of weird things. You may roll your eyes at some of their conclusions but you still keep reading.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great primer..., August 22, 2002

By 

Brad Smith (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved (Paperback)

...on weird and unexplained things. I like to think that I'm up on all my oddities and weird occurrences, but this had a few that I'd never heard of (Fulcanelli, Rennes-le-Chateau), and some others that had new information on them (Kaspar Hauser).

However, this is by no means a definitive work. As another reviewer pointed out, some of the authors' information is a bit dated. Also, the authors tend to get a lot of their exercise jumping to conclusions based on very little evidence.

It's an enjoyable book, definitely; I appreciated it immensely, and was glad I purchased it. However, it's not the be-all and end-all of unexplained mysteries.