Customer Reviews

Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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..

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.

...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.

This book is very entertaining reading (especially if you're into Colin Wilson).It is kinda lika a "greatest hits" for Colin Wilson in that it covers material that is afore mentioned in some of his other books(Mysteries,the Occult,Beyond the Occult,etc.).Some people may not like that idea but a lot of the books that this material is originally from are way out of print so this may be your only chance to find some of the stories.

After having read the two previous reviews, I just had to inject a little reality.

The book is riddled with errors and obfuscating omissions, betraying a bizarre disregard for accuracy. I'm not attacking the book based on philosophy; one may disagree with their approach and conclusions, but the Wilsons simply get basic facts wrong. One wonders how solid the Wilsons' conclusions can be, given such sloppy research.

In some cases the authors seem blissfully unaware that their "unsolved" mysteries have in fact been solved. Take chapter 14, "The Dogon and the Ancient Astronauts," for example. This "Sirius mystery" has been explained and debunked not only in several Skeptical Inquirer articles (see, for example, "Dogon and the Dog Star" 4[2]; "The Dogon People Revisited" 20 [6]) but also in the somewhat less skeptical Fortean Times (140).

Even the old Bermuda Triangle "mystery" is rehashed, along with the disappearance of Flight 19. Though the Wilsons have (presumably) read skeptical books on the topic, they repeat many errors, including that the doomed Flight 19 pilots said, "Everything is wrong...Even the ocean doesn't look as it should." (Larry Kusche, author of The Bermuda Triangle Mystery-Solved, studied transcripts of the pilots' transmission and notes, "The strange quotations attributed to the pilots...do not appear in the Navy report..." [p.126].)

The gaffes go on. Throughout the book, they repeatedly misspell their sources' names (for example British neurologist John Lorber and Canadian ethnobotanist and zombie researcher Wade Davis). If the Wilsons can't even bother to get names spelled correctly, it's not a good sign for the rest of their scholarship.

I could go on for pages with examples such as these, but I have neither the time, space, or inclination to do so. Both the authors and the publishers should be embarrassed at letting so many errors through- especially in a supposed reference book such as an encyclopedia. There are no references given-obviously because by providing them anyone could easily see just how shoddy their research is.

One possible explanation for the poor quality of the book is that it is simply out of date and the Wilsons only occasionally bothered to update cases or correct previous errors. Indeed, the authors' preface states that "this book contains most of the chapters" from two earlier works. But don't take my word for it: the mistakes are abundant and there for all to see. Sadly, most lay readers probably won't have the background to know how unreliable the book is.

As might be expected from Colin Wilson and his son, Damon, the wealth of detail and high quality writing in this massive tome raises it several notches above the average "unsolved mystery" book. It's a combination of two previous books by the Wilsons: Encylopedia of Unsolved Mysteries & Unsolved Mysteries Past and Present, with additional material including updated postscripts for several of the chapters. Definitely fun to delve into and a good springboard for research into the various subjects covered. Highly readable, and at over 600 pages, $12.95 is a bargain price.

Granted, the cover of the book is a little silly, but you know what they say...

This is actually a fun book to read; it is awfully long but that's alright, it has something new or fun in most of the chapters. Even though it does have some repetition in it the authors still manage to make it interesting throughout. This is my first book by Colin Wilson but I am going to get more of them as I find them.

Anyone interested in weird, paranormal, unsolved, etc., stuff will find much to enjoy and like about this book. There is stuff like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Kaspar Hauser, Atlantis, and the Bermuda Triangle in it as well as stuff I had never heard of such as Junius, the devil's footprints, and the Oera Linda book. You will learn a lot from it. I loved it and am glad I got it.

At first this feels like an ordinary "book of wonders" ... just another collection of wierd stuff and Fortean phenomena ... but after a while you start noticing common threads running through the articles as the Wilsons drift away from their research and expound an enticing occult / paranormal philosophy. Most of the stories in this book were ones I had read or heard about before, but this one really surprised me by exposing me to exciting new ideas. I wouldn't say I'm a believer, but it definitely changed my thinking. As an experience, this book is well worth your time.

Very well written. Has accounts of the more well-known mysteries but has an equal number of lesser known ones also. Definitely a keeper.