Customer Reviews

Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Prepare To Be Shocked

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book for my 10 year old nephew for Christmas. Not only did he love it, but so did his younger sister, his cousins, his parents, and several other family members. This is a must-have item for any family. Each time you look through the book you find different, interesting facts. There is definitley a little something for everyone. Warning: This is not for the boring, unimaginative or weak-stomached individuals.

This was a Christmas gift for my 12 year old nephew and once he started reading it, he did not put it down for hours. It was well worth the money spent.

We donated this to the school library. It was very welcome and is being read frequently.

This is a hands-down great picture and information book that both adults and kids will love. You will find yourself reading it over and over!

purchased as a gift for my grandson.He enjoyed it very much and still talks about much of the material contained in the book.Im glad I made the purchase

This is a great book for kids. Big book, big pages, big pics. My two daughters love it.

Hundreds of pictures in this book. Very interesting and will really shock you. Kids (10-11 y/o) had so much fun getting shocked and grossed out during a sleep over looking at pictures in this book.

The publication date for this book was shown as August 5,2008.Somehow I found at my bookstore and bought it on August 3,2008--Believe It or Not!
Once again,Ripley's comes up with an excellent product and continues to entertain and amaze us with everything unimaginable.
I have written reviews on several of these Ripley books;and everything I've said in those other reviews holds true to this latest effort. A couple of later reviews were posted on January 15,2007 and most recently on April 24,2008.
A couple of new inovations are introduced in this newest book;and are very welcomed and add to the whole world of Ripley as well as being more informative where one would like to know more about some of the "Believe It or Nots" presented.
ENTER the VAULT--- where research staff dig into,what must be enormous files,and find items collected many years ago,and bring them into the light of day for all of to enjoy. I was particularly take by the photo on page 52 of Pete, the dog owned by Harry Lucenay,who starred in the short films "Our Gang" back in the 30's.I can remember watching these movies on Saturday afternoons as a kid.However,that was over 60 years ago. I remember Sparky and Buckwheat but had forgotten the dog's name.Thanks for the memory.
RIPLEY'S ASKS---Here we are treated with an interview with the people who actually did these unbelievable things;making them much more informative.
RIPLEY'S RESEARCH--- Here Ripley's research looks into the subject and presents more information about how the impossible or unusual takes place.
These inovations add greatly to the readers information and make the items even more interesting.
Another thing that would be inovative would be to add a Website ,along with the item,where one exists.
It was a treat to see Bryan Berg appear once again on page 244 with his phenomenonal playing card structures.
Hey Ripley's ;keep it up,you're on a roll!!! You too Bryan.For more on Bryan ,see my review on April 24 2008 in Ripley's "The Remarkable Revealed" as well as Bryan's super book,"Stacking the Deck" which I reviewed on August 4,2008; and keep an eye out for him building his structures at an Exhibition or Fair in your area.

Lavishly illustrated with full-color photography on every page, Ripley's Believe It or Not! Prepare To Be Shocked! is a compendium of things amazing and extraordinary, sure to impress readers of all ages and backgrounds. Every two-page spread, half-page focus or thumbnail note covers a different topic so incredulous as to be worthy of the "Believe It or Not!" tagline, from the true story of a crocodile attack survivor who had to have his arm reattached, to a skilled Chinese folk artist who can push a living snake into his mouth and pull it out through one of his nostrils, to unicycle marathons, staggering collections of everything from hot wheels to diseased human brains (exhibited in a museum in Lima, Peru) to a frog trained to ride a miniature motorcycle. Almost impossible to put down once picked up, Ripley's Believe It or Not! is an the perfect gift for the any reader who claims to have seen it all.

When I was a kid I was fascinated by reading Ripley's Believe it or Not books. What I am "shocked" about now is how the Ripley enterprise has degenerated into a seeming acceptance of all sorts of dubious claims. I confess to not having read this particular book but just reading the product info is enough to tell me it's more of the same. If you enjoy fantasy and don't care much about facts this is probably a good book for you. Just as an example: the Chinese man who can cook fish in his bare hands. Is he somehow anatomically different from other humans? Is there any kind of skeptical analysis of his claims? Or just a breathless reporting of them as if they are true?