Ripley's Believe It or Not! Seeing Is Believing! [Hardcover]

Ripley Entertainment (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 2009

This year’s book  features icons that guide readers to astounding video clips on our new fully-integrated website, where they can see some of our subjects in action.

Be amazed at the dentist with no arms, the snake that swallowed a wallaby, an underwater sculptor and a four-eared cat!  For the legions of dedicated Ripley’s fans, and anyone else on the planet who loves unbelievable facts and jaw-dropping images, the latest annual in this successful series is a feast of delights.  Also, a dramatic eight-page gatefold section presents some extraordinary performers of the past, and additional black and white Ripley archive photographs feature throughout the book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

So, let's say somebody came up to you on the first day of school and started telling you about a guy with thousands of pins in his face and it didn't kill him, and a ginormous snake that swallowed a wallaby (a kangaroo-like animal) whole! And then your friend went on to say that some woman made a bracelet that was long enough for your entire class to wear at the same time. Pretty amazing, right? And you don't believe a word of it, do you? You should, because you'll read about (and see) those things and more in "Ripley's Believe It or Not! Seeing is Believing!" Without a doubt, your great-grandparents probably remember reading "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" That's because it started out as a newspaper column almost 100 years ago when Robert Ripley (a real person, believe it or not) became fascinated with oddities and weird things. Everything in Ripley's column was authentic, and everything in this book is absolutely true, too. There are plenty of challenges in this book. For instance, a boy in Florida made a huge ball of rubber bands - over 700,000 in all - which weighs nearly 5 tons. Look around your house. Getting any ideas? And then there's the boy who may be the fastest texter ever - 160 characters in 45 seconds, blindfolded. You can do that! You'll find curious creatures in here, like the four-eared cat, the two-headed kitten, and the two-faced calf. Then there's the house hippo whose "parents" adopted her as an orphan. You'll find a pink turtle with a Mohawk, dogs on wheels, and yes, plenty of gruesome snake stories. Grab this book and read about the Canadian whose entire body is tattooed with bones and internal organs and the guy whose eyeball has a tattoo (eeeuwww). You'll see some very old portraits of former circus attractions and modern pictures of human oddities like the magnetic man and the guy with a double arm transplant. And if art is more your thing, check out the toilet-paper wedding dress, the lifesize dragon cake, the gumball wall (double eeeuwww), a dog made of crayons and - believe it or not - a portrait of Eminem made of M&Ms! "Ripley's Believe It or Not! Seeing is Believing" looks like a children's book. It's probably going to be found in the children's section of your bookstore or library. The cover certainly will appeal to kids, but believe this: this book is way too good for adults to skip. Page after page after page of this "Ripley's" book is packed with bite-sized nuggets of goofy stories, horrid happenings, there's-no-way themes, improbable (but real) pictures, and tons of those silly-human stories you'd normally find in the smallest corner of your newspaper. The articles are family-friendly (like the Ripley's column of old) and can be enjoyed by kids ages 7-to-great-grandpa. Be aware that reading "Ripley's Believe It or Not! Seeing is Believing" may result in gasps, I-can-do-that's, and time-loss... but you won't mind. --Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Bookworm Sez, LLC

About the Author

Ripley Publishing,  the owner of the internationally famous trademark Ripley's Believe It or Not! As world authority on all that is unbelievable, the company offers up its vast archives of the strange and unusual through books, television shows, tourist attractions, motion pictures, merchandise and the worldwide syndication of its daily newspaper cartoon. Ripley researchers across the globe are busy each day digging deep into the world of the odd and bizarre to compile enough fresh an exciting material to fill the Believe It or Not! series of books published each year

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ripley Publishing; Ill edition (August 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893951456
• ISBN-13: 978-1893951457
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Education & Reference > Almanacs & Yearbooks > Yearbooks & Annuals
  • #55 in Books > Education & Reference > Fun Facts > Curiosities & Wonders

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thousands of Unforgetable Facts!, October 19, 2009

By 

Shannon M. Mcgee "Confuzzled Books" (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ripley's Believe It or Not! Seeing Is Believing! (Hardcover)

This is one of those books you really cannot find fault with. What's not to love, with it's small paragraphs full of shocking, sometimes grotesque, facts about people who've done strange and unusual things, with pictures!

There are thousands to pick from, but some of my favorite tidbits are the Japanese artists who carves really detailed art into watermelons, and the dental tech who draws small portraits of famous people, on teeth.

One of the more shocking facts, at least in my mind, is about a guy who tattooed his eyeball.

I enjoyed every minute of reading this book. And I got a feeling of accomplishment after finishing it. Maybe I even felt a little wiser. It's a perfect gift for adults and kids.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeing Really IS Believing!, May 20, 2010

By 

Ripley's Advocate (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ripley's Believe It or Not! Seeing Is Believing! (Hardcover)

As an employee from Ripley's Publishing, I would first like to share how our researchers and publishers work very hard to clarify all facts and stories; they also ensure that our book is suitable for family fun, enjoyment and entertainment. I would further like to clarify that no where in our book is any article or reference to the "World's Largest Penis Enlargement" or any related information (as another reviewer on this page claims).
I would like to offer the opportunity to discuss any such concerns with the reviewer on this page - or anyone who would like more information on our books - please contact [...]
Thank you for your interest in Ripley's Believe It Or Not!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The world of oddities,unusual,and even unbelievable--but true,nonetheless., August 25, 2009

By 

J. Guild (Toronto,Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ripley's Believe It or Not! Seeing Is Believing! (Hardcover)

I have been a fan of Ripley's Believe It or Not! since i was a kid over 60 years ago. While we lost Ripley himself,all too many years ago;Ripley Entertainment has carried on with Ripley's dream of searching the world and bringing the totally unbelievable to all of us.
My large collection of BION books continues to grow,and I am always excited to find a new one being published.
The quailiy of the construction,printing,photos and illustration,continues to be as excellent as possible.Also, the things that the editors continue to bring to us keep getting better with every new book,and this one is no exception.
I have written reviews on several of the latest books,and like to talk about something different in each review. With the whole world available to look fo things to include in these books,I have noticed a lot come from Canada. The words exotic,strange,weird,amazing,etc. do not immediately come to mind when the country of Canada comes up.Quite to the contrary,Canada is about as conservative ,bland,and about as far from exotic as any country on the face of the earth, at least that is how we see ourselves ,our customs and country. Just for fun,as I went though this book I jotted down the number of times that things talked about were from Canada.I was literally shocked!! Believe It or Not!,It here were 58 of them--and Believe It or Not!,I had never heard of any of them before.Maybe another time I'll count how many things are mentioned in one of these books;it must a lot.I just made an estimate for this book using the index.There are 48 colums with about 95 items in each column --that would be about 4,560 items--Believe It or Not!.The book if loaded with hundreds of photos,again all of excellent quality.I can only imagine what a difficult task it must have been to decide what things to accompany with a photo and what had to do without.
While I was overwhelmed with the photos there were two items I would have dearly liked to have seen photos for;those being the Maize Maze on page 190 and The Hidden Talent item on page 202.---maybe I can find some on the Net.
Each new book comes up with new features to give more information to the reader;for example [...],Ripley's Ask,Ripley's Update, and lists such as Way to go! and Ancient Festivals on page 66.
The hardest thing about this book is that it is researched,and published at a cost that is so reasonable or as one has to say; Believe It or Not!.
If Ripley's Entertainment keeps publishing these wonderful books;I'll keep buying them.