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An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural Paperback – March 15, 1997

by James Randi (Author), Arthur C. Clarke (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 226 ratings
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Covers illusions, psychics, mystics, clairvoyants, and frauds
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  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    St. Martin's Griffin
  4. Publication date
    March 15, 1997
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.75 x 9.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0312151195
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0312151195
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

James Randi, professional magician and skeptic, has put together an encyclopedia with something for everyone. Yes, no matter who you are, unless you're a thoroughgoing atheist, Randi is bound to offend your beliefs at one point or another. As Arthur C. Clarke says in his introduction, the book "should be issued with a mental health warning, as many readers--if they are brave enough to face unwelcome facts--will find some of their cherished beliefs totally demolished." Randi is dryly sarcastic about hundreds of topics, including Catholic relics, speaking in tongues, Jehovah's Witnesses, yoga, the origins of Mormonism, dowsing, magnetic hills, UFOs, and every spiritualist of the past several centuries. A typical entry defines a nymph as: "in the real world, the immature form of the dragonfly and certain other insects, or a young woman with robust sexual interests. Take your choice." Comprehensive, exasperating and exasperated, witty, and unsparing, Randi's encyclopedia provides more debunking per page than any other resource. --Mary Ellen Curtin

Review

Truth is separated from fiction in this guide to skeptical definitions of alternative realities. The encyclopedia form charts both individuals and false systems of analysis and representation, and lends to both leisure browsing and light research. -- Midwest Book Review

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Griffin (March 15, 1997)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312151195
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312151195
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.75 x 9.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 226 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Arthur C. Clarke

    Arthur C. Clarke

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    SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE (1917-2008) wrote the novel and co-authored the screenplay for 2001: A Space Odyssey. He has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, and he is the only science-fiction writer to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. His fiction and nonfiction have sold more than one hundred million copies in print worldwide.

    Photo by en:User:Mamyjomarash (Amy Marash) (en:Image:Clarke sm.jpg) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

    See more on the author's page
  2. James Randi

    James Randi

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; August 7, 1928) is a Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). Randi began his career as a magician, as The Amazing Randi, but after retiring at age 60, he began investigating paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims, which he collectively calls "woo-woo." Although often referred to as a "debunker," Randi rejects that title owing to its perceived bias, instead describing himself as an "investigator." He has written about the paranormal, skepticism, and the history of magic. He was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and was occasionally featured on the television program Penn & Teller: Bullshit!.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
226 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book very interesting, funny, and clear. However, they feel it's a very basic read.

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ContentReadability
23 customers mention "Content"18 positive5 negative

Customers find the book interesting, comprehensive, and funny. They also say the commentary is insightful.

"James Randi's encyclopedia is a fun, fun read...." Read more

"...enjoyed the Amazing Randi's performances on TV and his wit is evident in this book. He will be missed." Read more

"...I have not finished it yet, but so far I find it very interesting...." Read more

"...n't heard of most of the names in the book, it is a fascinating process to read about them, how they arose and sometimes how they fell as they were..." Read more

6 customers mention "Readability"0 positive6 negative

Customers find the book very basic, hard to navigate, and not written as a novel.

"...It is not written as a novel, so a reader may just pick it up from time to time, rather than go through it all at once." Read more

"But, not much about anything. I found the book a bit tedious. But, mildly interesting, none the less...." Read more

"...This is a very basic read." Read more

"Hard to read. Not a deep analysis of items. Encyclopedial level, that is, a lot of items with superficial knowledge." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Lee Hartsfeld
5.0 out of 5 stars You mean, UFOs aren't real???
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2002
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James Randi's encyclopedia is a fun, fun read. It's virtually a history of superstitious beliefs, as well as an overview of conjuring ("the art of seeming to perform genuine magic") and the basics of applying logic to illogical claims. The entries range from "Nessie" to "crop circles" to "thoughtography," and they are often peppered with hilarious asides. The entry on "om," for example, cites the Hindu notion that "whoever knows this syllable obtains whatever he wishes." "Well, now YOU know it, too," writes Randi. "Good luck." To be sure, the volume gets a bit tedious at times, but this has much more to do with the silly and unsubstantial nature of the subject matter than with Randi. In fact, it's almost a miracle that anyone can so entertainingly present material so inherently dry and silly. I say "almost" because, of course, miracles don't really exist. Oh, and Randi provides the best explanation of "parsimony" I have ever read. This perpetually maligned concept, better known as "Occam's razor," is here defined with clarity and completeness. Those who take this concept to mind and heart will have a kind of real-life talisman against irrational nonsense. The concept describes precisely what credulous believers in the occult do NOT do.
Rest assured that James Randi's curmudgeon persona is purely an act. A couple years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting this charming and gracious man in person, and I'm happy to say that a good amount of that charm finds its way into the entries. Very highly recommended!
39 people found this helpful
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CowboyBob
4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and Insightful
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2024
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I've always enjoyed the Amazing Randi's performances on TV and his wit is evident in this book. He will be missed.
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Al
5.0 out of 5 stars Very true.
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2019
Verified Purchase
Liked the endorsement of this book by Arthur C Clarke, the visionary science fiction writer who predicted, among other things the now ubiquitous satellites for communication, GPS mapping, etc. Randi is opposed by various industries such as the supplement foods "holistic/homeopathic/alternative medicine" scam mongers (99% of these products are hyped marketing of snake oil based on fabricated claims, and only1% is evidence based), and similar scam mongering of books and self-help and cancer cure courses based on occult and supernatural. Not that anyone cannot believe what they wish, but harm is done when seriously ill persons spend fortunes on these hoaxes in place of evidence based science which may have cured them. IMHO, as for the paranormal, it does not exist, but like voodoo, works by hypnotic suggestion on the human mind. The value of the latter in health and healing is better availed through clinical hypnosis by trained and qualified persons.
3 people found this helpful
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Jorge Farelas
3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat disappointed.
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2001
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I don't want to come across as someone who likes to criticize others on their work. I have nothing against James Rhandi, and I appreciate a lot of the works he does on exposing fraud and Hoaxes; however, I couldn't help but find a lot of misinformation in this book. James Rhandi writes that the athame is a ceremonial knife used to invoke demons. I have never read or heard of anyone using the athame in that way unless he is taking the stance as some religions do that the gods and spirits the practitioners invoke are actually demons. He also combines Muslim angels with Judeo-Christian ones which are not one in the same. Not even among Christians are the angels and archangels the same. He doesn't make that distinction in his book which can mislead the reader. Rhandi also talks about the crucifix as a charm which it is not. A crucifix is simply a symbol of ones faith but in and of itself has no power. He also uses the words amulet and charm synonomously when they are not. An amulet is not necessarily a charm and vice versa. He mentioned that Adoni (Adonia) is the word some use for the Hebrew word Jehova which is half correct. In Hebrew some letters are used interchangably much like in Latin. The "J" is sometimes used in place of a "Y," and a "V" is sometimes used in place of a "W." The Hebrew language has no vowels so the word in Hebrew that spells the name of God as revealed to Moses in the book of Exodus is YHWH or JHVH. When the vowels were put in, we got the words YaHWeH and JeHoVaH. Jehovah is the Germanic translation while Yahweh is the Hebrew. He also mentioned that when the name was invoked that the person would be punished. The Hebrews believed it was blasphemous to say the name of God since to say someone's name in a sense meant you had power over them. They didn't believe anyone should have power over God; therefore, no one could say His name. To blaspheme meant to anger God which would result in punishment. This was the mindset of the Hebrew people. Present day Jews still believe in not using God's name but not for the same reason. It is a way of showing respect to God. Those are just some of the misconceptions that I have found in James Rhandi's book which makes me in a way SKEPTICAL of what else is written in it. How ironic is that?
16 people found this helpful
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Buck
5.0 out of 5 stars I am a fan
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2019
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I like reading about fakes and frauds. I have not finished it yet, but so far I find it very interesting. It is not written as a novel, so a reader may just pick it up from time to time, rather than go through it all at once.
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Quai Chang Cain
2.0 out of 5 stars Not particularly 'encyclopedic'.
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2013
Verified Purchase
I am a big fan of James Randi - I love the work he's done exposing frauds and hoaxes on TV (and YouTube), but this book didn't live up to my expectations. I had bought this because I was reading about hypnotism on Wikipedia and wanted a second opinion on whether there is any science behind it, etc., and I figured since Randi was a stage magician he'd at least have a lot to say about the use of hypnotism in the entertainment industry, and as a skeptic and public debunker of fraudulent claims, I figured he'd have something interesting to say about hypnotism in general. The article was short and wishy-washy, giving no details on stage use and no strong commitment either way to whether or not there's anything to it. I learned more from Wikipedia. My perusal of other articles left me with a similar impression that this was not going to become a go-to resource for me. I really don't like giving a bad review to a work by someone I respect, but I felt like my purchase was a waste of (thankfully not very much) money.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Alfonso C. Alarcon
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente libro para tener, para regalar, para refenciar.
Reviewed in Mexico on January 26, 2024
Verified Purchase
Toda casa, hogar, familia, donde se aprecie la inteligencia y el sentido crítico debería animarse a tener (y obviamente leer) este libro. 100/100
Y si tienes oportunidad de conseguir /además/ «MisbeLIEf», de Dan Ariely, MEJOR.
Ambos los uso y recomiendo en mis clases de Comunicación Contemporánea y mis alumnas y alumnos los han encontrado muy interesantes y útiles.
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Pat Cadigan
5.0 out of 5 stars The Amazing Randi!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2020
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James Randi exposed a lot of paranormal claims as fraudulent. But somehow he did it in a way that was never mean-spirited. He simply told the truth, without the kind of militant “fundamentalist atheism” characteristic of thinkers like Richard Dawkins. As a child, Randi had been enthralled by stage magicians and later became one himself. This makes me think he understood that imagination is a defining feature of higher brain function and by extension human intelligence, and it wasn’t something to suppress. He just didn’t like to see con artists swindling the public with claims of paranormal abilities.

If you’re someone who can’t bear to have your beliefs questioned, steer clear of James Randi’s work. But if you’re a seeker of truth, you can’t go wrong with James Randi.
One person found this helpful
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Sckmadickamzon
5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what you think it is.
Reviewed in Canada on October 4, 2014
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Exactly what I needed to help look up all manner of hokum. The only thing that would make it better would be page-markings for letters, but that's just a personal preference, otherwise, this is an actual encyclopedia style book.
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Dodo
5.0 out of 5 stars Kindle-Schnäppchen, amüsante Häppchenlektüre für Nicht-Esos
Reviewed in Germany on August 29, 2013
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James Randi mag ich, auch weil er manchmal so schnodderig herumgrantelt. Er ist der Gregory House der Skeptiker-Bewegung, ein alter Zyniker mit einem großen Herzen.

In dieser ursprünglich in den 1980ern erschienenen und für den Kindle von Randi extra frisch akualisierten "Enzyklopädie" geht es ausschließlich um esoterische Themen. Oder, wie Randi es nennt: um "Behauptungen, Betrügereien und Schwindel des Okkulten und Übernatürlichen". Randis großväterlich geduldiger, etwas müder Gesichtsausdruck auf dem Cover täuscht, denn in dem Buch ist er alles andere als trocken, geduldig und gnädig. Neben der rein sachlichen, kurzgefassten Darstellung des reinen, tatsächlichen Sachverhalts verfällt Randi immer mal wieder in einen kernigen Lästerton, stellt auch mehrfach ganz direkt die Frage, wie man eigentlich so dusselig sein kann, auf solche offensichtlichen Märchen, die einem aufgetischt werden, hereinfallen zu können? Oder warum in Zeiten des Internets nicht jeder Paddel mal auf die Idee kommt, doch erstmal ein wenig zu recherchieren, bevor er blindlings einer beliebigen, irgendwo gelesenen Behauptung aufsitzt. (Ich erinnere mich noch an den Hoax mit den Bonsai-Katzen, den viele doch tatsächlich glaubten...)

Das Spektrum der alphabetischen Einträge ist weit und zieht sich von antiken Überlieferungen bis in die Jetzt-Zeit.
Ein Buch, das man nicht in einem Rutsch, sondern immer mal wieder zwischendurch lesen kann. Und dann sicher mehrmals.

PS: Eine Anmerkung zu der Sache mit der "Kabbalah", die in einer der amerikanischen Rezensionen angesprochen wird: Randi geht ganz zurück zu der ursprünglichen Bedeutung, um Lesern zu zeigen, was eigentlich der ursprüngliche Kern ist. Das, was heute in manchen esoterischen Kreisen als "Kabbalah" bezeichnet wird, hat damit eben wenig zu tun.
3 people found this helpful
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Mike Angel
4.0 out of 5 stars It's great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 26, 2018
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Good but with cool humour
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