Dictionary of the Unexplained

a brilliant compendium of bizarre occurrences -- Richard Morrison, The Times 20080402 sceptical, witty, intelligent and ravenous for mystery -- Gary Dexter, The Daily Telegraph 20071129 It is a catalogue of the inexplicable, an A-Z of mystery... It is a pleasure to immerse oneself in a book which, on almost every page, throws up something of peculiar interest. -- Jon Barnes, Times Literary Supplement 20080321 The compilers of the dictionary have adopted a gentle, judicious, sometimes jaunty tone... The entries... represent the full range of positions from the hostile sceptic to the credulous believer. They have tried to operate without bias, avoid empty speculation and run to earth misconceptions, and they have cross-referenced liberally and cleverly. -- Hilary Mantel, London Review of Books 20080124 an ideal gift for anyone interested in crop circles, Scientology or even the Black Dog of Bungay. -- Mark Sanderson, The Daily Telegraph 20071004 A great one-stop shop for Forteans... [the editors] should be congratulated for attempting to create a one-volume reference work that casts its net across such vast, stormy seas of the improbable and imponderable and spreads out the variegated catch in an ordered manner. The 1,250 entries ... are admirably balanced and succinct. -- David Sutton, Fortean Times 20071018 Absolutely everyone who has an interest in the paranormal should have a copy of this fascinating and enlightening book on their bookshelf! -- Jacky Newcomb 20070829 packed with fab facts about all things odd and scary -- The Daily Star 20071030 It is a chunky volume and a well made book, a thing of beauty in its own right, with easy on the eye text and plenty of illustrations... it is ideal as a gateway book, that invaluable first port of call for any investigation of the paranormal, supernatural and related matters. There's also, as with many reference books, a sense of the serendipitous about it, a combination of the very things you expect to find and some that maybe you don't, the volume casting a wider net than the scope of your enquiry may have allowed and delivering up intriguing if unexpected pieces of information, as for instance in the entries for 'H.P. Lovecraft' and 'The Necronomicon'. -- Black Static #4 20080409