BOOK REVIEW: Scientific Anomalies and Other Provocative Phenomena

From: Terry W. Colvin (fortean1@mindspring.com)
Date: Tue Jun 24 2003 - 12:56:23 MDT

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    Obligatory URL: < http://www.science-frontiers.com >

    Science Frontiers Book Supplement, No. 146, Mar-Apr, 2003, p. 1

    Prices are in U.S. dollars. All orders must be prepaid. U.S. orders under
    $30 please add $1.50 postage. All foreign orders add $4.00 per book.
    Canadian dollars and UK pounds accepted at prevailing exchange rates.
    Checks may be made payable to either Sourcebook Project or William R. Corliss,
    except sterling cheques which must be made payable only to William R. Corliss.
    Send orders to: Sourcebook Project; P.O. Box 107; Glen Arm, MD 21057; USA.

    _Scientific Anomalies and Other Provocative Phenomena: An Annotated Outline of
    6,000 Entries_

    Compiled by William R. Corliss

    The book pictured above is my first attempt to map the universe of scientific
    anomalies in a compact format. The quotation below from page 1 details the
    book's background and objectives.

       Over the past four decades, I have amassed a collection of roughly
       50,000 articles and shorter items from the scientific literature.
       Each was selected because it seemed to challenge a paradigm of
       science or was in some way "provocative" in that it suggested all
       of the elements in Nature's grand scheme.

       Although I have already published 37 books detailing over 2,000
       scientific anomalies and "provocative" phenomena, the cataloging
       task is barely half done.

       At this midpoint of the effort, it seems worthwhile to stand back
       and look at what has been accomplished and what mysteries of the
       natural world have not yet been cataloged. Therefore, in this
       book, I spread out in print the vast scope of scientific anomalies,
       as seen in a deep, eclectic, one-person search of the literature
       of science. I include those phenomena already identified in my
       previous books and the many more that merit space in my files but
       which have not yet been fully analyzed. It should not surprise
       anyone that this Outline contains about 6,000 entries, all of
       which remain unexplained to my satisfaction or which, at the very
       least, I find very curious and engaging.

       This Outline is one person's attempt to grasp better the full scope
       of the cosmos by mapping its terra incognitae. Hopefully, it will
       be useful and stimulating to others.

       My major objectives are these:

       * The compilation of a list of scientific phenomena worth of further
         attention and research;

       * The presentation of a "first look" at the *entire* spectrum of what
         I have found anomalous, provocative, and exciting in science (It is
         a very large realm as you shall see.); and

       * The provision, via a menu-type index, of a guide to my many
         already-published Catalogs and Handbooks of anomalies and curiosities.

    As for specific content, the six disciplines already represented by Catalogs
    and/or Handbooks (Archeology, Astronomy, Biology, Geology, Geophysics, and
    Psychology) are briefly recapitulated and updated in separate chapters. The
    Biology chapter; in addition to humans, other mammals, and birds; includes
    fish, reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods. There is a separate chapter on
    Chemistry & Physics and another short one on Miscellany.

    The 6,000 entries are often expanded by interpretative annotations, examples
    in telegraphic form, and cross references.

    The book's statistics prove that it is a bargain for the great mass of
    unique material it contains.

    300 pp., large 7x10 format, 244 illustrations, only $17.95p

    Five of the 244 figures now follow [not shown].

    [Photo 1]
    [Caption] Main mechanism of the Greek "computer." Numbers indicate the
    numbers of teeth in the gears. (*Natural History*, 71:8, March 1962.) [MMTj]

    [Photo 2]
    [Caption] Pockmarks on the floor of the North Sea detected by sonar. These
    may be due to the eruptions of natural gas. (*New Scientist*, 83:90, 1979.)
    [ETB3]

    [Photo 3]
    [Caption] A possible universal relationship between the angular momenta and
    masses of astronomical objects. (*Sky & Telescope*, 64:228, 1982.) [ATB3]

    [Photo 4]
    [Caption] A pearlfish (or fierasfer) enters the anus of a sea cucumber
    tailfirst for shelter. (*English Mechanic*, 33:302, 1881.) [BFXd]

    [Photo 5]
    [Caption] Typical method of using the planchette. (*Scientific American*,
    19:17, 1860.) [PHDk]

    -- 
    Terry W. Colvin, Sierra Vista, Arizona (USA) < fortean1@mindspring.com >
         Alternate: < fortean1@msn.com >
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