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View Full Version : Looking for a Skeptics' Library of Pseudoscience


G-K-4
31st December 2007, 05:45 PM
Does anyone here know of a library of pseudoscience kept by the JREF or a similar group? I'm thinking that maybe some skeptic or scientific group somewhere collects pseudoscientific publications, perhaps to track their history or for whatever reason.

I ask because I recently came into the possession of a rather uncommon book called The Atlas of Creation, Volume 1, by one Adnan Oktar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adnan_Oktar) of Türkiye. It's a huge tome [imagelink (http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j184/G-K-4/Atlas-1.jpg)] filled with some fantastic photographs of fossils, many of which are apparently copyright violations. The book also has some utterly hilarious creationist declarations. My favorite part is the chapter on the "lack" of transitional fossils, which includes a CGI "transitional" fossil [imagelink (http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j184/G-K-4/Atlas-2.jpg)] with several arms and legs (of the chimp and human variety) which is apparently what Mr. Oktar thinks a transitional fossil would look like. Runner-up is the skull within a skull [imagelink (http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j184/G-K-4/Atlas-3.jpg)].

I don't want to keep this monster of a book. I'd like to send it to a good home, preferably one where it will be, ahem, appreciated. Also, I will not sell it. Any suggestions for a recipient institution?

Thanks in advance for your leads, and Happy New Year!

JJM
1st January 2008, 09:48 AM
I can think of three:

Go to the JREF homepage and look for info on, or enquire about, their library.

Go to www.csicop.org and enquire about their library needs.

Last, and perhaps first, go to www.ncseweb.org and ask if they want it, creationism is their specialty.

G-K-4
22nd January 2008, 06:45 AM
I can think of three

Thanks, JJM! I took your advice and asked NCSE first. (I also took into consideration that they work with Eugenie Scott.) And they were happy to relieve my of this burden.

And for anyone interested, Pharyngula recently had a few threads about this book. First, we learn that the guy who put it together thought some pictures of fishing lures were real insects and arachnids.
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/01/well_fly_fishing_is_a_science.php

Then PZ Myers tried to give away a copy. There's some humor in those comments:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/01/win_a_copy_of_atlas_of_creatio.php
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/01/the_atlas_of_creation_has_foun.php