Best Woo Books

Lisa Simpson · 17th September 2005, 10:19 AM

I've read as many books on skepticism as I could find, but lately I've had a desire to read something from "the other side". So I would like to hear the Best of the Woo on any subject-clairvoyance, UFOs, sCAM, conspiracy theories-I'm game for any kind of woo.

Jerf · 18th September 2005, 05:31 AM

UFO Retrievals: The Recovery of Alien Spacecraft by Jenny Randles

and

Dark White by Jim Schnabel

These were the last two books about 'the unexplained' I read before realising that I could explain them if I actually did a little research.

tim · 18th September 2005, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jerf
UFO Retrievals: The Recovery of Alien Spacecraft by Jenny Randles

and

Dark White by Jim Schnabel

These were the last two books about 'the unexplained' I read before realising that I could explain them if I actually did a little research.

I'm not convinced "Dark White" qualifies. In a review it says of the epilogue to the book, "Here he makes it clear that he discounts the extra-terrestrial hypothesis; the abductees' experiences take place within their minds, but what extraordinary reservoirs of fantasy the human mind must be to account for these experiences."
This site - http://www.accampbell.uklinux.net/bo.../schnabel.html
Try this one - "Psychic Warrior" by David Morehouse
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...21548?v=glance

Anti_Hypeman · 19th September 2005, 11:57 AM

http://subgenius.com/bigfist/classic...tsg-intro.html

Jerf · 19th September 2005, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tim
I'm not convinced "Dark White" qualifies. In a review it says of the epilogue to the book, "Here he makes it clear that he discounts the extra-terrestrial hypothesis; the abductees' experiences take place within their minds, but what extraordinary reservoirs of fantasy the human mind must be to account for these experiences."
This site - http://www.accampbell.uklinux.net/bo.../schnabel.html
Try this one - "Psychic Warrior" by David Morehouse
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...21548?v=glance

Oh yes, silly me. That rings a big bell... I remember being scared crapless by Dark White's ET-hypothethis. But then it was oh-so casually debunked in the brief epilogue . It should have said so on the bloody cover if you ask me. Perhaps the whole package was designed to woo the woos, appeal to their vanities until the very last minute, then give them a swift slap of reality. You know, I might even read Jim Schnabel's book on crop circles now.

The most popular woo writer in the UK at the moment seems to be Derek Acorah - himoff ITV's MOST HAUNTED series. With five books published this year it seems likely that he has no intention of taking his foot out of the door unless someone saws it off. Check out his positive reviews on AmazonUK and have a jolly good laugh.

Renfield · 19th September 2005, 03:28 PM

There was a series of books I used to read in grade school about mothman, ufo's, bigfoot, etc. that I'd love to find. At that age, I actually was gullible enough to believe them. I have fond memories of reading time back then, going through the whole series. I think the writer was someone named Cohen, but not sure. It was a long time ago.

tim · 19th September 2005, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jerf
Oh yes, silly me. That rings a big bell... I remember being scared crapless by Dark White's ET-hypothethis. But then it was oh-so casually debunked in the brief epilogue . It should have said so on the bloody cover if you ask me. Perhaps the whole package was designed to woo the woos, appeal to their vanities until the very last minute, then give them a swift slap of reality. You know, I might even read Jim Schnabel's book on crop circles now.

The most popular woo writer in the UK at the moment seems to be Derek Acorah - himoff ITV's MOST HAUNTED series. With five books published this year it seems likely that he has no intention of taking his foot out of the door unless someone saws it off. Check out his positive reviews on AmazonUK and have a jolly good laugh.

Do read "Round in Circles"! It's great fun and gives you a real perspective on the characters involved. Similar format if you don't know Schnabel's style - he keeps his thoughts to himself until later in the book. And one of the hoaxers is................ not gonna tell ya!

Ed · 3rd October 2005, 04:57 AM

Give anything by van Daniken a shot. I read his Chariots of the Gods ages ago and was amazed by the guys balls. A true creduloid (or savvy bussinessman, you pick) citing things that you didn't know were mysterious as "proof".

The Nazca lines are a good example. He never quite comes around to explaining why visitors from a gazillion mile away would need landing strips. Funny and sad stuff......

JAR · 3rd October 2005, 11:24 AM

I would recommend the works of Charles Fort. I've read "The Book of the Damned", "New Lands, "Lo!", and "Wild Talents". They are page turners. Charles Fort was actually a great writer. Martin Gardner criticizes Fort and his followers in Chapter 4: The Forteans of "Fads and Fallacies In the Name of Science" but on page 43 Gardner writes concerning Fort's book, "The Book of the Damned" that "The book was written in a curious, breathless style. At times, it broke into passages of profound wisdom, high humor, and beautiful phrasing."

Anti_Hypeman · 4th October 2005, 08:22 AM

Dont forget the reptoids

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846

dogjones · 5th October 2005, 08:33 AM

A great one is "Dope, Inc." by "The Executive Intelligence Review", which is a made up authoritative name created by a nutter politician called Lyndon LaRouche. He basically blames the American illegal drug market and all the social ills that go with it on the British Royal Family and Bertrand Russell. Mostly on Bertrand Russell.

Packed with pointless references, this is a must-have for any disgruntled young man who eschews any notion of personal responsibility!

Fungrim · 12th October 2005, 04:46 AM

Also, the Holy Grail is a good topic. Holy Blood, Holy Grail is of course a classic. I havn't read it though. I did read most of Bloodline of the Holy Grail by Laurence Gardner. I gave up after a while though, couldn't stand the stuff. Also, the buildup is almost soledly based on the speculations of Barbara Thiering.

c4ts · 14th October 2005, 07:16 PM

"How to Good-Bye Depression By Constricting Anus 100 Times a Day"

Best woo woo book ever.

SezMe · 14th October 2005, 08:30 PM

You didn't mention religion in your woo list but if you want to include that category, get any book by Lee Strobel. He claims to be a hard-nosed reporter using his skills to investigate christianity. If he is "hard-nosed" then Larry King is the classic "immoveable object." When I first read his work, I audibly exclaimed "Wow" about once per page.

Ralph · 15th October 2005, 08:27 AM

If you're looking for a good laugh.........I'd suggest Sylvia Browns "Prophecy".

I spotted it at the library recently (I will NOT actually buy or do anything else that would put $ in this woman's pocket) and thought It might be entertaining.

I'm only familair with her from what Randi's posted.

The woman is a far bigger slimebag than I thought. Randi's been too kind to this woman.

She is constantly asserting throughout the book how absolutely honest she is acts only out of concern for her fellow human beings.

How you can reconcile that with $600/hr telephone fees is beyond me.

Anyway--the usual crap I suppose........the book begins with the standard mix about the wisdom of ancient prophets,Atlantis,Lemuria, Nostradamus, etc etc.

She mentions she gets her "visions" of the future from a variety of sources but most of them come from her spirit guide..."Charlene" or something.

As always--Charlene failed to warn Sylvia about things like the Asian tsunami or Hurrican Katrina. She was however,able to give a detailed description of what cell phones will look like in 2025.

Sylvia's view of the future sounds remarkably like what I saw on "The Jetsons" when I was a kid. Lots of glass domes---houses with sliding roofs--and of course a flying car in every garage.

This was kind of strange because in another chapter--she describes the world as some kind of ecolgical nightmare from hell. Poison atmosphere--everybody wearing rubber suits--pestilence & death----then magically in a few years we're in the bubble houses & hover cars....

It's truly disturbing that so many people swallow this bilge.

Lisa Simpson · 15th October 2005, 08:30 AM

A 'friend' gave me a Sylvia Browne book for my birthday. It was some of the funniest stuff I have ever read. Her spirit guide (or as I like to think, invisible playmate) is named Francine.

For a larf, I posted the highlights:

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=45573

Ralph · 15th October 2005, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by Lisa Simpson

A 'friend' gave me a Sylvia Browne book for my birthday. It was some of the funniest stuff I have ever read. Her spirit guide (or as I like to think, invisible playmate) is named Francine.

For a larf, I posted the highlights:

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=45573

Francine....Charlene.................

That's the problem with spirit guides. They all look & sound alike.

RebeccaBradley · 15th October 2005, 10:22 AM

I've got two titles to suggest, both written by people who might be thought of as "woo", but who have done bang-up jobs of critically examining alternative theories from the inside, as it were. Both books are also well-written, intriguing, and occasionally hilarious - for the right reasons.

Borderlands by Mike Dash, who works (or used to work) for the Fortean Times. His other books (Tulipomania and Batavia's Graveyard are straight historical nonfiction, and also excellent. He's got a new one out about Thuggee that I'm looking forward to reading.

Giza: the Truth by Ian Lawton and Chris Ogilvie-Herald. Two "true believers" who went out and did good solid research and asked some truly awkward questions. Admirable.

Eos of the Eons · 26th October 2005, 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by Lisa Simpson

A 'friend' gave me a Sylvia Browne book for my birthday. It was some of the funniest stuff I have ever read. Her spirit guide (or as I like to think, invisible playmate) is named Francine.

For a larf, I posted the highlights:

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=45573

Quote:

Black holes are the universe's vacuum cleaner.

RebeccaC · 27th October 2005, 03:54 PM

A friend gave the Celestine Prophecy once to read on the airplain. It was good reading for fiction, but it wasn't meant that way.

Anything written by Carlos Castaneda.

DevilsAdvocate · 27th October 2005, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by Renfield

There was a series of books I used to read in grade school about mothman, ufo's, bigfoot, etc. that I'd love to find. At that age, I actually was gullible enough to believe them. I have fond memories of reading time back then, going through the whole series. I think the writer was someone named Cohen, but not sure. It was a long time ago.

How long ago? Perhaps Daniel Cohen? Or Richard Cavendish? "Man, Myth, and Magic" encyclopedia would seem to fit the bill for around 1970-80s.

17th September 2005, 10:19 AM	#1
Lisa Simpson THE Lisa Simpson Administrator Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: 123 Fake Street Posts: 20,057	Best Woo Books I've read as many books on skepticism as I could find, but lately I've had a desire to read something from "the other side". So I would like to hear the Best of the Woo on any subject-clairvoyance, UFOs, sCAM, conspiracy theories-I'm game for any kind of woo.
	__________________ That's what the Internet does -- you get a free bonus prize of Stupid Lies with every box of Delicious Facts. - cracked.com Facts are satanic litter on the heavenly highway to blind faith! - Betty Bowers

18th September 2005, 08:34 AM	#3
tim Lasiorhinus latifrons Combat Division Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Bedfordshire, UK Posts: 11,331	Quote: Originally posted by Jerf UFO Retrievals: The Recovery of Alien Spacecraft by Jenny Randles and Dark White by Jim Schnabel These were the last two books about 'the unexplained' I read before realising that I could explain them if I actually did a little research. I'm not convinced "Dark White" qualifies. In a review it says of the epilogue to the book, "Here he makes it clear that he discounts the extra-terrestrial hypothesis; the abductees' experiences take place within their minds, but what extraordinary reservoirs of fantasy the human mind must be to account for these experiences." This site - http://www.accampbell.uklinux.net/bo.../schnabel.html Try this one - "Psychic Warrior" by David Morehouse http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...21548?v=glance
	__________________ I think we should be grateful that somehow the material in the universe came together and gave us consciousness. It was statiscally improbable. We won the lottery. We had a life. Hubbard's Law: Don't take life too seriously; you won't get out of it alive.

19th September 2005, 03:28 PM	#6
Renfield Graduate Poster Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 1,055	There was a series of books I used to read in grade school about mothman, ufo's, bigfoot, etc. that I'd love to find. At that age, I actually was gullible enough to believe them. I have fond memories of reading time back then, going through the whole series. I think the writer was someone named Cohen, but not sure. It was a long time ago.
	__________________ If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name in a Swiss bank. -Woody Allen (1935 - http://www.sullivan-county.com/news/deist1999/

19th September 2005, 10:26 PM	#7
tim Lasiorhinus latifrons Combat Division Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Bedfordshire, UK Posts: 11,331	Quote: Originally posted by Jerf Oh yes, silly me. That rings a big bell... I remember being scared crapless by Dark White's ET-hypothethis. But then it was oh-so casually debunked in the brief epilogue . It should have said so on the bloody cover if you ask me. Perhaps the whole package was designed to woo the woos, appeal to their vanities until the very last minute, then give them a swift slap of reality. You know, I might even read Jim Schnabel's book on crop circles now. The most popular woo writer in the UK at the moment seems to be Derek Acorah - himoff ITV's MOST HAUNTED series. With five books published this year it seems likely that he has no intention of taking his foot out of the door unless someone saws it off. Check out his positive reviews on AmazonUK and have a jolly good laugh. Do read "Round in Circles"! It's great fun and gives you a real perspective on the characters involved. Similar format if you don't know Schnabel's style - he keeps his thoughts to himself until later in the book. And one of the hoaxers is................ not gonna tell ya!
	__________________ I think we should be grateful that somehow the material in the universe came together and gave us consciousness. It was statiscally improbable. We won the lottery. We had a life. Hubbard's Law: Don't take life too seriously; you won't get out of it alive.

3rd October 2005, 04:57 AM	#8
Ed god Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 8,691	Give anything by van Daniken a shot. I read his Chariots of the Gods ages ago and was amazed by the guys balls. A true creduloid (or savvy bussinessman, you pick) citing things that you didn't know were mysterious as "proof". The Nazca lines are a good example. He never quite comes around to explaining why visitors from a gazillion mile away would need landing strips. Funny and sad stuff......
Ed god Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 8,691	__________________ "The history of science is the record of dead religions" Phrases And Philosophies For The Use Of The Young Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Our Guarentee: One obscure (or not) Python reference per day.

18th September 2005, 05:31 AM	#2
Jerf New Blood Join Date: May 2004 Location: London Posts: 18	UFO Retrievals: The Recovery of Alien Spacecraft by Jenny Randles and Dark White by Jim Schnabel These were the last two books about 'the unexplained' I read before realising that I could explain them if I actually did a little research.

19th September 2005, 11:57 AM	#4
Anti_Hypeman Death Dealing Doom Machine Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,011	http://subgenius.com/bigfist/classic...tsg-intro.html

19th September 2005, 02:47 PM	#5
Jerf New Blood Join Date: May 2004 Location: London Posts: 18	Quote: Originally posted by tim I'm not convinced "Dark White" qualifies. In a review it says of the epilogue to the book, "Here he makes it clear that he discounts the extra-terrestrial hypothesis; the abductees' experiences take place within their minds, but what extraordinary reservoirs of fantasy the human mind must be to account for these experiences." This site - http://www.accampbell.uklinux.net/bo.../schnabel.html Try this one - "Psychic Warrior" by David Morehouse http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...21548?v=glance Oh yes, silly me. That rings a big bell... I remember being scared crapless by Dark White's ET-hypothethis. But then it was oh-so casually debunked in the brief epilogue . It should have said so on the bloody cover if you ask me. Perhaps the whole package was designed to woo the woos, appeal to their vanities until the very last minute, then give them a swift slap of reality. You know, I might even read Jim Schnabel's book on crop circles now. The most popular woo writer in the UK at the moment seems to be Derek Acorah - himoff ITV's MOST HAUNTED series. With five books published this year it seems likely that he has no intention of taking his foot out of the door unless someone saws it off. Check out his positive reviews on AmazonUK and have a jolly good laugh.

3rd October 2005, 11:24 AM	#9
JAR Graduate Poster Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 1,145	I would recommend the works of Charles Fort. I've read "The Book of the Damned", "New Lands, "Lo!", and "Wild Talents". They are page turners. Charles Fort was actually a great writer. Martin Gardner criticizes Fort and his followers in Chapter 4: The Forteans of "Fads and Fallacies In the Name of Science" but on page 43 Gardner writes concerning Fort's book, "The Book of the Damned" that "The book was written in a curious, breathless style. At times, it broke into passages of profound wisdom, high humor, and beautiful phrasing."
JAR Graduate Poster Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 1,145	Last edited by JAR; 3rd October 2005 at 11:26 AM. Reason: To replace "he writes" with "Gardner writes" to make it easier to understand who is being talked about.

4th October 2005, 08:22 AM	#10
Anti_Hypeman Death Dealing Doom Machine Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,011	Dont forget the reptoids http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846

5th October 2005, 08:33 AM	#11
dogjones Graduate Poster Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bermuda Posts: 1,281	A great one is "Dope, Inc." by "The Executive Intelligence Review", which is a made up authoritative name created by a nutter politician called Lyndon LaRouche. He basically blames the American illegal drug market and all the social ills that go with it on the British Royal Family and Bertrand Russell. Mostly on Bertrand Russell. Packed with pointless references, this is a must-have for any disgruntled young man who eschews any notion of personal responsibility!

12th October 2005, 04:46 AM	#12
Fungrim Thinker Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: In a dark swedish mind. Posts: 149	Also, the Holy Grail is a good topic. Holy Blood, Holy Grail is of course a classic. I havn't read it though. I did read most of Bloodline of the Holy Grail by Laurence Gardner. I gave up after a while though, couldn't stand the stuff. Also, the buildup is almost soledly based on the speculations of Barbara Thiering.
	__________________ "Imagination is cheap, as long as you don't have to worry about the details." - Daniel C. Dennet

14th October 2005, 07:16 PM	#13
c4ts Philosopher Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Your base Posts: 8,427	"How to Good-Bye Depression By Constricting Anus 100 Times a Day" Best woo woo book ever.
	__________________ Ha ha ha ha.... Stupid signature size limit.

14th October 2005, 08:30 PM	#14
SezMe post-pre-born Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Santa Barbara, CA Posts: 16,369	You didn't mention religion in your woo list but if you want to include that category, get any book by Lee Strobel. He claims to be a hard-nosed reporter using his skills to investigate christianity. If he is "hard-nosed" then Larry King is the classic "immoveable object." When I first read his work, I audibly exclaimed "Wow" about once per page.

15th October 2005, 08:27 AM	#15
Ralph Muse Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: S.E. Mass....... Posts: 997	If you're looking for a good laugh.........I'd suggest Sylvia Browns "Prophecy". I spotted it at the library recently (I will NOT actually buy or do anything else that would put $ in this woman's pocket) and thought It might be entertaining. I'm only familair with her from what Randi's posted. The woman is a far bigger slimebag than I thought. Randi's been too kind to this woman. She is constantly asserting throughout the book how absolutely honest she is acts only out of concern for her fellow human beings. How you can reconcile that with $600/hr telephone fees is beyond me. Anyway--the usual crap I suppose........the book begins with the standard mix about the wisdom of ancient prophets,Atlantis,Lemuria, Nostradamus, etc etc. She mentions she gets her "visions" of the future from a variety of sources but most of them come from her spirit guide..."Charlene" or something. As always--Charlene failed to warn Sylvia about things like the Asian tsunami or Hurrican Katrina. She was however,able to give a detailed description of what cell phones will look like in 2025. Sylvia's view of the future sounds remarkably like what I saw on "The Jetsons" when I was a kid. Lots of glass domes---houses with sliding roofs--and of course a flying car in every garage. This was kind of strange because in another chapter--she describes the world as some kind of ecolgical nightmare from hell. Poison atmosphere--everybody wearing rubber suits--pestilence & death----then magically in a few years we're in the bubble houses & hover cars.... It's truly disturbing that so many people swallow this bilge.

15th October 2005, 08:30 AM	#16
Lisa Simpson THE Lisa Simpson Administrator Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: 123 Fake Street Posts: 20,057	A 'friend' gave me a Sylvia Browne book for my birthday. It was some of the funniest stuff I have ever read. Her spirit guide (or as I like to think, invisible playmate) is named Francine. For a larf, I posted the highlights: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=45573
	__________________ That's what the Internet does -- you get a free bonus prize of Stupid Lies with every box of Delicious Facts. - cracked.com Facts are satanic litter on the heavenly highway to blind faith! - Betty Bowers

15th October 2005, 08:56 AM	#17
Ralph Muse Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: S.E. Mass....... Posts: 997	Originally Posted by Lisa Simpson A 'friend' gave me a Sylvia Browne book for my birthday. It was some of the funniest stuff I have ever read. Her spirit guide (or as I like to think, invisible playmate) is named Francine. For a larf, I posted the highlights: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=45573 Francine....Charlene................. That's the problem with spirit guides. They all look & sound alike.

15th October 2005, 10:22 AM	#18
RebeccaBradley Critical Thinker Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Ootischenia Posts: 442	I've got two titles to suggest, both written by people who might be thought of as "woo", but who have done bang-up jobs of critically examining alternative theories from the inside, as it were. Both books are also well-written, intriguing, and occasionally hilarious - for the right reasons. Borderlands by Mike Dash, who works (or used to work) for the Fortean Times. His other books (Tulipomania and Batavia's Graveyard are straight historical nonfiction, and also excellent. He's got a new one out about Thuggee that I'm looking forward to reading. Giza: the Truth by Ian Lawton and Chris Ogilvie-Herald. Two "true believers" who went out and did good solid research and asked some truly awkward questions. Admirable.
	__________________ I'm a happy SINner on the Skeptic Ink Network! The Lateral Truth: Writings of a Mild-Mannered Apostate http://skepticink.com/lateraltruth/

26th October 2005, 10:12 PM	#19
Eos of the Eons Mad Scientist Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Alberta Posts: 13,894	Originally Posted by Lisa Simpson A 'friend' gave me a Sylvia Browne book for my birthday. It was some of the funniest stuff I have ever read. Her spirit guide (or as I like to think, invisible playmate) is named Francine. For a larf, I posted the highlights: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=45573 Quote: Black holes are the universe's vacuum cleaner.
	__________________ Motion affecting a measuring device does not affect what is actually being measured, except to inaccurately measure it. the immaterial world doesn't matter, cause it ain't matter-Jeff Corey my karma ran over my dogma-vbloke The Lateral Truth: An Apostate's Bible Stories by Rebecca Bradley, read it!

27th October 2005, 03:54 PM	#20
RebeccaC New Blood Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 14	A friend gave the Celestine Prophecy once to read on the airplain. It was good reading for fiction, but it wasn't meant that way. Anything written by Carlos Castaneda.
RebeccaC New Blood Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 14

27th October 2005, 10:35 PM	#21
DevilsAdvocate Illuminator Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 3,643	Originally Posted by Renfield There was a series of books I used to read in grade school about mothman, ufo's, bigfoot, etc. that I'd love to find. At that age, I actually was gullible enough to believe them. I have fond memories of reading time back then, going through the whole series. I think the writer was someone named Cohen, but not sure. It was a long time ago. How long ago? Perhaps Daniel Cohen? Or Richard Cavendish? "Man, Myth, and Magic" encyclopedia would seem to fit the bill for around 1970-80s.