[close] Believe it or not, Robert Ripley enjoyed being called a liar. "I don't blame anyone for thinking me one, because there's nothing stranger than the truth." And in this special edition of seemingly unbelievable stories, the king of oddities lives on with contemporary and classic lore. Ready for this? In New Mexico, when an election race is too close to call, the candidates play poker to determine the winner. This happened as recently as 1999. You'll also read about a real-life Tarzan--a boy who lived from age 2 to 6 with a family of monkeys; discover the bizarre coincidences that linked U.S. presidents Lincoln and Kennedy; and marvel at the flight attendant who survived being thrown 33,000 feet to the ground after the plane she was in exploded. Trivia hounds and curious readers of all ages will be mesmerized by this collection of more than 700 weird nuggets, organized under such chapter headings as "The Sporting Life," "Out of the Odd-inary," "Home, Hearth & Peculiar Places," and "Downright Spooky." Biographical information about the folksy Ripley is also included. (Ages 8 and older) --Emilie Coulter [close]