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World of Strange Phenomena
This edition brings together three volumes of Berlitz's intriguing phenomena, "Mysterious and Incredible Facts", "Strange People and Amazing Stories" and "The Odd and the Awesome". This volume contains many amazing stories such as a doctor who drilled a hole in his own head but survived.
858 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
Charles Berlitz
98 books72 followersBorn in NYC, Berlitz was the grandson of Maximilien Berlitz, who founded the Berlitz Language Schools. As a child, Charles was raised in a household in which (by father's orders) every relative & servant spoke to Charles in a different language. He reached adolescence speaking eight languages fluently. In adulthood, he recalled having had the delusion that every human spoke a different language, & wondering why he didn't have his own like everyone else. His father spoke to him in German, his grandfather in Russian, his nanny in Spanish.
He began working for the family's Berlitz School of Languages, during college breaks. The publishing house, of which he was vice president, sold, among other things, tourist phrase books & pocket dictionaries, several of which he authored. He also played a key role in developing record & tape language courses. He left the company in the late 1960s, not long after he sold the company to publishing firm Crowell, Collier & Macmillan. He graduated magna cum laude from Yale Univ.
Berlitz was a writer on anomalous phenomena. He wrote a number of books on Atlantis. In his book The Mystery of Atlantis, he used evidence from geophysics, psychic studies, classical literature, tribal lore, archeology & mysteries & concluded that Atlantis was real. Berlitz also attempted to link the Bermuda Triangle to Atlantis. He claimed to have located Atlantis undersea in the area of the Bermuda Triangle. He was also an ancient astronaut proponent who believed that extraterrestrials had visited earth.
Berlitz spent 13 years on active duty in the US Army, mostly in intelligence. In 1950, he married Valerie Seary, with whom he had a daughter, Lynn. He died in 2003 at the age of 89 at University Hospital in Tamarac, FL.
He began working for the family's Berlitz School of Languages, during college breaks. The publishing house, of which he was vice president, sold, among other things, tourist phrase books & pocket dictionaries, several of which he authored. He also played a key role in developing record & tape language courses. He left the company in the late 1960s, not long after he sold the company to publishing firm Crowell, Collier & Macmillan. He graduated magna cum laude from Yale Univ.
Berlitz was a writer on anomalous phenomena. He wrote a number of books on Atlantis. In his book The Mystery of Atlantis, he used evidence from geophysics, psychic studies, classical literature, tribal lore, archeology & mysteries & concluded that Atlantis was real. Berlitz also attempted to link the Bermuda Triangle to Atlantis. He claimed to have located Atlantis undersea in the area of the Bermuda Triangle. He was also an ancient astronaut proponent who believed that extraterrestrials had visited earth.
Berlitz spent 13 years on active duty in the US Army, mostly in intelligence. In 1950, he married Valerie Seary, with whom he had a daughter, Lynn. He died in 2003 at the age of 89 at University Hospital in Tamarac, FL.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 27, 2020
I take stuff like these with a grain of salt, but darn if they aren't compelling reading. I remember coming across a dingy, weatherbeaten paperback copy on one of my dusty attic expeditions when I was a kid. Until now, even with all the highly technical projects I have under my belt, I still can't get rid of that delicious frisson, that sense of awe and wonder when confronted with the strange and the paranormal.
That's why my eyes were fairly bugging out when I saw that it's now available in digital format and at a tempting price at that. The bite-sized pieces here never exceed two pages - perfect for the Twitter Generation. And yup, they are the ultimate pick-me-ups. When you feel bored in a commute, waiting in line at a dental clinic, or during a lull in one of those interminable office days, just read a story or two (or ten) and prepare to be transported to a fascinating world - a shadow one that is, quite disconcertingly, still very much our own. I sometimes nibble on a few before going to bed, but some entries here can be scary so you may want to steer clear if that'd be an issue.
If you liked this book, do check out World of the Odd and Awesome and World of the Incredible but True. They're by the same author and have a format similar to this one.
For sheer entertainment value and bang for your buck, I'm rating this one 9/10 or 4 stars out of 5.
That's why my eyes were fairly bugging out when I saw that it's now available in digital format and at a tempting price at that. The bite-sized pieces here never exceed two pages - perfect for the Twitter Generation. And yup, they are the ultimate pick-me-ups. When you feel bored in a commute, waiting in line at a dental clinic, or during a lull in one of those interminable office days, just read a story or two (or ten) and prepare to be transported to a fascinating world - a shadow one that is, quite disconcertingly, still very much our own. I sometimes nibble on a few before going to bed, but some entries here can be scary so you may want to steer clear if that'd be an issue.
If you liked this book, do check out World of the Odd and Awesome and World of the Incredible but True. They're by the same author and have a format similar to this one.
For sheer entertainment value and bang for your buck, I'm rating this one 9/10 or 4 stars out of 5.
June 28, 2014
I got like 3 books of him!
All telling these short tales of mysterious happenings.
I remember reading it at night when I was a kid, cursing myself because some of these things will stick with you.
It will make you wonder. It will tease your imagination.
Is there something beyond this?
All telling these short tales of mysterious happenings.
I remember reading it at night when I was a kid, cursing myself because some of these things will stick with you.
It will make you wonder. It will tease your imagination.
Is there something beyond this?
July 2, 2023
Wow, the author brings together in one single volume most of the strangest stories and incidents you've ever heard of: reincarnation, spontaneous human combustion, firestarter, the Belmez faces, near death experience, possession by a murdered man, hotel in another dimension, Nazi UFOs, phantom hitchhikers, Foo Fighters, Roanoke, The Men in Black... what a wild ride. If you ever need inspiration for your next novel have a look at those stories. More than meets the eye. Highly recommended!
February 20, 2025
Enlightening
Now I find myself having so many more questions! Although these are "stories" I happen to know a handful are factual as I heard them from the "horses mouth" myself. I can hardly discount the rest.
Now I find myself having so many more questions! Although these are "stories" I happen to know a handful are factual as I heard them from the "horses mouth" myself. I can hardly discount the rest.
July 29, 2019
Fun book to read.
This is a fun book to read. All the stories included are interesting to read. I admit, some tales are rather hard to believe. Still a good read for all.
This is a fun book to read. All the stories included are interesting to read. I admit, some tales are rather hard to believe. Still a good read for all.
June 30, 2021
Intéressant mais expériences répétivives
June 30, 2012
I wan't sure if I should put this book in my non-fiction shelf or not.
Well, it is about real delusions that real people actually have, right? Also, the author meant it as reality, the poor thing, which means that to him it's all real, right? So I decided to go ahead and do it. It's really about fiction though.
Most of the mysteries presented are not mysterious at all. If you dedicate a little bit of time to each, you'll find dozens of sites offering perfectly normal, science and logic based explanations to every single one of them.
There is nothing original about this book either. Every phenomena presented here is one of the same old bullshit "unexplainable" stories that you can find anywhere else.
The only valid reason to read this book is if you want to educate yourself on what kinds of silly things people like to believe in, and then do a web search for skeptic websites to help you understand the reality of each case.
Well, it is about real delusions that real people actually have, right? Also, the author meant it as reality, the poor thing, which means that to him it's all real, right? So I decided to go ahead and do it. It's really about fiction though.
Most of the mysteries presented are not mysterious at all. If you dedicate a little bit of time to each, you'll find dozens of sites offering perfectly normal, science and logic based explanations to every single one of them.
There is nothing original about this book either. Every phenomena presented here is one of the same old bullshit "unexplainable" stories that you can find anywhere else.
The only valid reason to read this book is if you want to educate yourself on what kinds of silly things people like to believe in, and then do a web search for skeptic websites to help you understand the reality of each case.
August 5, 2014
I will neither agree nor contest the veracity of the events listed in this book. It's not meant for a critical reader and if you're the kind, you will waste your time needlessly on this. Instead, the book, in my opinion, is meant to be a cursory account of the events that a reader could go over and try to engage his mind with simple thrills of the paranormal to get a sense of the various mysteries in the world. If that is all you're looking for, then you might be entertained.
June 23, 2008
Prepare to be amazed! If you already like weird things you've heard of at least half of the page-long freaky anecdotes that populate this book, and the other half are either howlingly stupid or not very interesting or both. Give this to your favorite nine-year-old and go read some Charles Fort.
February 5, 2013
Muitas histórias extraordináriamente interessantes e verdadeiramente desconcertantes. O autor narra histórias verídicas. Histórias paranormais e misteriosas que têm o condão de assombrar as nossas mentes.
Want to Read
November 20, 2011Ich habe ein Buch bei BookCrossing.com registriert!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10287050
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10287050
February 7, 2019
These are the best, unbelievably true things that have happened which defy logic. Totally entertaining, while giving the brain a good workout.
Read
October 4, 2016A lot of interesting little stories. UFO's, ghosts, psychic abilities, strange creatures and more.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews