| Title | : | Strange Stories, Amazing Facts |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0276000803 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780276000805 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 608 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1975 |
Strange Stories, Amazing Facts Reviews
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In the 70s, ghosts still existed and many of the stories of the supernatural presented here seemed, at the least, plausible. We had a copy of this on the bookshelf when I was a kid and I read it cover to cover and back again a few times. Of course, most of the stories have dated in a somewhat delightful manner -- especially the section dealing with predictions of the future, which has repeatedly failed to deliver me the comfortable life in an underwater city it promised -- but I'm not giving it five stars just for nostalgic purposes. The historical adventure stories were snappy and would still fire up kids' imaginations today, and even as a fully-grown rationalist the story of the Faces of Belmez still gives me the willies. Keep an eye out in your local thrift stores.
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whoa nellie, is this still in print???? YAHOOO!!
This isn't the well loved, straightforward red and gold cover of the copy I had (which i think was originally my grandmother's book...) but i was TOTALLY addicted to this book as a kid!
I read and re-read many of the stories, sometimes scaring myself half to death, sometimes convinced I was actually a descendant of the Romanov family, sometimes sure I should begin my careeer as a paranormal investigator. It could not get more awesome as an 8 or 9 year old than this book... and since they were all "facts" i was hooked completely!
now i've got to see if my dusty old copy is buried in one of my kid archive piles somewhere... better get it ready for the next generation :) -
I was just randomly browsing through my books on GR when I came across this. Of course, now I know that the "facts" reported by Reader's Digest are mostly fantasy, but this book gave me an introduction to many fascinating things which I had no knowledge of: it also kindled an interest for the bizarre in me.
A nice read if you take it with a pinch of salt. -
Like many others, I acquired this book from my grandparents who had passed it on to my parents. Also like many others, this book influenced me in ways no other book has. It took my 10 year old mind on a ride and I never got off of it.. and thank you for that. This book, written before the days of our ever fact checking internet era had my mind spun with crazy tales that stretched across many subjects and kept me ever entertained. There are few books from my childhood that I remember so well. At 34 years old, I turned 14 when the internet was released upon us and it is reflection upon this book that makes me fondly remember those days. I can remember the texture of the paper it was printed on, the smell of the pages and even the sound that they made as I turned the pages over and over. I was an avid reader as a child.. this book reminds me of all the books I have ever consumed. I have not seen a copy of this book in probably 24 years or so yet it is vividly defined in my memories. I guess there must have been something special about this book as I see many reviews with the same profound feelings for it. I imagine reading this now would feel strange, what with all the Google around to fact check. Oh well, A definite must have to gift to a young adult with a growing imagination.
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This was my grandparent's book and I would sneak away and read it whenever we visited their home. Although I was only 8 years old I quickly became hooked on the macabre stories, the creepy legends, and most of all, the scary pictures.
That was all the way back in 1982.
The book now rests here on my very own bookshelf. My grandparents were nice enough to let me have it - the very same copy I would hide away with to enter the realm of Strange Stories and Amazing Facts.
In terms of who might enjoy this book, I was the kid who couldn't get enough of the Elvira show on Channel 9 (in Southern California) and the Leonard Nimoy-hosted "In Search Of", so if either of those have their place in your childhood memories, this book is right up your (creepy) alley! -
My grandma had a copy of this book, and I would always pick it up when we visited. Finally, she insisted that I take it and keep it. There are so many interesting stories in here-- of science, history, social studies, disasters, and mysteries. It kept me fascinated for a long time.
And for a 15 year old girl, I could always whip out some interesting factoid on people in discussions, and hear things like "Wow! Where did you learn THAT?" Right here in this nifty encyclopedia of the weird and intriguing! I'm 42 now, and still remember and use cool facts i first learned in this book. -
My favorite of the Reader Digest Books my parents amassed when I was young. When my mom 'downsized' several months ago she sent it to me because I was always reading it and it has spent the last few months on my bedside table. The book is a compilation of just what the title says--"Strange Stories and Amazing Facts." Subjects run the gamut from space and nature to science and engineering to my favorite sections of legends and unsolved mysteries, hoaxes and interesting bits of creepy history. Less frightening after close to four decades of being published than it was to me as a child, it was fun to read a few of my favorite stories in bed at night. "Spring-Heeled Jack"--a figure with burning devil eyes that 'flew' through the air terrorizing London in the 1800s still gives me little chills and I will always be fascinated by "What Happened to the Romanovs?" and "I AM Anastasia." I'll be keeping my copy when the urge for my childhood strikes! 4.5 stars
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My boss Jo gave me this book about a week ago and the first thing that drew me in was the cover because I love it when books just have simple cover with the writing on and knew it would let look great on my shelf. The book itself is quite big, with over 500 pages it looks quite intimidating. I must say though it really was an interesting book, I especially loved the supernatural section! I don't really know if everything in it is fact but I can deal with that. The only thing that got me was how long it took me to read it, it had such a slow pace that I kept getting frustrated and finding other things to do. Overall though it was a fantastic read.
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This was my book OBSESSION when I was a kid! I carried this thing everywhere I went. I read my favorite stories in here dozens of times. I loved the paranormal ones, historical oddities, and mysteries the best. I even bought another copy as an adult after the original was destroyed in a house fire. This book did more to boost my imagination than anything else I ever read did.
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This review may not make much sense in the age of instant information
Such a widely interesting and eclectic series of stories and facts. Reading this book alone could you make you more quote-worthy than anyone else in your school in the 90s -
It is an amazing collection of information and stories and treasure hunts and....it's superb! I love it.
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Recuerdo con cariño las horas que pasé leyendo y releyendo cada página de este hermoso libro. Mi padre lo consiguió en un mercado de pulgas en algún momento de su vida y ha estado con nosotros desde entonces. Siendo un niño recuerdo verlo en nuestra estantería como un ejemplar exótico, pero la portada descolorida y el tamaño inmenso no fueron suficientes para disuadirme de tomarlo un buen día y comenzar a leerlo.
El título del libro era lo suficientemente llamativo: El gran libro de lo asombroso e inaudito , ¿qué niño habría sido capaz de desdeñar una aventura tan prometedora? Este libro, junto a los tradicionales cuentos de hadas y las enciclopedias Larousse y Grolier, marcaron mis primeras lecturas. La curiosidad que alimenté en esos años nunca me ha abandonado y estoy convencido de que no soy el único que guarda buenos recuerdos de esta obra. Los principales alicientes para leerlo son su lenguaje sencillo, la calidad de las historias recopiladas y la diversidad de los temas tratados.
El libro está organizado en cinco partes:
1. El enigma del espacio. El asombroso cuerpo humano. Maravillas del mundo natural. Sorpresas del reino animal.
2. Prodigios de la ciencia. Construcciones y obras portentosas. Invenciones extraordinarias. Viajes intrépidos. A la búsqueda del pasado.
3. Costumbres y supersticiones extrañas. Verdades y patrañas populares. Misterios indescifrados. Incursiones por lo desconocido. Tierras y bestias legendarias.
4. Imposturas, estafas y falsificaciones. Profecías y excentricidades. Orígenes de hechos cotidianos.
5. El mundo del mañana.
Por desgracia, me temo que mucha de la información que contiene ya es vieja y está desactualizada, incluso para un niño nacido en los 90 muchas de estas páginas ya estaban caducas, sin embargo, la curiosidad por el mundo que nos rodea es algo que siempre será vigente.
Escribo esta reseña por la nostalgia y también para conocer a otros que hayan disfrutado de las emocionantes páginas de este libro. Confío en que no seremos pocos. -
I remember the first time I took this book off the shelf at home and read an article about a suitcase that double as a life preserver, and another about a device so you could tip your hat without using your hands.
That would have been almost 30 years ago, and I'm still just picking this book up from time to time and reading random articles. These days it's interesting to see that some of the engineering projects written off by the book (like the Chunnel), have now, finally been completed, and some of the futuristic predictions have come to pass while others are now laughable (others are possible, for some inexplicable reason, not common). -
This is one of those rare and obscure anthology books that utterly captured my childhood fascination and obsession. I remember spending HOURS looking at each page and section.
It's title says it all; it's a collection of odd stories, each probably less than 500 words. The stories are all true (but who knows just how vigorous the research was) but have a hook of the macabre, gruesome, or bizarre. For a budding young horror and scifi fan, this book was like heaven.
I was so in love with it, that years later my mom gave it to me, knowing how much time I spent with it. -
This is an all-time favorite, a book I've been reading and rereading since I was a kid. I especially loved the astronomy and supernatural sections of the book, though the sections about con artists throughout the years was good as well. This book has something for everyone, and while some of the sections might be a bit dated by this point in time (notably the sections about technology), I'm sure it's a selection I'd be happy to pick up and read again and again and again and...
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I love this book, even though 85 percent of it is outdated, and most of it is sensationally written. Anyone know of a modern version of a book like this? A compendium of ghost stories, eccentrics, hoaxes, black magic, the supernatural, cryptozoology?
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My dad let me read this when I was very young. As an adult I have it on my own bookshelf. This will always been one of my favorite reads.
Although outdated now, I still enjoy flipping through it. The horror stories still give me chills!! -
This book was a major influence on me as a child! I have surely read it cover to cover more than once, and it's chock full of historical tidbits, both mysterious and bizarre. I can say that I *literally* love it.
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An enjoyable collection of often dubious tales, historical oddments and strange events to be read with a desalination plant's worth of salt - nonetheless an engaging and enjoyable read that should encourage wider reading to learn more.
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A lot of great strange and amazing facts.
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This is a classic. Includes hoaxes, science, history, anything that will titillate my 12 year old mind! Passed to me from my father.
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I devoured this during my first Alaskan winter. I still remenber and anticipated the next subject covered. It is crammed with EVERYTHING.
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Wonderful bedside book
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These are certainly some strange stories. I skip over all the "ghost" stories, etc but otherwise, some good historical accounts.
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Oddìo, quanto l'ho letto e riletto!
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Loved it; want it now for my own library
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Amazing book! I read this when I was in elementary and high school and it was originally my great grandfather's. A must-read!
