Index of Odd Books
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Doctors Strange
For some reason it has been the pattern for those of the early health food and breakfast cereal... more
The author, as well as having a forename which is an anagram of his surname, had some unusual... more
On its title page this little book claims to be “a study of the sacred laws that govern the sex... more
I acquired this curious little book in the early 1970s, paying 5 pence for it. I was attracted by... more
(Or, "Think and Grow Boobs".)
The myth that we only use 10% of our brains is an enduring one though... more
If there's such a thing as ESP, then surely it can be employed in the cause of psychotherapy. That'... more
"All illustrations in this book are photographs of MENTAL PICTURES"
As a boy, Charles... more
Fuat Ulus's book seems to be a sincerely-meant manual for practitioners of Movie Therapy - the use... more
Erroneous ideas [...] about how people should feel, behave and love, have become deeply... more
Inexact Science
The author, a retired optical engineer, published this historically negligible work himself. It was... more
[Walter C Wright, Carlton Press, 1979]
As its title suggests, this book expounds a theory that... more
This is a beautiful example of what might be called dilettante physics: science conducted as if... more
In the compiling of this little book as a contradiction of the theory of the present Astronomers... more
This book has the distinction of being one of the stupidest attempts at theoretical physics I have... more
As a schoolboy I did not do well at History. Maybe things are different now, but in those far-off... more
Another author on this site discusses the question Why Jesus Was a Man and Not a Woman. R. Clay... more
Ten years after the annus mirabilis in which Einstein overthrew established ideas about time and... more
Suppose for a moment that you are Ed Bush, and you, together with your pal Terry Gaston and some... more
Science is hard, man. You have to know all those theories and equations and stuff, and if you get... more
Lone Voices
This rather dull-looking paperback book is actually a little gem of oddball literature, with many... more
One of the best books ever written from the inside of a delusional state, Nino Volpe's exposure of... more
This is a a large, professional-looking volume, running to 461 pages including a detailed index,... more
My interest in the man who called himself Frank Nimrod began when I chanced on an item listed in an... more
It is unusual to find an address label on the dust jacket of a book: it is even more unusual to... more
Conspiracies. They are everywhere, you know. Equally ubiquitous it would seem are books exposing... more
Alfred Lawson, 1904. Some books by Alfred Lawson Alfred Lawson (1869-1954) was an unusual man: a... more
Since the nineteenth century a number of writers have questioned whether William Shakespeare... more
Here we have a very weird book indeed. Comb-bound in a cheap imitation leather... more
The Human Puppet is the sad story of a disintegrated mind: a woman convinced that she is being... more
The Legend of the 10 Elemental Masters is the only work of fiction I have encountered which takes... more
The author of this obscure work poses an important question, one that remains unanswered almost 50... more
When I picked up this book recently I knew Patience Strong only as the author of queasy verses on... more
Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp,
Or what's a heaven for?
-- Robert Browning ... more
There is a special circle of Odd Book heaven reserved for elderly gentlemen who spend their... more
From The Adventures of Alice in Nonsequiturland.
Alice laughed. 'One can't believe... more
Demetri Marchessini's unusual picture book answers that important question so often asked by women... more
Of the thousands of titles which have been written on the subject of the Death-Life Law, this -... more
Between September 1996 and her death just under a year later in August 1997, Dutch businessman John... more
Numb and Number
As I have remarked before, many of the authors featured here are retired gentlemen. With retirement... more
This is not a book to be read from cover to cover except by the most committed of individuals. A... more
Ooh, Spooky
When I was young there was a comic strip called 'The Numskulls', about some little men who lived... more
I obtained this book from my correspondent Michael Osler in exchange for my copy of Peter Blobbs.... more
The rules for a successful oracular career are simple:-
Be prolific. Make a lot of prophecies... more
Power. Deep down, isn't that what we all want? Power over others, power to induce them to do our... more
In the early part of the last century, when this book was written, Spiritualism was much more... more
In this crazy book written, as we'll see, to prove that its author was not crazy, Donnelly... more
“Gervée Baronte” is (ignoring the accent) an anagram of “be ever rot agen”: an observation as... more
Ultra, Laura Shellabarger Hunt's remarkable only published work, is intended to convey a message.... more
If you are looking for a thrilling mystery with a supernatural twist: this is not it. On the other... more
What if all spiritualist mediums are genuine, and the phenomena of the seance are real? Could not... more
The author, John Armstrong Chaloner (born Chanler), known as Archie to his friends, made frequent... more
It is difficult to forecast the scope of the present treatise without seeming to make arrogant... more
Ms Herold's little handbook strives to alert police officers to the menace of the occult, though as... more
It was with some scepticism that the public looked at copies of Hitler's Last Year of Power on... more
This charming little item is, like The Animals and Birds Redeemed from Death, an attempt to... more
In Incredible Alliance P. M. Doucé describes her experiments with automatic writing, in which she... more
This little book is an introduction to Spiritualism for small children, which understandably... more
Too many authors choose snappy and memorable titles: not King W. Chow, though, who wisely picked... more
With Martin Scorsese's film about the worst excesses of Wall Street in cinemas in the UK this week... more
Alastair MacLellan's fascinating and troubling little book is one of a small number of works about... more
Physiognomical Follies
BISBA - which stands for the “Burr Identification System of Breast Analysis” - is misogyny... more
Sales people are notoriously always looking for a way to get an advantage - over their customers,... more
According to its blurb “A SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE presents the... more
This large and very seriously intended publication from one of America's major academic presses... more
New! Moles and their Meaning is available to buy from Lulu.com.
This little book is something of... more
Precious Guidance
(Thanks must go to my most excellent correspondent Nancy Beiman for steering me to this submerged... more
The fashions of the past, whether of dress or of thought, help to make it seem remote from today.... more
Judging this book by its disturbing cover, with its promise that “people can be easily influenced... more
Thanks again to Nancy Beiman for this useful little book which she generously passed on to me -... more
Do YOU suffer from poor conversational skills? Although nowadays I may seem confident to the point... more
What a title, eh? Sadly it isn't quite the full-on male chauvinist rant one might hope for: rather... more
It would be unfair for me to poke fun at the hairstyles of the 1980s. As one whose then-abundant... more
Pyramidal Pinheads
According to Riffert, the Great Pyramid was built by the biblical king Enoch, as 'God's Bible in... more
This book was not the first to attribute quasi-magical powers to pyramids, but it has been one of... more
From the late Christopher Hills' Wikipedia page (at least as it stands at the time of writing) you... more
Rancid Rhymes
Connoisseurs of bad verse will know of Amanda McKittrick Ros, Julia Moore or William McGonagall,... more
Remainder Pile
REP stands for “Rubbing Eases Pain”, the slogan of Elliman's Embrocation, a product happily still... more
This book purports to teach something of the art of lighting for studio portrait photography, but... more
It is possible to know innumerable things and understand very little: to have a magpie kind of mind... more
The Kemsley Newspapers group was in 1950, when this book was written, a significant force in the... more
The desperation of the post war years, the cheapness and shoddiness of those times, is captured... more
Once in a while I come across a book whose oddity is charming rather than idiotic: Faces of World'... more
In his delightfully eccentric book Gus Pulakos sets out to write a history of confectionery, but he... more
I know very little about Mrs Bitting but no one could say she lacks ambition. To attempt to adapt... more
If you publish a book yourself, you can have it just the way you want: you can, for instance, give... more
I have chosen self publication of my book as unless one has achieved notoriety either by... more
Ah, yes, the good old days, when men were men, even men like Liberace. This is a patchy, half-... more
Very occasionally one comes upon a book whose existence is the oddest thing about it. Wartime... more
Properties and Powers is an 19th century science primer for children. It might seem churlish to... more
In his 1943 book Rogues' Gallery Frank Scully provides us with profiles of various notable writers... more
Space Between The Ears
This adventure story by R Stamp, a retired draughtsman, suffers from two major disadvantages: a... more
Undeniably many people believe they have been abducted by aliens, and why they should do so is a... more
It was on an evening in 1981 when 9-year-old Sharon was staying with her grandfather, retired Bell... more
Most references say the first use of the term “flying saucer” was in 1947, after pilot Kenneth... more
If there are aliens out there, they are having a good laugh at our expense: that is the message I... more
If this unorthodox work ever wins a wider readership, it might greatly simplify the practice of art... more
The Religious Bent
(Please note that this article contains mockery of sincerely held Christian beliefs, albeit of the... more
I remember as a small boy attending the family service at our local church and seeing the vicar... more
The Book of Revelation is, according to the Wikipedia entry for it, “one of the most... more
Jesus said (Matthew 5-44.) “Love your enemies”, but some appear to have read this verse as “... more
Everything's in the bible, isn't it? Text messages, genetic engineering, the internet, anti-... more
Sidney Tapp, who wrote this curious book, was a lawyer. Having read it, I assume his principal... more
Wagner's account of her kidnapping and miraculous escape is a sort of fairy story for the soft of... more
I have mentioned elsewhere the pleasure to be gained from the absurd analogies... more
It was not always so, but nowadays it is more than respectable to appreciate Naive Art. Good prices... more
Animal-lovers who are also Christians often find the Church doctrine that life after death is... more
Those of you who read UK national newspapers in the early 1990s may remember the strange full-page... more
This book asks a simple question: was Elvis the Messiah? Plainly, he wasn't but the authors do... more
Brother Yhugm's tale is an exciting one. Escaping from a life of primitive savagery, he came to the... more
In this combination of personal memoir and guidebook to spiritual improvement, the unhappily-named... more
On the cover of The Quest for Right, Volume 1, there's a row of stars with just one brighter than... more
Gaskell's two-ton monster of a book claims "to give the true solution of the age-long problem of... more
Those of us who exist in a state of shuddering trepidation at the advances of technology will be... more
Unexpected Authors
How many of the twentieth-century's vicious dictators also wrote a bodice-ripping historical novel... more