Stranger Than Science
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While Chas Fort produced volumes of unusualness & spiritualist books by R. DeWitt Miller, Nandor Fodor & others were out there, they were low profile on the general reader's radar at the end of the 50s, beginning of the 60s. SF & horror were & westerns & private eyes, but True Weird was but a blip. Then came Stranger Than Science. Its hardcover appearance made ripples. When it came out as an Ace paperback it was like Boulder Dam breaking. Copies flew off racks. Why? Kids discovered it in an affordable format. The timing was right. Postwar baby boomers were hitting 12-14 & their interests were focussed on UFOs, monster movies, Ray Harryhausen stop-motions, Famous Monsters of Filmland & numerous other late-night Shock Theatre hosts—anything to make a shiver. Readers Digest was publishing stories about "The Mysterious Abominable Snowman" & "The Elusive Loch Ness Monster". Youngsters lapped it up. Stranger Than Science hit the mass market at just the right time & with just the right material to grab a ready-made readership. Edward's book became an Ace bestseller. They knew a good thing & started cranking out strange but true books as fast as they could set type while other publishers joined the bandwagon.
Liked Stranger Than Science? Here’s where I’d start.
These suit anyone who liked Stranger Than Science. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.
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The Man Who Counted Infinity and Other Short Stories from Science, History and Philosophy Shares science, nonfiction, history
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Electrified Sheep: Glass-Eating Scientists, Nuking the Moon, and More Bizarre Experiments Shares science, nonfiction, history -
Unexplained!: Strange Sightings, Incredible Occurrences & Puzzling Physical Phenomena Shares nonfiction, paranormal, history -
Caesar's Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us Shares science, nonfiction, history
“People who read Stranger Than Science tend to reach for these next.”
“If you want more of the same (science), start with these.”
“If it was the history that hooked you, try one of these.”
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Walking Zero: Discovering Cosmic Space and Time Along the Prime Meridian
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Boffinology: The Real Stories Behind Our Greatest Scientific Discoveries
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Mad Science: Einstein's Fridge, Dewar's Flask, Mach's Speed, and 362 Other Inventions and Discoveries that Made Our World
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Bad Ideas?: An Arresting History of Our Inventions
