Unexplained phenomena / the paranormal Books

Book Synopsis Two controversial authors debate the nature and methods of science, its dogmas, and its future. Rupert Sheldrake argues that science needs to free itself from materialist dogma while Michael Shermer contends that science, properly conceived, is a materialistic enterprise; for science to look beyond materialist explanations is to betray science and engage in superstition. Issues discussed include: materialism and its role in science, whether belief in God is compatible with a scientific perspective, and parapsychology. Michael Shermer is Editor-in-Chief of Skeptic magazine and the author of numerous books including Skeptic. Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author of ten books including his most recent, Science Set Free, which challenges scientific dogma.

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Book SynopsisUncover thrilling paranormal tales of Gold Rush ghosts, haunted hotels, shipwrecks, giant squid attacks, disappeared Russian explorers, a vanished bear hunter, Sasquatch, Kushtaka, and so much more. A collection of twenty stories showcasing the supernatural legends and unsolved mysteries of Southeast Alaska, with a focus on the region between Yakutat and Petersburg, where the author has lived his entire life, writing, teaching, guiding, commercial fishing, and investigating ghost stories. Each chapter is rooted in Bjorn’s own adventures and will intertwine fascinating history, interviews, and his reflections. Bjorn’s writing, sometimes poignant and often wickedly funny, brings to mind Hunter S. Thompson and Patrick McManus. Chapters touch on legends such as Alexander Baranov, Soapy Smith, James Wickersham, and the Kóoshdaa Káa (Kushtaka) to lesser known but fascinating characters like “Naked” Joe Knowles and purported serial killer Ed Krause. From duplicitous if not downright diabolical humans to demons of the fjords and deep seas and cryptids of the forest, Bjorn Dihle presents a lively cross-section of the haunter and the haunted found in Alaska’s Inside Passage.Trade Review"With glaciers tucked in-between mountains, dark waters cloaking an abundance of marine life, and wild animals lurking just out of sight in copses of hemlock and spruce, many have viewed Southeast Alaska as a mysterious place. Outdoors and humor writer Bjorn Dihle taps into that sense of the Panhandle with his debut book In this unique work, Dihle unites one part nature writing, one part memoir, and one part historical work under the thematic subject of supernatural stories in Southeast. Throughout the book, Dihle’s strong voice for nature writing is clear, as well as a healthy dose of levity from his own life to lighten the often somber stories. Each story is not simply anecdotal asides from interviewees, but is set into its historical context, with many interesting facts to learn." --Juneau EmpireTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Map 1. The Mysteries of Yakobi Island 2. The Ghost of Castle Hill 3. A Testament to Ice 4. The Ghosts of Juneau's Past 5. The Terrible Fate of the Clara Nevada 6. The King Con of the Klondike 7. Ghosts of Skagway 8. The Kóoshdaa Káa Chronicles 9. The Legends of Thomas Bay 10. The Sinking of the Islander and the Legend of Its Lost Gold 11. The Ghosts of the House of Wickersham 12. The Curious Case of “the most Diabolical Murderer in Alaska's History” 13. The Tragedy of the Princess Sophia 14. Trouble with Bigfoot 15. The Witches of Southeast Alaska 16. It Came from the Depths: A Brief History of Southeast Alaska’s Sea Monsters 17. The Haunting of the Mount Edgecumbe Hospital 18. Ghosts of the Alaskan Hotel 19. Naked Joe: Alaska's Most Famous and Least Known Ghost 20. Juneau's Front Street Ghosts Bibliography

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Book SynopsisUncover thrilling paranormal tales of Gold Rush ghosts, haunted hotels, shipwrecks, giant squid attacks, disappeared Russian explorers, a vanished bear hunter, Sasquatch, Kushtaka, and so much more. A collection of twenty stories showcasing the supernatural legends and unsolved mysteries of Southeast Alaska, with a focus on the region between Yakutat and Petersburg, where the author has lived his entire life, writing, teaching, guiding, commercial fishing, and investigating ghost stories. Each chapter is rooted in Bjorn’s own adventures and will intertwine fascinating history, interviews, and his reflections. Bjorn’s writing, sometimes poignant and often wickedly funny, brings to mind Hunter S. Thompson and Patrick McManus. Chapters touch on legends such as Alexander Baranov, Soapy Smith, James Wickersham, and the Kóoshdaa Káa (Kushtaka) to lesser known but fascinating characters like “Naked” Joe Knowles and purported serial killer Ed Krause. From duplicitous if not downright diabolical humans to demons of the fjords and deep seas and cryptids of the forest, Bjorn Dihle presents a lively cross-section of the haunter and the haunted found in Alaska’s Inside Passage.Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Map 1. The Mysteries of Yakobi Island 2. The Ghost of Castle Hill 3. A Testament to Ice 4. The Ghosts of Juneau's Past 5. The Terrible Fate of the Clara Nevada 6. The King Con of the Klondike 7. Ghosts of Skagway 8. The Kóoshdaa Káa Chronicles 9. The Legends of Thomas Bay 10. The Sinking of the Islander and the Legend of Its Lost Gold 11. The Ghosts of the House of Wickersham 12. The Curious Case of “the most Diabolical Murderer in Alaska's History” 13. The Tragedy of the Princess Sophia 14. Trouble with Bigfoot 15. The Witches of Southeast Alaska 16. It Came from the Depths: A Brief History of Southeast Alaska’s Sea Monsters 17. The Haunting of the Mount Edgecumbe Hospital 18. Ghosts of the Alaskan Hotel 19. Naked Joe: Alaska's Most Famous and Least Known Ghost 20. Juneau's Front Street Ghosts Bibliography

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Book SynopsisNorth Carolina is considered one of the US headquarters for ghost lights—that is, for spooky and unexplained luminous phenomena. Nearly half of all reported ghost lights shine, blink, burn, dance, or float somewhere in the state. These ghost lights are well known in their localities. There are scary and fascinating stories associated with them, and they attract many visitors, each hoping to see a ball of fire floating over a cemetery or a jack-o’-lantern illuminating a corner of the Great Dismal Swamp or a long-dead railroad man swinging his lantern in search of his severed head. Author Charles “Fritz” Gritzner has been chasing ghost lights for many years. A geography professor and luminous phenomenon buff, he has visited the sites, researched possible scientific explanations for the lights, and recorded the legends surrounding them. In this charming and fascinating book, he does not seek to debunk these phenomena, but to illuminate them as a part of the folk culture of North Carolina. This book—organized by the regions of the state—contains maps, site descriptions, and related stories for 54 separate ghost light locations. Written for a general audience, it is the perfect guide for a ghost light seeker or for those fascinated by ghost stories and local folklore.Table of ContentsNorth Carolina Ghost Lights and Legends Introduction Northeast East Central Southeast Central Western Reflections References

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Book SynopsisPiedmont Phantoms collects ghost stories from the populous central region of North Carolina as part of the Haunted North Carolina series. This book includes stories told around campfires, in grandma’s attic, and on nighttime drives on the backroads of the Piedmont. There is a story for each county in the Piedmont, forty in all, including tales of ghosts, witches, demons, spook lights, unidentified flying objects, unexplained phenomena, and more. “Capitol Haunts,” the Wake County story, tells of strange doings at the State Capitol—an unoccupied elevator moving from floor to floor, an unseen hand touching a security guard, the sounds of books falling off shelves and barrels rolling down stairs. “Ghostly Legacy of the Swamp Fox,” the Robeson County story, introduces the spirits of the traitor who betrayed Revolutionary War general Francis Marion and the Highland Scot girl who made him do it. “The Hunter at the Zoo,” the Randolph County story, describes the ghost of the Confederate recruiter who once hunted human prey at what is now North Carolina Zoological Park. Piedmont Phantoms contains a new foreword by Scott Mason, WRAL’s “Tar Heel Traveler” and author of three North Carolina guidebooks. Other books in the Haunted North Carolina series feature tales of the mountains, Haints of the Hills, and tales of the coast, Seaside Spectres.

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Book SynopsisHaints of the Hills collects ghost stories from North Carolina’s mountainous west as part of the Haunted North Carolina series. This book includes stories told around campfires, in grandma’s attic, and on nighttime drives on the curvy roads of the Blue Ridge Mountains. There is a story for each county in western North Carolina, twenty-seven in all, among them tales of ghosts, witches, demons, spook lights, unidentified flying objects, unexplained phenomena, and more. Readers will be chilled to learn of the red-and-white-striped monstrosity that may still inhabit the Valley River at the site the Indians called the “Leech Place,” as told in the Cherokee County story, “The Giant Bloodsucker.” They’ll be warmed by the Christ-like stranger who came to Bat Cave to repair a rift between neighbors, then vanished as mysteriously as he arrived, as revealed in the Henderson County story, “The Carpenter.” They’ll want to travel the lonely stretch of road in Avery County where locals have witnessed the spirit of Captain Robert Sevier, the seven-foot-tall hero of the American Revolution, as laid out in “The Long Trek Home.” Haints of the Hills contains a new foreword by Scott Mason, WRAL’s “Tar Heel Traveler” and author of three North Carolina guidebooks. Other books in the Haunted North Carolina series feature tales of the coast, Seaside Spectres, and tales of the state’s central region, Piedmont Phantoms.

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Book Synopsis

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