Dr. William F. Williams

I brought this home from the library and my 14 yo son immediately dove into it. I suppose we can always go to the websites for Straight Dope or for Snopes, but this looks like it'd be fun to actually read. If you're geeky like us anyway. It's pretty hefty - we might decide to buy it.

Ok done. I did wind up reading most of it. It leaves out a lot of listings I'd like to see, and includes a lot of formerly famous people best forgotten, so we won't buy it. If you're geekily interested, get it from your library or don't fret if they don't have it. Read Martin Gardner's works - he was listed often in 'further reading.'

If you do read the book, be sure to read the introduction about ethics, and the entry on Science Fiction and Science.

The entry for the Piri Reis map is recommended. Of course, Wikipedia reveals that more work has been done studying the map since the book was published - and that revelation discloses the biggest reason not to buy the book. Most of us now, researching a topic, are best served, imo, by going to Wikipedia for an overview, and then to more primary sources for confirmation and details.… (mehr)