Rating: 
Summary: Perfectly Odd
Review: A superb book stuffed with bizarre topics and weird old illustrations. The previous reviewer's remark about "there's nothing in here I need to know" totally misses the point. Of course you don't NEED to know this stuff! It's the simple joy of human weirdness that makes this book worthwhile. Where else are you going to learn about recreational nose-slicing and the fine art of ceiling-walking? Also check out Jay's "Learned Pigs", Bondeson's "Feejee Mermaid," Collins's "Banvard's Folly," and Standage's "The Turk" ... all great stuff in this same line.
Rating:
Summary: Perfectly Odd
Review: All right-thinking people everywhere have a solid affection for Ricky Jay, be it for his magic acts, his winsome and too-infrequent film roles, or his research and writing. The essays here are marvelously entertaining, each one on a specific historical performer or performance phenomenon. The subjects vary, and, somewhat inevitably, some are more interesting than others. What is clear, however, is that Jay has done an astonishing amount of research, and he brings his love of the material to life. At times his writing is a bit archly formal, but that perhaps only adds to the showman like tone of the work. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of odd performers or for anyone who simply enjoys learning about how the world is always a little bit stranger than the previously thought.
Rating:
Summary: Great and Strange Fun
Review: All right-thinking people everywhere have a solid affection for Ricky Jay, be it for his magic acts, his winsome and too-infrequent film roles, or his research and writing. The essays here are marvelously entertaining, each one on a specific historical performer or performance phenomenon. The subjects vary, and, somewhat inevitably, some are more interesting than others. What is clear, however, is that Jay has done an astonishing amount of research, and he brings his love of the material to life. At times his writing is a bit archly formal, but that perhaps only adds to the showman like tone of the work. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of odd performers or for anyone who simply enjoys learning about how the world is always a little bit stranger than the previously thought.
Rating:
Summary: Book centering on the weird in life
Review: Following his Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women sleight-of- hand performer Jay compiles and comments on advertising for conjurers, cheats, hustlers, hoaxsters, pranksters, sideshow showmen, armless calligraphers, mechanical marvels, popular entertainments, and other weird stuff.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointment
Review: I was eagerly awaiting this book, but ended up very disappointed. The 16 essays are scrupulously researched and illustrated, but I found the subjects far too specific and arcane for my tastes. It is obvious that Ricky Jay has a love for the topics, and that shows, but they weren't topics I needed to know this much detail about.
Rating:
Summary: disappointment
Review: I was eagerly awaiting this book, but ended up very disappointed. The 16 essays are scrupulously researched and illustrated, but I found the subjects far too specific and arcane for my tastes. It is obvious that Ricky Jay has a love for the topics, and that shows, but they weren't topics I needed to know this much detail about.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Reading
Review: If you enjoyed Ricky Jay's book, Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women, you will most certainly enjoy this new book by the same author. Jay's Journal of Anomalies is a hardbound, full collection compilation of his quarterly publication of the same name. Ricky Jay, an accomplished magician and show biz historian, culls some of the best information, from his vast collection and library, and sends you back in time to experience the excitement, the cheating, the charlatanism, the absurdity, the amazement and the gullibility of audiences of past centuries. This is truly fun reading. What you will find in this book is the same type of off-beat oddities found in Learned Pigs, with the same eclectic variety of persons and animals, with amazing in-depth knowledge of these acts long past. As a professional entertainer myself, I am truly astonished at the types of amusement the people of the 18th and 19th centuries enjoyed. Here, in this book, you will find such creatures as learned dogs, trained fleas and the rare-but-famous Bonassus. You will enjoy learning about crucifixion acts of the 19th and 20th centuries, persons who amputated their nose, people who stopped eating completely and the tiniest and fattest of persons. You will enjoy learning about crucifixion acts of the 19th and 20th centuries, persons who amputated their nose, people who stopped eating completely and the tiniest and fattest of persons. What's the odd relationship between magician and dentists? How did Automatons work? Could people really float? Read about these in Jay's Journal of Anomalies. This is truly a fun and fascinating book to read; I can see how the subscribers of the original publication would look forward to reading it every three months. One thing to note is that this book is more than just a compilation of newsletters. Added to this book are some beautiful (and sometimes colorful) posters, pictures and such that were not in the original set of newsletters. There is also a section of the book that updates much of the information in the original manuscripts. (Expect to increase your vocabulary, too. Ricky Jay's utilization of the English language is extraordinary. I thoroughly enjoyed his unique writing style.) I highly recommend this book to anyone who entertains. Get this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women-Ricky Jay
Review: Jay has done a splendid job with his book, "Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women". If you ever wondered "What is REAL show business"? this book tells the tale. Very well researched and very entertaining. This is a "must have" for any student of show business.
Rating:
Summary: A Fabulous Journey Into The Bizarre
Review: Ricky Jay in not a magician, and would cringe at the term. He is a deceiver. Unlike more convention illustionists, like Copperfield, Jay never asks you to suspend your disbelief. In his live stage shows, he is out to deceive you, and he wants you to know it. He defies the laws of physics before your very eyes in his live stage show, and in this remarkable book, he introduces you to people who have done the same over the centuries. This is not a man you want to play cards with! In this book, Jay takes you on a journey spanning centuries of some of the most deceptive, fascinating, and truly bizarre characters that have populated the fringes of the conventional world. The characters in this journey are truly bizarre, but truly human. Jay doesn't merely describe their acts. He presents them as real human beings, living in a world all their own. They may seem to be 'freaks' but Jay presents them to you with a dignity and admiration that is rarely seen in this genre. Jay is as adept at playing games with words as he is with games of cards. Jay has a true love of language, and revels in the poetry of the con man. As a curator of rare books, he loves the history of con men, and other things that we all love to see, if not fall victim to. He describes how we today fall for the same tricks as we did centuries ago. Jay clearly loves the people who he describes in his book. He introduces you the the people behind the acts. The reader is introduced to these hoaxsters and con artists as real people, living in a real world. He gives them a unique dignity. Ricky Jay has the gift of a true appreciation for language. He plays the same games with words as he plays with cards. Jay never views his subjects as 'freaks' who are exploited. He presents them as unique people with very unique talents. This book is a pleasure to read. At times, you'll laugh out loud, and at times you'll cringe. But you will never be bored. Ricky Jay will take you on a fascinating journey into a most unique and bizarre world. Fans of Ricky Jay will love the book. And those who don't know about Ricky Jay will be introduced to a new world, and introduced to one of the most fascinating people in the world today. There are only two types of people in the world -- those who think Ricky Jay is a genious, and morons. And if Mr Jay reads this review, I want you to autograph my copy of this book!
Rating:
Summary: You have to like your humor dry
Review: Ricky Jay is an odd bird, and I guess most people would consider his fans (myself included) almost equally odd. I can't imagine that anyone unfamiliar with Mr. Jay and his trademark deadpan delivery, use of archaic multi-syllabic synonyms, and fondness for esoterica will be interested in Anomalies. But for those who are into him (and you know who you are) the book is quality through and through. The topics are interesting, fun and wide-ranging. The research is, of course, top notch. The genuine admiration he shows for the entertainers he writes of and his respect for their craft are abundantly clear.
As far as the appreciation of Jay's writing and his selection of content, you either get it or you don't. And if you get it, then by all means get the book. The fact that the book is a reprint of his newsletters, and therefore various subjects can be read in a single sitting, makes this compilation all the more enjoyable. My only itty-bitty complaint would be that the updates would be more accessible if they came immediately after the individual articles rather than a collection of endnote.
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