Ripley's Believe It or Not

Rating:
Summary: "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" was written by a German.
Review: Not only that,the words to 'Danny Boy' were written by an Englishman,'Maggie' was written by a Canadian and 'I'll Take you Home Again Kathleen' was written in America, and was a promise to bring the writer's lover back from out west to New York;not from America back to Ireland.There is no end of the things that are not as they first might seem.One of my favorites is that 'The Birdman of Alcatraz,Robert Stroud,who did all that research on birds, while serving a life sentence for murder,did it in Leavenworth prison,not Alcatraz.
If you enjoy reading this sort of of thing;Ripley was the undisputed master of turning up this stuff,from all over the world.Although there have been many imitators,and some pretty good ones at that,he was the inventor and the best at the game.
I have been a big fan and reader of Ripley since I was about 10 years old,and I am now approaching 70.As a young lad I got his first Believe It or Not! and noticed it was recently reprinted as a reproduction and selling in a 'big box bookstore'.It is exactly like the one I had so many years ago.
Over the years ,I have read and collected many of these books over the years.My favorites were the paperback series that started in1950,and about 30 same out,Also many large 'Special' books like this one.Also a series of Comic books.Just when it looked like the end to his long trail,the TV series started.It,s been a long run and I've never tired of it because there's always new material. One of my favorite books about Ripley was 'Ripley -The Modern Marco Polo' by Bob Considine.In this book ,Considine,a pal of Ripley's, tells so much about Ripley that one realizes that his life was as wild and just as unbelievable as the stuff he wrote about.After all these years,his cartoon is still carried daily in nany newspapers.Unfortunately not here in Toronto,and maybe not where you live;but fear not,it's on the Net under 'Believe It or Not'.There are several BION Museums around the country with wonderful exhibits.I visited the one in Niagara Falls a couple of years ago.Enjoyed it very much,but surprised that they had no books to sell;hopefully that oversight has been corrected by now.
I must say the printing,paper,almost exclusive use of color photography,and overall construction of this book is excellent.I would like to offer just one bit of criticism,that being of some printing on top of pictures.This accomplishes very little other than making for difficult legibility.(examples are pages 59,78,134 144,153 & 179)
A great book for people off all ages.




















Rating:
Summary: Fun and Entertaining Read
Review: I bought this book in lieu of the 2005 Guiness Book of World Records, and I don't regret the decision at all.

This is a huge book- 250 pages- with thousands of interesting and bizzare tidbits in categories such as "Amazing Earth", "Body and Mind", "Wonders of Science", "Fun and Games", and "Beyond Belief". I had never watched the Ripley's show or read any other Ripley's books before. The facts are just as fascinating as in Guiness, but they are presented in a more fun, colorful, and kid- friendly way.

This would make a great present for any kid (or grown- up kid), even for those who don't read much.

The editing isn't the greatest, and I found one fact that is repeated twice in two different sections (see if you can catch it!) but I still give it a full 5 stars!

And... the cover makes me kind of dizzy, but that's okay. ;-)

Rating:
Summary: The Eyes Have It!
Review: If you like trivia you won't be able to put this book down!WWWith over 250 pages,you'll enjoy reading this book PACKED with information.Learn that it took movie make-up artist Rick Baker 10 hours a dsy to Create the werewolf in"An American Werewolf In Londo."Find out what the 5 most expensive paintings are.See a mountain that rises out of the sea to a height more than twice as tall as the Golden Gate Bridge towrs!You will lose yourself in this book filled with facts on every subject imaginable,and a few not se imaginable.You won't be able to take YOUR eyes off it.

Rating:
Summary: UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!
Review: When nothing's stranger than the truth, it's all real. That's the strangest thing about "BELIEVE IT OR NOT". The television show was cool, but they never showed anything like this on the show. Some of these facts are scarier than getting a phone call from a relative or a friend who has been dead for 11 years. The entire book is filled with facts that you will not believe. Facts that even I could never conceive. You will love this book.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!