The Book of the Damned

Rating:
Summary: Debunked and rambling
Review: Charles Fort had intelligence, yes. But where do his theories stand now? For instance, his thoughts on the "raining frogs and fish" occurance goes like this: he denied the scientific theory that they were sucked up in a waterspout and made his own: that all lifeforms were created in a giant sargasso sea in the sky and occasionally intelligent aliens dropped them to Earth. He generalizes the entire scientific community in simple strokes, physicists, your doctor, astronomers, chemists, yes, he claims to debunk them all. Is evolution true to Fort? Nope, all life is created in the sargasso sea in the sky: Genesistrine, and is teleported or dropped by aliens to Earth. Crackpot lit 101: Charles Fort.

Rating:
Summary: Scepticism for starters: the trippy mind of Charles Fort
Review: Hailed as the man who kick-started modern day scepticism for the findings and conclusions of mainstream science, Charles Fort is actually a man who is paid more tribute now than ever before with the advent of alternative archaeology and science in general and with more and more people (researchers, scientists or not) actually doubting some of our more precious scientific dogmas.

This book is a celebration of humor as well as scepticism, the humor part being the one which most people have greatly misunderstood about C.Fort.
Fort takes literally 100s of examples of bizzare unexplained phenomena such as things falling from the sky (ranging from frogs or fish to metal objects) to spontaneous combustion, to unidentified flying objects, to time travel among others and actually exposes science's comical "answers" to these phenomena.
Frogs that have been rained by the sky or fish for that matter are not a phenomenon that has stopped. It still happens. The "official explanation" remains as hilarious as it was back in Fort's times, namely: a hurricane or a whirlwind picks them up and "rains" them somewhere else. However, why these winds are selective in what they pick up remains unaswered by science.

The usual and continuing up to this day explanation about UFOs which concerns mass illusion or the classic "weather baloon" explanation is picked up by Fort and given the ridiculing treatment it deserves.

What makes Fort such a classic and cult figure is his ability to use subtle (mostly) but lethal sarcasm to debunk the dogmatic and more than often funny explanations that scientists offer when cornered with occurences that dont fit or even shutter their sacred theories.

Fort's intention is none other than to highlight our trait of mixing cluelessness with arrogance and at the same time to trigger openmindedness or more importantly thinking for oneself and not religiously depending on science to shape the answers so that they fit the question.

The problem that Fort brings out with the "Book of the damned" is one that persists today as well. With Darwinistic theories being heavily challenged, with the Bing Bang theory being literally taken apart by daring scientists, and with Quantum physics proving that the "unthinkable" might actually be very thinkable indeed it's the Fortean spirit celebrated all over again on a grand scale.

Fort's critics (and they aren't few) take his theories the way they take the theories of mainstream science as well: for granted. Fort offers in this book for example a theory of a "super Sargasso sea" where all these living organisms keep falling from. One would have to be tremendously lacking in humour or imagination not to gather that Fort is yanking the collective chain here. What he does say in reality is: "if you can offer such a ridiculous theory about this phenomenon (insert unexplained phenomenon here) then i might as well add my own which by no means is less or more serious but it's nevertheless just as unproven as yours".
It's as simple as that really and Fort uses this technique repeateadly in his "Book of the damned" calling damned those who "dare" refuse official dogma.

There has been much criticism as well concerning the overwhelming bulk of paradigms that Fort uses in this book and the critics are probably right in this case. There was no need for such volume as the point would easily get across with 1/3 of these examples.
But that aside, this is in fact a book way, way ahead of its time.
It's funny how a man can be thrown to the pyre exactly because he uses his humour to dismiss our fear of not being able to explain the world around us. It's even funnier that we keep insisting we can despite alarming failures.
The "Book of the damned" is a grand example of a brave mind. The problem with brave minds is that they are usually shoved under the gigantic rug tagged "truth" for a very long time before anyone recognises their impact.

Rating:
Summary: french edition ????
Review: hi,

Since I had read "le matin des magiciens" by pauwells (5 years ago) , I'm looking for a french edition of the book of the damned.

would you please inform me if you know where i could find it??

Rating:
Summary: Interesting book, well written, somewhat inconsistent
Review: I recently learned of Charles Fort and his dedicated followers, self-described "Forteans". Forteans try to think outside of the box, "question everything" could be considered their motto. The "Book of the Dammed" is regarded by many to be his finest work.

The Good:

Fort does a great job at criticizing scientists, doctors and other experts. Through hundreds of examples he skillfully punches holes in their observations and conclusions, showing them to be slaves to a science that has closed the door on new phenomena. He offers interesting theories on relationships of objects and our understanding of them, dissecting the art of communication and understanding. Fort questions science with a sharp tongue, humor and wit. Conspiring to make a entertaining read although written nearly 100 years ago.

The Bad:

Sources, sources, sources. With a purported 1001 examples of unexplainable phenomena Fort seems to take every report at face value. Being boldly skeptical of the findings of modern science and not being nearly as critical of his sources seems contradictory.

The Ugly:

Being the father of modern skepticism must be pretty big shoes to fill, maybe too big. Criticizing science is one thing but by coming up with equally as silly theories, Fort has painted himself into a corner. He believes that there is a "Super Sargasso Sea" in our upper atmosphere that harbors fish, frogs and gelatinous substances. Pretty bizarre for a skeptic, especially when his proof appears to be wholly circumstantial.

Conclusion:

Fort lived about 100 years ago and not much has changed, doctors and experts are still full of it when they act like they have all of the answers. Personally I believe that science has a long way to go toward explaining global warming, ozone depletion, UFO's etc... Kudos to Fort for pointing out the sham that science was and still is; perhaps his greatest achievement is that he has opened the eyes of many.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting book, well written, somewhat inconsistent
Review: I recently learned of Charles Fort and his dedicated followers, self-described "Forteans". Forteans try to think outside of the box, "question everything" could be considered their motto. The "Book of the Dammed" is regarded by many to be his finest work.

The Good:

Fort does a great job at criticizing scientists, doctors and other experts. Through hundreds of examples he skillfully punches holes in their observations and conclusions, showing them to be slaves to a science that has closed the door on new phenomena. He offers interesting theories on relationships of objects and our understanding of them, dissecting the art of communication and understanding. Fort questions science with a sharp tongue, humor and wit. Conspiring to make a entertaining read although written nearly 100 years ago.

The Bad:

Sources, sources, sources. With a purported 1001 examples of unexplainable phenomena Fort seems to take every report at face value. Being boldly skeptical of the findings of modern science and not being nearly as critical of his sources seems contradictory.

The Ugly:

Being the father of modern skepticism must be pretty big shoes to fill, maybe too big. Criticizing science is one thing but by coming up with equally as silly theories, Fort has painted himself into a corner. He believes that there is a "Super Sargasso Sea" in our upper atmosphere that harbors fish, frogs and gelatinous substances. Pretty bizarre for a skeptic, especially when his proof appears to be wholly circumstantial.

Conclusion:

Fort lived about 100 years ago and not much has changed, doctors and experts are still full of it when they act like they have all of the answers. Personally I believe that science has a long way to go toward explaining global warming, ozone depletion, UFO's etc... Kudos to Fort for pointing out the sham that science was and still is; perhaps his greatest achievement is that he has opened the eyes of many.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting book, well written, somewhat inconsistent
Review: I recently learned of Charles Fort and his dedicated followers, self-described "Forteans". Forteans try to think outside of the box, "question everything" could be considered their motto. The "Book of the Dammed" is regarded by many to be his finest work.

The Good:

Fort does a great job at criticizing scientists, doctors and other experts. Through hundreds of examples he skillfully punches holes in their observations and conclusions, showing them to be slaves to a science that has closed the door on new phenomena. He offers interesting theories on relationships of objects and our understanding of them, dissecting the art of communication and understanding. Fort questions science with a sharp tongue, humor and wit. Conspiring to make a entertaining read although written nearly 100 years ago.

The Bad:

Sources, sources, sources. With a purported 1001 examples of unexplainable phenomena Fort seems to take every report at face value. Being boldly skeptical of the findings of modern science and not being nearly as critical of his sources seems contradictory.

The Ugly:

Being the father of modern skepticism must be pretty big shoes to fill, maybe too big. Criticizing science is one thing but by coming up with equally as silly theories, Fort has painted himself into a corner. He believes that there is a "Super Sargasso Sea" in our upper atmosphere that harbors fish, frogs and gelatinous substances. Pretty bizarre for a skeptic, especially when his proof appears to be wholly circumstantial.

Conclusion:

Fort lived about 100 years ago and not much has changed, doctors and experts are still full of it when they act like they have all of the answers. Personally I believe that science has a long way to go toward explaining global warming, ozone depletion, UFO's etc... Kudos to Fort for pointing out the sham that science was and still is; perhaps his greatest achievement is that he has opened the eyes of many.

Rating:
Summary: The First UFO Investigator
Review: This book, one of four he published before passing away in 1932, exploits Fort's research into reports of peculiar things in the sky or fallen from the sky to challenge the authority of establishment science. He describes the book as an assemblage of data of external relations of this earth, "damned" by those who hold for our planet's isolation. According to Fort, the attitude of Science and Christian Science toward the unwelcome is the same: it does not exist.

Some of the events described in these reports would be described today as UFO's. While some of these cases may warrant attention, others seem marginal.

Fort hypothesizes that "there is somewhere aloft a place" where life may have orginated; "evolution on this earth has been induced by external influences." He offers alternative explanations for unexplained sightings: another world that is in secret communication with certain "esoteric" inhabitants of this earth; other worlds that are trying to establish communication with all the inhabitants of the earth; other worlds and vast structures that pass us by without the slightest desire to communicate; a vast construction that has often come to this earth, dipped into an ocean, then gone away. At one point, Fort writes that the earth was a no-man's land explored and colonized by other worlds; now something owns this earth, warning off all others. All this, he goes on, has been known, perhaps for ages, to certain ones upon the earth.

It is hard to know how much of this is serious and how much is just satire. Fort's imagined super-constructions a few miles above the earth stretch credibility too far. His quirky writing style, though sometimes entertaining, tends to further undermine his believability. Nonetheless, anyone wanting to read into the UFO phenomenon may find this book useful background.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent and hilarious classic!
Review: This is not a new book, but was written sometime around the turn of century and has been considered a classic on most 'required reading' lists. A spoof on the awe in which society holds the Holy Writs of the scientific community, the author marshalled an impressive army of established, documented facts for which the official scientific explanations are simply absurd. A 'must read' for anyone who believes science teaches The Truth -- or for anyone who suspects otherwise.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting; well worth the read
Review: Weird rains of fish, frogs, blood, powders, meat, marsh paper, butter. Mysterious planets and black spots. UFOs. Giant axes. Fairy crosses and coffins. Huge footprints. Devil's walks. Rock-throwing poltergeists.

All this and more can be found in Charles Fort's "The Book of the Damned".

Fort's work is, of course, a satire on the dogmatism of science. Personally, I didn't find Fort very funny, and his work was very plodding, but well worth the time and effort.

Fort's first two chapters are a good build up. An interesting quote: "A procession of the damned.

By the damned, I mean the excluded.

We shall have a procession of data that Science has excluded.

Battalions of the accursed, captained by pallid data that I have exhumed, will march. You'll read them -- or they'll march. Some of them livid and some of them fiery and some of them rotten.

Some of them are corpses, skeletons, mummies, twitching, tottering, animated by companions that have been damned alive. There are giants that will walk by, though sound asleep. There are things that are theorems and things that are rags: they'll go by like Euclid arm in arm with the spirit of anarchy. Here and there will flit little harlots. Many are clowns. But many are of the highest respectability. Some are assassins. There are pale stenches and gaunt superstitions and mere shadows and lively malices: whims and amiabilities. The naïve and the pedantic and the bizarre and the grotesque and the sincere and the insincere, the profound and the puerile."

He goes on to cite red, white, and grey hailstones, and hail the size of elephants, before he gets into his rains.

Fort's writing style is biting and interesting. It is certainly very draining on many; he smothers you with a catalogue-like listing of all kinds of falls, evidence for giants, UFOs, etc. You're getting very anxious. But when you finally get to the end . . . nothing.

If you're like me and for some reason just want to hear about the events, then this book is great.

While some of his theories have been outdated, I reccomend Charles Hoy Fort's "The Book of the Damned" for anyone who is even vaguely interested in the paranormal. Long but well worth the read. 7 out of 10

Rating:
Summary: Interesting; well worth the read
Review: Weird rains of fish, frogs, blood, powders, meat, marsh paper, butter. Mysterious planets and black spots. UFOs. Giant axes. Fairy crosses and coffins. Huge footprints. Devil's walks. Rock-throwing poltergeists.

All this and more can be found in Charles Fort's "The Book of the Damned".

Fort's work is, of course, a satire on the dogmatism of science. Personally, I didn't find Fort very funny, and his work was very plodding, but well worth the time and effort.

Fort's first two chapters are a good build up. An interesting quote: "A procession of the damned.

By the damned, I mean the excluded.

We shall have a procession of data that Science has excluded.

Battalions of the accursed, captained by pallid data that I have exhumed, will march. You'll read them -- or they'll march. Some of them livid and some of them fiery and some of them rotten.

Some of them are corpses, skeletons, mummies, twitching, tottering, animated by companions that have been damned alive. There are giants that will walk by, though sound asleep. There are things that are theorems and things that are rags: they'll go by like Euclid arm in arm with the spirit of anarchy. Here and there will flit little harlots. Many are clowns. But many are of the highest respectability. Some are assassins. There are pale stenches and gaunt superstitions and mere shadows and lively malices: whims and amiabilities. The naïve and the pedantic and the bizarre and the grotesque and the sincere and the insincere, the profound and the puerile."

He goes on to cite red, white, and grey hailstones, and hail the size of elephants, before he gets into his rains.

Fort's writing style is biting and interesting. It is certainly very draining on many; he smothers you with a catalogue-like listing of all kinds of falls, evidence for giants, UFOs, etc. You're getting very anxious. But when you finally get to the end . . . nothing.

If you're like me and for some reason just want to hear about the events, then this book is great.

While some of his theories have been outdated, I reccomend Charles Hoy Fort's "The Book of the Damned" for anyone who is even vaguely interested in the paranormal. Long but well worth the read. 7 out of 10