Page 16 - 45The Paranormal

Cliarles H. Smith 25

CURIOUS PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PHENOMENA

The science of cryptozoology, which sets for itself the primary goal of
seeking out and formally identifying “ordinary” but secretive animal
forms that have been reported anecdotally or in myth and legend, was
established in the 1940s and 1950s. But are all such forms-at least the ones
that may really exist-‘‘ordinary’’ to begin with, or might they be in one
fashion or another psychically-influenced or initiatcd’? Similarly, what are
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the origins of a variety of bizarre physical phenomena such as ball light-
ning (whose very existence is still doubted by many members of the
scientific community)? Theories and hypotheses abound within this par-
ticular realm of the paranormal; these run the gamut from the entirely
conventional/reactionary to interpretations that might seem more at home
in myth or in a work of science fiction.

Su bjectd7Ceywords
abominable snowman; animals. mythical (GR820-830); ball lightning
(QC966.7 B3); Bigfoot; crop circles; c~ptozoology (QL88.3-89.2); curio-
sities and wonders (AG240-243; 25705); enigmas; Loch Ness monster;
monsters (GR820-830); Sasquatch (QL89.2 .S2); sea monsters; unex-
plained phenomena; yeti (QL89.2 Y4)
Serials

NCGR Journal [National Council for Geocosmic Research] (l972-)
Geocosmic (Mews) [National Council for Geocosmic Research] (1972-)

Reference Works

!Anomalies [titles vary; handbook series on various natural “curiosities
and wonders” subjects by William R. Corliss].

!The Atlas ofMysterious Places (J. Westwood, ed.; Weidenfeld & Nicol-
son 1987) 240 p.

!Atlas of the Mysterious in North America [curiosities, haunted places,
etc.] (R.E. Guiley; Facts on File 1995) 178 p.

*Big Footnotes: A Conprehensive Bibliography Concerning Bigfoot, the
Abominable Snowmen and Related Beings (D. Perez; D. Perez 1988)
189 p.