The Big Book of Freaks


Gahan Wilson - 1996
    Now noted cartoonist Gahan Wison tackles this subject with uncanny expertise and insight. Inside are freaks of the past, such as the cyclops; well known freaks of recent eras, such as the Elephant Man; and potential future freaks created through genetic manipulation. Graphic novel format. Mature readers.

The Big Book of Hoaxes: True Tales of the Greatest Lies Ever Told!


Carl Sifakis - 1996
    And in 1915, Fritz Kreisler became one of America's best known violinists, playing little known works by composers like Vivaldi, which Kreisler wrote himself. This huge volume spotlights fakers, phonies, and hoaxters, in stories illustrated by a wide variety of cartoonists.

The Big Book of Weirdos


Carl A. Posey - 1995
    The stories of dozens of people who are remembered for their brilliant contributions to fields from art and literature, to science and entertainment, but who were also really strange, are told here by Carl Posey and drawn by dozens of well-known cartoonists.

The Big Book of the 70's


Jonathan Vankin - 2000
    Jonathan Vankin's Big Book of the '70s looks in surprising depth at the trends and the notable figures of that decade, using illustrations from dozens of excellent comics artists like Shary Flenniken and Terry Laban. Richard Nixon, Jane Fonda, Burt Reynolds, and Jimmy Carter all get the Big Book treatment in a delicious combination of behind-the-scenes peeks and easily digested history lessons. Fads and phenomena like disco, running, and the rise of the women's movement are also explained and, in some cases, followed up through modern times. The writing is clear and snappy, the illustration is consistently well-done, and the topics chosen are a thorough, comprehensive mix of lightweight (pet rocks) and serious (Vietnam). --RobLightner

The Big Book of Losers


Paul Kirchner - 1997
    Exploring the unfortunate adventures of those who could not catch a break, this amazing reference book documents the stories of people who have lost in life, sports, business, and politics. From President Garfield, who died after several incompetent doctors turned a small bullet wound into a huge, festering malady to the woman who burned her husband's life savings in the oven, this tome shows that some people are just destined to come out on the bottom. Also included in this book are the most legendary loser products such as New Coke, the female urinal, and the paper dress.

The Big Book of Death


Bronwyn Carlton - 1995
    THE BIG BOOK OF DEATH looks the Grim Reaper in the face and laughs, with tales of outmoded methods of execution, capital punishment, visits to famous cemeteries, body disposal, weird deaths and stupid murders and more.

The Big Book of Urban Legends


Robert Loren Fleming - 1995
    "The Poodle in the Microwave", "The Mouse in the Coke Bottle", and "The Accidental Cannibals" are just a few of the legends presented in this volume. Illustrated by artists from DC Comics. Mature readers.

The Big Book of Little Criminals


George Hagenauer - 1996
    Here are the true stories of three dozen of the strangest and lamest criminals of all time.Fully illustrated in black and white.

The Big Book of Vice


Steve Vance - 1998
    An in-depth look at the things we know are bad for us but we love too much to stay away from, including tobacco, alcohol, promiscuous behavior, drugs, fatty foods, and more, along with the reasons we love them so much.

The Big Book of Thugs: Tough as Nails True Tales of the World's Baddest Mobs, Gangs, and Ne'er do Wells!


Joel Rose - 1996
    Tough as nails true tales of the world's baddest mobs, gangs, and ne'er do wells, this entry in the popular BIG BOOKS series focuses on gangs from ancient India to the mean streets of New York, from the Revolutionary War to the Wild West.

The Big Book of the Weird Wild West


John Whalen - 1998
    Among the stepping stones to the conquest of North America: cannibalism, mummified murderers, sadism, lynch mobs, bad-luck curses, unexplained decapitations, mysterious airships, cults, communes, and more.

The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained


Colin Dickey - 2020
    It seems the more our maps of the known world get filled in, the more we crave mysterious locations full of strange creatures.Enter Colin Dickey, Cultural Historian and Tour Guide of the Weird. With the same curiosity and insight that made Ghostland a hit with readers and critics, Colin looks at what all fringe beliefs have in common, explaining that today's Illuminati is yesterday's Flat Earth: the attempt to find meaning in a world stripped of wonder. Dickey visits the wacky sites of America's wildest fringe beliefs--from the famed Mount Shasta where the ancient race (or extra-terrestrials, or possibly both, depending on who you ask) called Lemurians are said to roam, to the museum containing the last remaining "evidence" of the great Kentucky Meat Shower--investigating how these theories come about, why they take hold, and why as Americans we keep inventing and re-inventing them decade after decade. The Unidentified is Colin Dickey at his best: curious, wry, brilliant in his analysis, yet eminently readable.

Lois Lane: A Celebration of 75 Years


Jerry SiegelWhitney Ellsworth - 2013
    The Secret Revealed!  Adventures of Superman #631 - Battery Part FiveAll Star Superman #2 - Superman's Secret RoomAll Star Superman #3 - Sweet Dreams Superwoman Man of Steel #2 - The Story of the CenturyShowcase #9  Superman #29, #33-34, #58, #168Superman 80-Page Giant 2011Superman: Lois Lane #1

The Big Book of Martyrs


John Wagner - 1997
    Prophets and philosophers, pirates and kings, warriors and pacifists, they had nothing in common except their faith - and a willingness to die. They are the Christian Martyrs and these are their stories. Contains over 50 tales of peril and perseverance and as exciting as anything contemporary fiction has to offer! Each biography is told in comic form by some of the world's finest comic book writers and artists. Illustrated throughout.

Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah


Colm A. Kelleher - 2005
    Vanishing and mutilated cattle. Unidentified Flying Objects. The appearance of huge, otherworldly creatures. Invisible objects emitting magnetic fields with the power to spark a cattle stampede. Flying orbs of light with dazzling maneuverability and lethal consequences. For one family, life on the Skinwalker Ranch had become a life under siege by an unknown enemy or enemies. Nothing else could explain the horrors that surrounded them -- perhaps science could. Leading a first-class team of research scientists on a disturbing odyssey into the unknown, Colm Kelleher spent hundreds of days and nights on the Skinwalker property and experienced firsthand many of its haunting mysteries. With investigative reporter George Knapp -- the only journalist allowed to witness and document the team's work -- Kelleher chronicles in superb detail the spectacular happenings the team observed personally, and the theories of modern physics behind the phenomena. Far from the coldly detached findings one might expect, their conclusions are utterly hair-raising in their implications. Opening a door to the unseen world around us, Hunt for the Skinwalker is a clarion call to expand our vision far beyond what we know.