Anomalist Books

What do people think of Dark Intrusions: An Investigation into the Paranormal Nature of Sleep Paralysis Experiences, Louis Proud’s remarkable new book? Read on!

In There’s Something in the Bedroom, Nick Redfern writes: “A lot of words have been written about the strange and unnerving phenomenon (or, perhaps, phenomena would be a better and more accurate word to use) that has popularly become known as Sleep Paralysis (SP)…But, what has been lacking until now is a truly in-depth, book-length and definitive study of the mystery written by someone who has actually experienced repeated episodes of sleep paralysis, first-hand…That situation has now changed (and radically so, too), thanks to Australian author Louis Proud…this is a truly excellent and wide study of a phenomenon undertaken by a man who has not only been touched and changed by SP himself, but who has had the courage to seek out the answers to this mystery, and who ultimately triumphs, rather than merely playing the role of victim to the menacing entities that invade our slumber.”

In Shadow Visitors: Sleep paralysis and discarnate “dark ones,” Matt Cardin of the Teeming Brain, explains: Louis Proud “argues that sleep paralysis is actually a cousin to spirit mediumship, in that the experience represents an actual visitation by paranormal entities that live constantly among us. Usually we remain in a condition of mutual ignorance — we don’t see these entities, and they don’t see us — but sometimes they become aware of us, and then, if they’re the lower and more craven kind, they latch onto us to feed on our life energy.”

It’s an idea that makes many people uncomfortable — and rightly so. In Things in the Night, Don Nod, who has had SP experiences of his own, writes: “I have to admit his premise that the cause of S.P. was paranormal wasn’t something I wanted to entertain too much. I have spent many years trying to deny & rationally explain away my own S.P. experiences. But any misgivings I might have had about this book were soon smoothed over by Louis Proud’s intensely fascinating & intelligently written explorations of S.P. & such diverse phenomenon as poltergeists, U.F.O.s, Whitley Strieber’s Visitors & tying these threads together so that new avenues of research are opened…I highly recommend it. It will have you second guessing what you thought you knew about life, the universe, & ‘reality.’”

And finally, Micah Hanks, in his review of the book, says: “This volume, no doubt, will solidify Proud’s presence in the Fortean community… it will also become a reference for others who frequently encounter this strange aspect of human consciousness, which they will no doubt look to in trying to better understand the nature of their own experiences.”

You can read an interview with Louis Proud on TheoFantastic, or listen to Proud discussing the scientific and paranormal nature of sleep paralysis experiences on The Gralien Report.

Dr. Berthold Schwarz gave high marks to The Tujunga Canyon Contacts in his review of the book, which appeared in the April 2010 issue of The Journal of Spirituality and Paranormal Studies. The book, he writes, “centers upon the experiences of two young women abductees whose UFO encounters began in 1953 in their Tujunga Canyon, California, cabin; and these were followed by repeated, related events involving three additional women, all of whom were interviewed and studied over many years by Ann Druffel and, later, also with Scott Rogo… [These two authors] ask all the questions that are usually thought of — and many more. They do not eschew the several, often taboo, areas. For example, psychopathological factors as well as various and sometimes omitted, or unintentionally minimized, medical data are discussed. These scholars have done their homework… There are no minced words… The authors are to be commended for presenting their data in a highly readable, responsible narrative. They tactfully interweave the often disparate lives of the five women in proper chronology, which subdues an otherwise nearly unfathomable, circuitous complexity: the type of situation that scares away many other investigators… This sensitively written documentation probes the deeper recesses of the mind, and human-UFO experiences… Great Work!”

Hilary Evans is producing some of the best books of his distinguished career as a writer. His latest book is SLIders: The Enigma of Streetlight Interference. Streetlight Interference (SLI) is an alleged phenomenon, in which it is claimed that certain people, passing near a streetlight at night, cause it to spontaneously extinguish (or if off, come on). Although there are hundreds of reports by both SLIders and witnesses, the subject remains controversial. Though trivial at first glance, closer study shows SLI to be a complex process, rich in paradoxes and contradictions. If true, however, the claims carry profound and exciting implications for science and for our knowledge of human potential. This book reviews the evidence and seeks a scientific explanation. Every account is taken from SLIders’ first-hand reports of their experiences. Don’t miss it!

Jerry Clark wrote a review of Budd Hopkins’ Art, Life and UFOs: A Memoir in what may have been the last print issue of Fate magazine. For Clark, the book was special for many reasons, one of which was “because memoirs by ufologists are both exceedingly rare and crucial to the historical record.” Other than the expected ufological figures like J. Allen Hynek, John Mack, and others, Hopkins mentions encounters with some of the leading cultural figures of the 20th century, among them Alger Hiss, Norman Mailer, Kurt Vonnegut, Brendan Behan, Edward Hopper, Zoot Sims, Buddy Rich, Mel Torme, Ray Bradburry, as well as Budd’s fellow Abstract Expressionists Mark Rothko, Franz Kline, and Robert Motherwell. Written “in prose that sparkles and delights,” writes Clark, “Budd’s book will engage the happy attention of readers who don’t know him or perhaps have never heard of him. Art, Life and UFOs does justice to all three. It’s a wonderful book. It is also safe to say that, given its unique main character, there will never be another one like it.”

It’s a question we get asked now and then: “Where can I buy your books?”

Since our books are printed in both the U.S. and the U.K., you can walk into just about any major bookstore in the U.S. and the U.K. and order any of the books we publish. It will take a few days for the book to arrive, but not any longer than it would take to get a book from a major publisher.

But by far the easiest method is to order the book you want from an online bookseller. You don’t have to deal with clerks who don’t know what they are doing, you don’t have to travel to and from the bookstore, and you don’t have to wait as long for your book. Just place your order and wait for it to arrive.

In the U.S. you can order our books from Amazon or from Barnes & Noble.

In the U.K., there’s Amazon UK.

In Canada, there’s Amazon Canada.

In France, there’s Amazon France.

In Germany, there’s Amazon Germany.

In Japan, there’s Amazon Japan.

In India, there’s Flipkart.

In Australia, there’s Angus & Robertson and The Nile.

And if you’re anywhere else in the world, as well as any of the places already mentioned, there’s the Book Depository, which offers free shipping anywhere in the world, though their prices can sometimes be a little higher than elsewhere.

So basically you have no excuse. Go and buy Anomalist Books!

It took us a year and a half to get this one out, but we think you’ll find it was worth the wait. Ian Simmons, who edited the last issue of Fortean Studies, was our guest editor this time around and he did a fabulous job. He calls this issue, our 14th, Electricity of the Mind – instant CPR for the head. Inside you’ll find this tantalizing line-up of articles: Theo Paijmans mines the rich seam of digital newspaper archives to look at anomalies in a whole new way. Ulrich Magin ventures into a previously neglected corner of Earth Mysteries, taking us on a tour of out-of-place volcanoes across Europe. Dwight Whalen explores a forgotten tale of bizarre visions that brought vivid omens of World War I to the skies of Pennsylvania in 1914. Cameron Blount examines the implications of archaeological relics of Peru’s mysterious Moche culture and what they might tell us about the neighboring Nazca culture. Mike Jay discusses Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s lasting and deep interest in the supernatural. Bryan Williams, Annalisa Ventola, and Mike Wilson provide a basic primer for exploring temperature and magnetic fields in cases of haunting. Patrick Gyger uses the “Black Books” of Fribourg to understand the mindset behind witch trials in the late 15th Century. Aeolus Kephas looks at the similarities between two of the 20th Century’s most popular and charismatic “literary shamen”: Carlos Castaneda and Whitley Strieber. John Caddy seeks a common root behind the various biological energies not known to science on which many esoteric knowledge systems rely. Chris Payne takes a new mathematical approach in trying to determine whether there are still Thylacines out there. Mark Pilkington takes a look back into the prehistory of crop art and reveals a thought-provoking precursor from the movies. Gary Lachman shares his previously unpublished notes from his book Politics and the Occult. Richard Wiseman, Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology, recounts his discovery of the first ever film of a magic trick. And last but not least, Tim Cridland, whose stage name is Zamora the Torture King, takes a long, hard look at the career of leading skeptic James Randi. Altogether this issue is sure to spark your imagination!

This is a bittersweet moment. Mac Tonnies is no longer with us, but his long-awaited book finally is. The Cryptoterrestrials has now been published. It’s a short book that’s packed full of ideas. What’s important is not that they all be right, but that they stretch our minds to think beyond the idea of “aliens” as “extraterrestrials.” That’s why the book is subtitled “A meditation on indigenous humanoids and the aliens among us.” Mac had asked Nick Redfern and Greg Bishop to contribute to the book; Nick wrote the Foreword before Mac’s death, and Greg wrote the Afterword after the news of his passing. In addition, John Shirley, who has long been a supporter of Mac’s work, was kind enough to supply us with a blurb that says, in part, “The Cryptoterrestrials is the most refreshing speculation on the paranormal I’ve seen in ages…Mac Tonnies’ final Fortean landmark is the Book of the Damned for the 21st century.” Finally, Nadia Sobin contributed the striking cover art and Mike Clelland did the wonderful illustrations that begin each chapter. In Mac’s memory, thank you, all.

On her website, Kay Wilson, the author of The Alien Jigsaw, not only reviews our book, Love In An Alien Purgatory: The Life And Fantastic Art of David Huggins by Farah Yurdozu, but comments on David Huggins’ alien abduction experiences as well. Wilson, who is an abductee herself, says that it is David, “the artist-abductee, who brings the nitty-gritty of abduction to life in the pages of this fascinating, and at times, disturbing book.” The Hybrid Beings play a major role in an abductee’s life, notes Wilson, and “David’s case is no different in this respect. What is different about this book however, is the manner in which this interaction is relayed to the reader. It is explicit and it is very powerful… It was a bold decision of the author, as well as Anomalist Books, not to censor this information and I commend their decision. The images in this book demonstrate what a prominent occurrence of abduction is really like.” Wilson ends her lengthy review with these words: “Love In An Alien Purgatory is a beautifully illustrated story of the life of an alien abductee, presented by a leading authority of alien abduction and the paranormal. It is a book every serious student of alien abduction research should have in their library.”

“I have to start by saying how immensely I enjoyed this book,” so begins Micah. A. Hanks’ review in The Gralien Report of Nick Redfern’s Science Fiction Secrets: From Government Files and the Paranormal. Writes Hanks: “From strange FBI tales involving the apparent paranoia of Sci-Fi writers like Phillip K. Dick, to weird parallels he draws between the terrorist attacks of 9-11 and television programs that predicted the disaster before it happened, this book is a mind bender in the first degree…The old adage ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ comes to mind often when reading this gem, and if you ever doubted it, this will be the manuscript that will finally change that perception. Read it, enjoy it, and be prepared to never see the world around you quite the same way you once did.” Sounds like Hanks liked the book, don’t you think? Considerably more reserved about the book, as expected, is Peter Rogerson at Magonia: “It is…a moot point whether any of the bizarre tales one encounters here and elsewhere are deliberately circulated by governments to baffle foreign intelligence services and to protect real secrets and scandals with a bodyguard of cranks, or as black propaganda…There is no doubt that Nick Redfern gives us an exciting read, but it has to be said that if there is a bodyguard of cranks, he doesn’t half help it along… A jolly good read but keep a full salt-cellar handy.” Of course, Rogerson fails to mention that Redfern actually points out that many of the stories do stretch credibility. Redfern, in fact, is not afraid to detail the failures, the flaws, and the character eccentricities in the stories he recounts; in no way does he suggest that all the things in the book are valid. And just what these stories represent is not a moot point.

The Secrets of Dellschau: The Sonora Aero Club & the Airships of the 1800s, A True Story by Dennis Crenshaw with P.G. Navarro continues to get good press. Phil Barker reviewed the book for Fortean Times and said: “…a book packed with interest, coming at a junction of several fascinating areas: outsider art, early flight, coded texts, alternative technologies and even a touch of trippy steampunk. It includes a brief resume of early flight in America and elsewhere (mostly balloon-based), [and] the UFO-like “Great Airship Mystery” of 1896-7…” His final verdict on the book? An “interesting and puzzling tale of America’s early flyboys.” Elsewhere, in the Valley Advocate, James Heflin has penned an ode to the surprises one can pick up at yard sales, estate sales, and landfills (which is just how Dellschau’s now valuable notebooks were discovered) in his feature story on the book. Writes Heflin: “Crenshaw’s book on Dellschau is an authoritative source…a fascinating voyage of exploration that opened intriguing doors of possibility.”