Ghosts Caught On Film: Photographs of the Paranormal
by Melvyn Willin
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Book Summary Information
Author: Melvyn WillinEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-10-18
ISBN: 0715327283
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: David & Charles
Book Reviews of Ghosts Caught On Film: Photographs of the Paranormal
Book Review: By turns jaunty, spooky, silly, and great fun to read
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm always interested in where authors of the paranormal obtained the `Doctor' they like to affix in front of their names. Many times the honorary degree is self-awarded, but this author appears to have come by his Musicology PhD in the time-honored fashion, from the University of Bristol. In his online biography, Dr. Melvyn Willin also lists himself as the Archivist for the Society for Psychical Research.
The title of this book is a bit misleading, since along with its ghosts, it also contains photographs of elephant-shaped clouds, various Madonna figures as seen in water fountains and tree branches, Kirlian photographs of leaves, and (one of my favorites) a cat named Tinkerbell who seems to have red lines emanating from her head.
In all, "Ghosts Caught on Film" contains around 80 photographs of the paranormal, and I must say that my overall emotion upon viewing the material was one of embarrassment--especially after studying the `Cottingley Glen' fairy photograph that was "championed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes and noted devotee of deductive logic." Sir Arthur even wrote a book, "The Coming of the Fairies" that was published in 1922. After reading Dr. Willin's explanation of how this particular photograph was actually cobbled together, you too will be embarrassed for the creator of the world's most famous fictional detective.
The provenance of each photograph in this book is detailed by the author, along with non-paranormal explanations of how the photograph might have been produced. Dr. Willin sometimes makes astounding deductive leaps, as in his description of Tinkerbell, the cat's photograph: "The Egyptians believed [cats] to be sacred, even godlike. We are still not sure how these ancients built the Pyramids [evidently Dr. Willin doesn't watch the History Channel], so perhaps there are other mysteries they knew about cats...and about parallel worlds."
Huh?
"Ghosts Caught on Film" is by turns jaunty, spooky, silly, tongue-in-cheek, and great fun to read. Most of the photographs are obvious fakes or inadvertent technical boo-boos such as double exposures. The "Disembodied Faces in the Waves" photograph taken in 1924 looks remarkably similar to the famous Viking 1 `Face on Mars' snapped from orbit in 1976. Alas, in 2001 the Mars Global Surveyor revealed the `Face' to be a natural land form, which only proves that the human mind has a remarkable ability to `see' faces in rocks and water. Nevertheless, there are a few pictures in this book that are genuinely uncanny. Check out "Did Freddy Jackson Return?" on page 132 or "The Tulip Staircase Mystery" on page 152 and decide for yourself.
Summary of Ghosts Caught On Film: Photographs of the Paranormal
"Ghosts Caught on Film" presents an extraordinary collection of strange and unexplained photographs that offer the exciting possibility of ghosts and paranormal activity captured on film. It covers every aspect of the paranormal, from early photographs of psychics, mediums and ghostly happenings, to celebrated recent photos and the most interesting examples of the unexplained, as collected in the archive of the Society for Psychical Research. Each picture is accompanied by a description of its circumstances and the steps taken by researchers to establish that there is no 'normal' explanation for the phenomena. The incredible photographs will stimulate the interest of everyone who sees them. Whether you are a sceptic or a believer, you can't help but be drawn into the mystery.Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions Books
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