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Caleb Strange Special user Manchester UK 676 Posts |
We all have our pet books of effects and approaches. I was wondering, what are your favourite non-magic books, for getting the bizarre creative juices flowing? Here's a small selection of mine:
'Encyclopedia of the Unexplained' by Richard Cavendish. 'Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience' by Rosemary Ellen Guiley. 'The Oxford Boook of the Supernatural' collected by D.J. Enright. Great for finding literary material. 'The Supernatural A-Z: The Truth and the Lies' by James Randi. I don't pitch my tent in the Randi camp. Nor am I found in the site across the road, for that matter. But Randi's book will give you plots and information not to be found in many of the other books in the Occult section. 'Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds' by Charles Mackay. A nineteenth century skeptic illuminates the psychology of our more outre enthusiasms. Finally, I'm a big sucker for the cheap and cheerful 'airport' book. A favourite is 'The Mammoth Book of Oddities' by Frank O'Neil. If the scatalogically and sexually weird gets those little grey cells sparking then this is the book for you. Any must-reads I've missed? Regards, Caleb Strange. Can't believe I forgot a Saki (Hector Hugh Munro) short story called 'The Open Window'. Is this the best impromtu bizarre effect in history, or what? Can't really provide a precis, as this would deprive you of the cruel sophisticated pleasure you'd get from reading it. But anyone with a taste for the humourous, the macarbre, and the wickedly satirical, treat yourself this Christmas. Wordsworth Classics do a 'Colected Short Stories of Saki' for a couple of quid. Regards, Caleb Strange
-- QCiC --
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Bill Fienning Special user 635 Posts |
For background reading in the bizarre magic field, any (and all) of the H. P. Lovecraft books are useful. Many of the obscure references in The New Invocation are related to Lovecraftian stories.
The Book of Weird by Barbara Ninde Byfield is a useful reference for medieval info. If you want a quick rundown on trolls, dragons, knaves or werewolves, this is the place to find it. Of course, once that I focus on a particular topic for a routine, I start studying specialized books related to it. Always remember that there may be experts in your audience, and you should not appear to be unaware of the basic facts.
Bill Fienning
"It's More than Tricks" |
Necromancer Inner circle Chicago 3076 Posts |
These are all good "classical" sources, to be sure. But when it comes to the darkly humorous twist that I look for in much of my bizarre material, nobody commands it better than Roald Dahl, Rod Serling, and Ray Bradbury.
Read their collected short stories, many of which have been turned into episodes of The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery. They are masterpieces of drama and humor, served very black.
Creator of The Xpert (20 PAGES of reviews!), Cut & Color, Hands-Off Multiple ESP (HOME) System, Rider-Waite Readers book, Zoom Pendulum ebook ...
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openatlast New user Shadow of the Castle 74 Posts |
I picked up an interesting volume at a used book store, “Far Out Adventures: The Best of World Explorer.” This is a 500+ page compilation of the first 10 issues of World Explorer magazine - a wacky, fringe science magazine packed to the brim with esoteric information, ancient secret writings, lost cities, strange creatures, etc.
I’m reading an article on dinosaur hunting in the Congo…thank God for the eccentrics. |
Caleb Strange Special user Manchester UK 676 Posts |
Necromancer, I really like the idea of the 'darkly humourous twist'. Maybe have to apply this principle to my plot development. The ending that undermines/enhances/transforms all that has gone before. Great idea for an effect structure!
Bill, I've always found Lovecraft a bit 'chewy', but that's just me. I did find Minch's 'Lovecraftian Ceremonies' very inspiring, though. Maybe it's just the Brit in me, but M.R.James has always done it for me. Any Bizarist in the UK without a copy of his 'Ghost stories', Penguin Classics barely a quid, go out and get one now . I think I'll have to root out 'World explorer', openatlast. Sounds like just my sort of thing. Regards, Caleb Strange.
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petethecreeper New user N. California 73 Posts |
Mine is a gift from my father, who bought it during his days in college:
"A Pictorial History of Magic and the Supernatural" - by Maurice Bessy. It is FULL of incredible photographic reference, and reproductions of woodcuts! I was once sent home from school for having this book with me in class (it's got a fiendish pentacle on the cover...goat head and all). |
eize New user 92 Posts |
the supernatural A-Z:the truth and the lies" by james randy
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Slim Price Inner circle 1935 - 2006 1326 Posts |
Quote:
On 2002-12-22 01:15, eize wrote: And try "Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Tahir Shah. It's a journey through India, looking for a master. Some magic "stunts" are revealed, some native philosophy, and much material for ideas. It's a good read, with a tongue in cheek humor way of writing. Slim & Krista Price
sanscan@tds.net
"I will never bitter be, as long as I can laugh at me!" "The people who were dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music" |
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