Charles Fort: The Man Who Invented the Supernatural - Softcover

I am the first disciple of Charles Fort. Henceforth I am a Fortean' Since Ben Hecht wrote this line in 1919, Charles Fort has so divided opinion that to "The New York Times" he was 'the enfant terrible of science;' and to HG Wells he was 'one of the most damnable bores who ever cut scraps from out of the way newspapers.' This is the seminal biography of the twentieth century's premier chronicler of the paranormal. Fort provides the impetus for public interest in mysterious phenomena - he coined the word 'teleportation', gathered accounts of spontaneous human combustion, monsters, poltergeists, and what became known as UFOs. His legacy extends to conspiracy theories, sci-fi, graphic novels, film, and of course, the "Fortean Times". Told against the backdrop of jazz age New York and Edwardian London, "Charles Fort: The Man who Invented the Supernatural" is about wonder and mystery, and an author who has become an unlikely and unique cult hero.

Jim Steinmeyer has designed illusions for David Copperfield, Ricky Jay, Siegfried & Roy and Orson Welles, and for six Broadway shows including The Beauty and the Beast. A consultant for a six-part BBC documentary on the history of magic, he also designed the illusions for Richard Eyre's Mary Poppins and is a contributing editor of Magic magazine. His previous books include The Glorious Deception and Hiding the Elephant.