Unsolved History: Investigating Mysteries of the Past

by Joe Nickell

What constitutes historical truth is often subject to change. Joe Nickell demonstrates the techniques used in solving some of the world's most perplexing mysteries, such as the authenticity of Abraham Lincoln's celebrated Bixby letter, the 1913 disappearance of writer and journalist Ambrose Bierce, and the apparent real-life model for a mysterious character in a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nickell also uses newly uncovered evidence to further investigate the identity of the Nazi war criminal known as ""Ivan the Terrible.""

Genres: History, Nonfiction

179 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1991

About the author

Joe Nickell was an American skeptic and investigator of the paranormal.
Nickell was a senior research fellow for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and wrote regularly for their journal, Skeptical Inquirer. He was also an associate dean of the Center for Inquiry Institute. He was the author or editor of over 30 books.
Among his career highlights, Nickell helped expose the James Maybrick "Jack the Ripper Diary" as a hoax. In 2002, Nickell was one of a number of experts asked by scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. to evaluate the authenticity of the manuscript of Hannah Crafts' The Bondwoman's Narrative (1853–1860), possibly the first novel by an African-American woman. At the request of document dealer and historian Seth Keller, Nickell analyzed documentation in the dispute over the authorship of "The Night Before Christmas", ultimately supporting the Clement Clarke Moore claim.

Reviews

[Peter Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content of this book wasn't what I was expecting. Mysteries of the Past, to me, would include Oak Island, old sightings of monsters, the moving coffins of Barbados and the like. Instead, apart from the Nazca lines and the Shroud of Turin, this book is focussed more on mysteries of lesser impact.

Whether a chap accused of being a war criminal was correct in saying it was mistaken identity, the fate of an American author, the provenance of a treasure tale, who created a woodland den, did Lincoln write a letter, etc.

Most of these have a connection to Kentucky, where the author is based. I've heard of Daniel Boone, but he's not that significant to me and so the chapter based on him wasn't that grabbing. Much the same could be said of the other chapters.

The format is that each chapter starts with a general discussion of the wider topic, such as forgeries of Boone (for instance) artefacts, before moving onto the specifics of the case in hand. The wider talk is excellent. It was just the specifics that I found pretty hard to engage with.

If this book had been written by someone from England, dealing with aspects that I knew about, and most probably cared about, then it would be fantastic. As it is, I found myself not really caring one way or the other about much of it.

[Ming Terk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched. Some of the chapters are captivating, like that of forgeries. Others are too technical. And I think some are just irrelevant. I mean, who is interested in how much string is used!

[Larry Hostetler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting more famous historical mysteries. Ambrose Bierce's disappearance and the Shroud of Turin were well-known, while some of the others were local to Kentucky and unknown to me. While I enjoyed the Bierce part, the book handled too many obscure occurrences for my enjoyment. And the presentation debunking the South American figures was not news at all.

I think the subject matter could have been covered in half the pages, but in order to fill the book included expansive explanations and references to related "mysteries" employing the same analysis to solve. One chapter on a letter allegedly written by Lincoln didn't seem to rise to the level of coverage given it.

I was disappointed.

[Mary Bronson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an interesting book. I liked most of the mysteries Joe Nickell looked at. Took me a bit longer to read because it was the kind I have to have slince to read so that I can understand it. But overall it was interesting and kinda of educational at the same time.