The Strangest Things In The World

by Thomas R. Henry

The Strangest Things in the World is a fascinating book written by Thomas R. Henry. The book explores some of the most bizarre and unusual phenomena that exist in our world. From strange creatures and bizarre natural occurrences to unusual cultural practices and unexplained mysteries, this book covers it all.The book is divided into different chapters, each focusing on a different category of strange things. For example, one chapter is dedicated to strange creatures, such as the platypus or the axolotl, while another chapter explores unusual natural phenomena like the Northern Lights or the Giant's Causeway.The author provides detailed descriptions of each phenomenon, along with fascinating facts and stories that help to bring them to life. The book is also illustrated with beautiful photographs and drawings that add to the sense of wonder and curiosity.Overall, The Strangest Things in the World is a captivating and informative book that is sure to appeal to anyone with an interest in the weird and wonderful. Whether you're a fan of science, nature, or just enjoy learning about unusual and mysterious things, this book is a must-read.A Book About Extraordinary Manifestations Of Nature.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Paperback

First published March 1, 2006

Reviews

[Janelle]

Dnf. I gave up on this book after a few chapters. It was interesting, and the writing was ok, but it was the section on penguins that got to me.

According to the author and two scientists, penguins (I think it was emperor penguins, but this review has been delayed by a few months so I’m not 100% sure) protect their eggs by standing on one leg and holding the egg with their other leg and pressing it against their breast. They do this for the entire time the egg is being incubated.

Now I don’t know what anyone else thinks about this, but for me the idea of a penguin standing on one short leg, with the other short leg being held against its breast for months is utterly ridiculous. The image is so ridiculous that I couldn’t continue reading.

The book was written quite a while ago, so I wasn’t expecting wholly accurate information. But even without accurate knowledge about penguins, you only have to see a picture of a penguin to know that there’s no way that poor stumpy legged bird is going to be holding anything against its breast.

I couldn’t trust anything the author said after that.

[Tech Nossomy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before there were TV series and even entire channels devoted to the natural wonders of the world, we had books to marvel at. While the copy at Project Gutenberg does not contain images, these are the type of books adolescents in the middle of the previous century will have appreciated when learning more about our little blue planet.
A bewildering array of anecdotes, informative and mostly written without sensationalism. Inevitably some outdated information, but which was deemed accurate at the time. For example, one section uses the caption Suicide March of the Lemmings, perpetuating the myth of self-annihilation, although the word suicide is not used in the text. Also the numbers of animals of a particular species are measured using the counting methods of the time with its inherent error margins.
Also, "at least a half dozen species of plants are man-made" is likely incorrect in the 21st century, but considered special when the book was published, ie 1958.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have the hardback of this. In many ways this book is fascinating and is an interesting read. On the other hand, there are some details about it that aren't quite completely true and I have a feeling some items are exaggerated. Still, I found it useful to suggest ideas for fiction stories. A lot of fascinating tidbits that suggest neat little twists for stories. Writers will probably appreciate it quite a bit.