Strangest of All

by Frank Edwards

Originally published in 1956, this is a collection of chilling true stories of occurrences that have baffled the best minds of the world.
They
—The bullet that lay imbedded in a man and waited twenty years to kill him!
—The thief who was in two places at the same hypnotized on a vaudeville stage and at the scene of his own crime.
—The defenseless, besieged town that won a great victory without firing a single shot.
—The man who was horribly murdered by a clock!
—The woman who proved she was buried alive by giving evidence after her death.
…AND MANY, MANY MORE

Genres: Nonfiction, Paranormal

178 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frank Edwards was a prolific reporter and radio host who, when not providing commentary on politics and world events, dabbled heavily in paranormal phenomena, on his broadcasts, Fate magazine and various books. Indeed, I'd go so far as to say that Edwards was more responsible than any one individual (perhaps excepting Kenneth Arnold) for triggering the postwar fascination with UFOs, psychics, ghosts and other phenomena that continues to this day. Strangest of All is a slight compendium of spooky anecdotes, told in breezy, conversational style that makes for fun reading even if the credibility factor hovers around zero. Readers learn of old chestnuts like the mysterious Kaspar Hauser, the devil's footprints in Victorian England or the moving coffins of Barbados; there are Believe It Or Not tales, like a horse that solved a murder, a warship that fought on land using cheese as ammunition (which appears to conflate two different stories), or a reporter who dreamed the eruption of Krakatoa before it happened, that range from spooky to silly. Interestingly, Edwards provides a chapter on the "Bermuda Triangle" before the concept gained broader currency, albeit without dabbling in speculation about aliens or Atlantis. Edwards published four "Strange" books, which largely recycle the same stories from volume to the next, so it's probably not worth dipping into multiple volumes. Nor is his work particularly sophisticated or original - Edwards rarely analyzes the stories he reports, or consider their truthfulness, just throwing them out there in hopes that readers would swallow them whole. Clearly many have, and do, as the stories he recounts still appear in books, websites and History Channel specials. While I can't commend books like this as nonfiction, or even responsible literature, they do serve some purpose for even critical readers, as light, amusing entertainment for slow evenings.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have recently been reminded of these books ("these" meaning Frank Edwards' "Strange" books Stranger Than Science, Strange World and this one). When I was young (my mid teens 14, 15, 16 and beyond) I got into the these and for years afterward read every strange but true book I could get hold of.

So, do stories of strange disappearances, unexplained sightings, and spooky paranormal accounts pique your interest? In this book you'll find fulfilled prophecies, unexplainable events, and so on. There's the story of the family tomb where the coffins get thrown around and jumbled up on the floor when it's locked up, yet without any sign of anyone entering... and it happens each time the coffins are put back in place.

If you read the "Strange collection" you'll get accounts of spontaneous human combustion, screaming skulls, aliens, invisible attackers, rains of everything from frogs to blood....

These are "reportedly" authenticated and documented accounts which I read with great relish in my youth. Some years later I found that many of them were documented in rather, questionable places. but well, that's life...even the Weekly World News had a hit now and again, so why pick on Fate Magazine??? Still, enjoyable reads, and some really creepy stories.

If nothing else, they're entertaining and interesting so, enjoy...with the lights on.

Enjoy.

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very standard book of "the unexplained" by radio host and ufologist Frank Edwards. In fact many of the "mysteries" he wrote about were pretty well resolved in the 1950s when he was writing, and others are thinly sourced and reported so sensationally they are totally unconvincing. Sort of a poor man's Charles Fort, the author makes vague suggestions that some of his mysteries are tied to aliens, the supernatural, or unknown phenomena, but without any of the humor of Fort. The chapters on some nautical mysteries (lost ships, lost crews, and sea monsters) were the strongest, but it's hard to believe even Edwards was convinced of any of this nonsense.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, somewhat dated.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I snapped up all the books by radio host Frank Edwards when I came upon them. They're basically contemporary Fortreanism, albeit less original (Fort went to newspaper clippings) and more pre-digested than their model. Still, they were fascinating, forming a patchwork of "knowledge" of the weird and anomalous which has served me well in later years.