The Little Book of Conspiracies - 50 of the World's Greatest Theories

by Joel Levy

Harmless paranoia, or 50 reasons why they’re really out to get us? You decide.

In a world where conspiracy theories have never been so popular, it’s difficult to know who to believe. Should we be more afraid of fluoride in our drinking water, or invisible chemical trails in the air we breathe? Are world affairs decided by democratically elected politicians, or by shadowy groups of powerful individuals with private agendas? Balancing what the theorists say with the official line, here is all the evidence you need to decide for yourself exactly how paranoid you should be.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, History, Conspiracy Theories

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Joel Levy is a writer and journalist specializing in science and history. He is the author of over a dozen books, including The Little Book of Conspiracies and Scientific Feuds: From Galileo to the Human Genome Project. Phobiapedia is his first book for children.

Reviews

[Melisende · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had this little tome on my shelf for some time - and needed to kill a couple of hours.

This easy to read book and separated into a collection of known conspiracy theories that cover off things like: politics, science fiction, assassination, murder, secret societies, moon landing, cover-ups. Each item is given about two to three pages that are broken down into: an introduction, the conspiracy theory, the official line, and the paranoia rating (ie: how paranoid should you be).

I bought it because the topic appealed to me - I love a good conspiracy theory. If you do, then this wont tax the brain nor disappoint.

[Literatures Movies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry lmao.

But a bitch got bored. I mean, this count as a non-fiction no? Since it was conspiracy theories and such. And this bitch has been trying to up her game and be a well-educated lady by trying to dip her dainty ass toe into non-fiction.

But nope, it seems like this book was a wrong introduction into non-fiction.

Cause this book can't seem to keep my attention.

Cause I was reading this book in an all time slow speed.

Cause this book was all. sorts. of. boring.



I might come back and revisit this book again since it's about conspiracy theories and I have always been interested in stuff like that. But I think right now is not the good time to force myself to finish this book, especially when I feel a reading funk coming.


Blog : Le me has a blog

Youtube : and I also gots a youtube channel

[Jamii · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little read. I always enjoy hearing the different theories on happenings of the world. This book gives you a well formatted good little taste of that. You get a brief info of the particular theory, then the theorists point of view, the official point of view and finally a brief estimation of just how concerned you should be with that particular theory.

[Charalampos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Πολυ καλη παρουσίαση κάποιων γνωστών συνομωσιών. Για αυτο που ειναι αξιζει 5/5 καθώς καθε Συνομωσία την παρουσιάζει με ποσοστά που πρεπει να ειμαστε καχύποπτοι. Δεν ξεφεύγει σε καμια περιπτωση και δεν ενστερνίζεται καμια Συνομωσία.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice fun read! With some theories providing 'food for thought'.

[Hildy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boka oppleves relativt utdatert. Dårlig språk, som jeg ikke vet om er forfatter eller oversetters feil. Oppbygningen virker ulogisk til tider og prosentvurderingen av hver konspirasjons sannsynlighet (hvor paranoid bør du være?) samsvarer ikke med det som står i teksten. Tallet virker helt vilkårlig.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It dispells many common theories and backs up what we already know. But it also gives new information along with the probability that the conspiracy is true. You will be surprised by much of what you read!

[Lissy]

No rating
**I read the new 2021 updated edition of this book that hasn't been added to Goodreads yet.**

This is one of the most unintentionally funny books I have read in a long time. I would not use this book as a reliable source for any of these conspiracies due to the questionable nature (and lack) of the sources listed in the back of the book. I did enjoy the "How paranoid should you be?" ratings that were given for each theory. I also liked learning about some conspiracies I have never heard before, and where some plots in tv shows came from.

This was a nice book to read during my down time, since it didn't have a plot to follow and it was easy to read a section or two and then set back down.

[Nav · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked how each conspiracy was laid out: the official story, the objections to that story, and the degree (given in percentages) to which such suspicions are credible. It provides excellent summaries of the information and could serve as a great starting point but is unlikely to prove insightful beyond beginners. The title claiming that this represents the world also seems like an overstatement since it isn't that wide-ranging.

[Henrik Brynildsen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Denne skuffet stort! Den er spekulativ, overfladisk og utdatert.

Forfatteren gir hver konspirasjonsteori en kort introduksjon, før han gir sin egen sannsynlighet i % for at konspirasjonen er ekte. Totalt tøv og bortkastet tid. De færreste av konspirasjonene er interessante, og de fleste er totalt irrelevante i dag.

Les hva som helst annet.

[Ethan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It gets a bit boring to begin with but once you’ve trudged through all the Bush conspiracy’s and get to the celebrity, Occult and alien ones you can have some fun. A great little reference book for Conspiracy’s.

[Thunder the Unicorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's ok for what it is. I am glad I didn't pay for it. I am not sure if I am going to keep it. The layout kept my attention. I kept reading as one review said it had occult stuff in it. I didn't read that, unless I completely zoned out during it.

[Christopher Edwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly a very entertaining if not thought provoking read!

[Tina Peoples · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a good book and often racist especially on the aids section referring to blacks. Wouldn’t recommend doesn’t gather all the facts.

[Antje · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5

[Kristin ❀]

An interesting read. I read the updated version which includes recent conspiracies such as covid-19.
Better than falling into a conspiracy theory tik tok hole.

[Shoshana · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is just so boring. It picked the most boring theories, providing little to no evidence. I love learning about conspiracy theories (not believing), and this wasn't interesting to learn more.

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really not that good. Every “conspiracy” in this book holds water and it was a mockery of many theories :/

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shows both the theorists and official line and a conclusion, Not a bad read, I even learn't that something I thought was true was a twaddle. Passing this to my dad, then keeping for younger members of the family when they have questions.

[Daniel Louro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny little book, but works better as a consulting thing rather than read all the way through.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could give this book the 3.5 I feel it deserves. Definitely better than a three, not quite a four.

This is the better of several conspiracy books I've read. The book is broken into four subjects including famous deaths and supernatural events. Each of the fifty theories is described in three paragraph: what the conspiracy theorists think, what the other side [or "they"] think, and how "paranoid" the author thinks the reader should be.

In all, this was a fast and enjoyable little read. Definitely a good stepping stone book if you want the basics on some conspiracy theories to research more on your own.

[DB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Your taste of this book might be best described in terms of how you set your expectations. If you're looking for new insights or in-depth analysis of the 50 theories the book covers, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a concise summary of the 50 theories from both supporters' and dectractors' points of view, then I'd say browse the topic list and decide if it's worth adding to your shelves. There's little here that you can't get from wikipedia, but the brevity of the entries makes it a handy reference.

[Heather Browning]

A quick look at some of the popular conspiracy theories, presenting the arguments from each side and finishing with a summary, including a percentage representation of how likely they judge it to be true. Nothing in-depth, but an interesting introduction to the variety of what people will believe or claim, and filled in some details for me in some theories I've heard about before.

[Devin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining little book that debunks or confirms many popular conspiracy theories. I was pleased to find that, as a member of the Religious Right (in voting, not in formal membership), I am included amongst these vast conspiracies (p. 45-47). I'll try not to let my power go to my head.

[David Brzezinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read with each entry boiled down to the basics (a primer, the theorist stance, the official stance, and "How paranoid should you be"). By no means the end all and be all of conspiracy theory books, but a decent starting point for those who do show some interest in such subjects.

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as part of a book challenge, and while they’re conspiracy theories, they were pretty laughable so I enjoyed it. Some of them I skipped over because they’re mainstream and I’ve heard them a few times, but overall interesting point of views.

[J.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read. I really enjoyed it.

[Gord · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fairly trite, quick run-through of a pile of conspiracies. Nothing new is presented and there's definitely no depth to any of the entries. Fun to have, but don't go out of your way to get it.

[Rob Hernandez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not impressed with this book at all. It may have been a conspiracy to force me to waist 6hrs of my life :(

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful summation of conspiracies. I was surprised to discover a few I was previously unaware of and now will research, notably the Bohemian Grove.