Big Book of Conspiracies (Factoid Books)
In the past, I would roll my rapidly glazing eyes whenever I heard some formerly sensible person carrying the cudgels of conspiracy theories: you know the rants: the Trilateral Commission, CIA, FBI, Masons, and Secret Societies are all out to run the world and silence truth seekers with intimidation, death--or plankton up the nostrils--and it seems the body formerly inhabited by a friend is ready to board a ship to the moon.  But then I came across this book, and I was stunned at the volume of detail and even facts that have been amassed by the obsessive believers in these seemingly wacko conspiracy theories.  The most disturbing fact is that people investigating conspiracy theories seem to have the highest death rate of any profession -- other than  shark dentists.The editors adopt a sensible attitude: they do not claim that any interpretations in the book are necessarily true, but rather that these are truly things that conspiracy theorists have proposed.  Note that this is a comic book of 39 tellings of almost as many conspiracy theories, but the comic-book medium in fact works very well. Recommended, unless some gruff voice calls me late at night and tells me to change my mind.... (Pssst: from the same people who brought you another Amazon.com Books favorite,The Big Book of Weirdos).--Jonathan Kochmer