Table of Contents

Introduction vii

1 Spontaneous human combustion 1

2 Walking on hot coals 8

3 Crop circles 12

4 The Shroud of Turin 20

5 Psychic readings 34

6 Spiritualism 49

7 Ghosts and poltergeists 71

8 DIY ghost photos 80

9 Reincarnation and past lives 83

10 Astrology 102

11 Numerology 115

12 ESP - extrasensory perception 125

13 Nostradamus 143

14 The prophecy that is Kabul Khan 150

15 Psychic detectives 154

16 DIY telepathy 161

17 Psychics on stage 164

18 DIY bending spoons 175

19 UFO encounters of the first kind - sightings 178

20 UFO encounters of the second kind - physical evidence 198

21 UFO encounters of the third kind - alien contact 207

22 Alien abductions 217

23 The Bermuda Triangle 226

24 Levitation 233

25 Dowsing and divining 244

26 Yeti, Bigfoot and other ape-men 251

27 The Loch Ness Monster 256

Acknowledgements 261

About the Author

Lynne Kelly has been teaching science and mathematics for over 30 years. She holds degrees in education and engineering and delights in debunking claims of the paranormal. She also delights in all things arachnid and is famous for her spider jewellery.

Reviews

"'Lynne Kelly's Skeptic's Guide to the Paranormal is a lovely book. It covers a wide range of paranormal "mythconceptions" in an entertaining and comprehensive way. The fascinating topics include the Bermuda Triangle, UFOs, Astrology, Nostradamus and Spoon Bending. The Universe around us is magnificent enough to fill us with awe and wonder - and this book shows us that we don't have to rely on second-rate re-hashed myths.' Karl Kruszelnicki, Julius Sumner Miller Fellow, University of Sydney 'We find ourselves in a society which erroneously believes it has undergone an Enlightenment, but has only experienced a certain degree of Brightening. Lynne Kelly's informative book should never have been needed, but obviously is. Telling people what they already know - that there is no Tooth Fairy, magic is a subject for children's story books and immortality, ESP and astral projection belong in fantasy stories - is made a more acceptable and communicable message via this book. Kudos and applause to the author. Let's have more...' James Randi, President, James Randi Educational Foundation, www.randi.org"