The Sourcebook Project

Ancient Infrastructure: Remarkable Roads, Mines, Walls, Mounds, Stone Circles

Ancient Structures: Remarkable Pyramids, Forts, Towers, Stone Chambers, Cities, Complexes Ancient astronomical observatories Vitrified forts Ancient furnaces, smelteres and hearths The Newport Tower New Grange and other passage graves Enigmas of the Great Pyramid Nan Madol and Mohenjo-daro New England stone chambers Mystery Hill; America's Stonehenge Anonymous stone chambers and passage graves Cities and complexes Inca stonework 337 pages, hardcover, $24.95 193 illus., 3 indexes, 2001 528 references, LC 00-092706 ISBN 0-915554-35-6, 7 x 10

Archaeological Anomalies: Small Artifacts Bone artifacts: Anomalous early bone tools; Bone artifacts of uncertain affiliation; Pre-Clovis bone tools in the New World; Anomalous association of animal bones with ancient human presence; Artificially worked animal bones of great age; Grooved, punctured, Pounded human bones; Evidence of ancient skull surgery (trepanation); Scratched and smashed bones: The cannibalism signature; Exotic mummies Cloth artifacts: Viking cloth in the High North American Arctic; Diffusion of dyed, patterned textile technology; The early selective breeding of colored cotton in the New World; Stone-Age clothing surprisingly modern; Llama wool indicates selective breeding; Similarity of Chinese and Aztec plumagery; Woven cloth in North American mounds; A woven mat encased in salt; The uncertain origin of the image on the Shroud of Turin. Geological artifacts: Megamiddens -- Giant Bronze-Age waste deposits; Fossil food; Unexplained ground disturbances; Apparent metal tool marks on coalified or petrified wood; Fossilized human-like footprints in ancient rocks; Ancient human handprints; Anomalous Hominid-built hearths and fire areas; Metal artifacts: Low-tech metal artifacts; Familiar metal artifacts claimed to have been found embedded in geologically old rocks; Heavily mineralized, familiar metal artifacts not embedded in bedrook; Enigmatic, artificial-appearing metallic objects found in ancient rocks. Pottery artifacts: Pottery that is anomalous in geographical location and/or age; Enigmatic ceramic artifacts. Stone artifacts: Stone artifacts with anomalous ages; Large assemblages or caches of stone implements; Stone artifacts found in unexpected locations; Pigmy flints and other microliths; Nonutilitarian and totally enigmatic stone artifacts. High-Technology artifacts: Ancient chemistry; Ancient metallurgy; ancient surgery and dentistry; Micro-work -- The magnificent conundrum; Artifacts fashioned from very hard materials -- the tool conundrum; Ancient music instruments; Potentially anomalous toys and models; Ancient scientific instruments; Claims of ancient knowledge of electricity; Ancient calculating devices; Speculation about ancient flying machines. Wooden artifacts: Wooden artifacts in unexpected places; Advanced wooden weapons; Remarkable ancient wooden tools; Wooden artifacts suggesting unexpected cultural diffusion; Wooden artifacts of apparent great age. 319 pages, $24.95 hardcover, 3 indexes, 2003, ISBN 0-915554-46-1, 7 x 10-in

Archaeological Anomalies: Graphic Artifacts I Anomalous coins: Coins of Precolumbian mintage found in the New World; Ancient Egyptian coins found in Australia; Deeply buried ancient coins; Oxhide currency in the Precolumbian New World; Coins with maps. Geoforms: Terrestrial Graphics: The Nazca Lines; Cuzco: the mirror of the cosmos; Notable intaglio morphs everywhere; Emblematic and effigy mounds; Large boulders and gravel effigies; Population-center patterns; Large-scale terrestrial sculptures Zodiacs and Calendars: Zodiac anomalies and curiosities; Unusual bone calendars; Ancient stone calendars and time markers; Curious but scarcely anomalous wooden calendars; Textile calendars; "Quipu" calendars; A porported Olmec calendar mozaic; A golden calendar lozenge; Calendars of non-Astronomical events; Is the Mallia table a calendar?; Ancient mechanical calendars; The Mesoamerican 260-day calendar; Transpacific calendar affinities; Other selected structures and artifacts with calendar characteristics Anomalous Maps: The Vinland map; Old maps that reveal an ice-free Antarctica; The Waldseemuller map and a possible Chinese connection; Ancient Chinese world maps; Micronesian stick charts; Maps of selected phantom islands; Map anomalies on ancient coins; "Oldest" maps; The Mysterious origin of the Portolans; Quipus and Related Information Carries: Literary quipus; Sticks, bones, and stones as information carries 182 pages, hardcover, 3 indexes, 2006, ISBN 0-915554-48-8, 7 x 10-in

Geophysics Catalogs

Lightning, Auroras, Nocturnal Lights: A Catalog of Geophysical Anomalies Nothing catches the human eye and imagination as quickly as a mysterious light. All down recorded history, scientists and laymen alike have been seeing strange lightning, sky flashes, and unaccountable luminous objects. Typical subjects covered: Horizon-to-horizon sky flashes * Episodes of luminous mists * Mountain-top glows (Andes glow) * Earthquake lights * Ball lightning with tails * Rocket lighting * Lightning from a clear sky * Ghost lights; ignis fatuus * Darting streaks of light (sleeks) * The milky sea and light wheels * Radar-stimulated phosphorescence of the sea * Double ball lightning * Luminous phenomena in tornados * Black auroras * [Picture caption: Luminous display over Mt. Noroshi during earthquake swarm] Comments from reviews "...the book is well-written and in places quite fascinating", Science Books. 248 pages, hardcover, $16.95, 74 illustrations, 5 indexes, 1982. 1070 references, LC 82-99902, ISBN 915554-09-7, 7x10 format.

Tornados, Dark days, Anomalous Precipitation: A catalog of Geophysical Anomalies

• Here is our "weather' Catalog. As everyone knows, our atmosphere is full of tricks, chunks of ice fall from the sky, tornado funnels glow at night. The TV weathermen rarely mention these "idiosyncrasies". [Picture caption: Conical hailstones with fluted sides]
• Typical subjects covered:
  Polar-aligned cloud rows * Ice fogs (the Pogonip) * Conical hail * Gelatinous meteors * Point rainfall * Unusual incendiary phenomena * Solar activity and thunderstorms * Tornados and their association with electricity * Multiwalled waterspouts * Explosive onset of whirlwinds * Dry fogs and dust fogs * Effect of the moon on rainfall * Ozone in hurricanes * Ice falls (hydrometeors)
• Comments from reviews: "...can be recommended to every one who realizes that not everything in science has been properly explained", Weather
• 202 pages, hardcover, $16.95, 40 Illustrations, 5 indexes, 1983. 745 references, LC 82-63156, ISBN 915554-10-0, 7x10 format.

Earthquakes, Tides, Unidentified Sounds: A Catalog of Geophysical Anomalies

• Quakes and monster, solitary waves and natural detonations; these are the consequences of solids, liquids, and gases in motion. In our modern technological cocoon, we are hardly aware of this rich spectrum of natural phenomena. [Picture caption: Sand craters created by earthquakes]
• Typical subjects covered:
  Periodic wells and blowing caves * Sun-dominated tides * Immense, solitary waves * Animal activity prior to earthquakes * Earthquake geographic anomalies * Earthquake electricity * The sound of the aurora * Musical sounds in nature * Mysterious detonations * Anomalous echos * Slicks and calms on water surfaces * Periodicities of earthquakes * The vibrations of waterfalls * Unusual barometric disturbances
• Comments from reviews: "...surprisingly interesting reading", Nature
• 220 pages, paper, $16.95p, 32 illustrations, 5 indexes, 1983. 790 references, LC 83-50781, ISBN 915554-11-9, 7x10 format

Rare Halos, Mirages, Anomalous Rainbows: A Catalog of Geophysical Anomalies

• Most of us have seen rings around the moon, but what does it mean when such rings are not circular or are off-center? Neither are rainbows and mirages devoid of mysteries. And the Brocken Specter still startles Alpine climbers!
• Typical subjects covered:
  Rainbows with offset white arcs * Sandbows * Offset and skewed halos * The Brocken Specter * The Alpine Glow * Unexplained features of the green flash at sunset *Fata Morgana * Telescopic mirages * Long-delayed radio echos * Eclipse shadow bands * Geomagnetic effects of meteors * Intersecting rainbows * The Krakatoa sunsets * Kaleidoscopic suns [Picture caption: Shadow of Adam's Peak with glory and radial rays]
• Comments from reviews: "...all in all it's a fascinating book", Sky And Telescope. "...any student of the physical sciences will find it fascinating", Science Books.
• 244 pages, hardcover, $16.95, 111 illustrations, 5 indexes, 1984. 569 references, LC 84-50491, ISBN 915554-12-7, 7x10 format.

Remarkable Luminous Phenomena in Nature: A Catalog of Geophysical Anomalies This volume is a major expansion of the first catalog in this series, Lightning, Auroras, Nocturnal Lights, first published in 1982. So much additional information on luminous phenomena has been collected, that this new edition is almost twice the size of the 1982, that a new title seems appropriate. Dozens of new phenomena are recognized, and we have added a great many eye-witness account (mostly from science journals) of low-level auroras, ball lightning, earthquake lights, marine wheels, luminous phenomena above thunderclouds, and, especially, lengthy coverages of low-level nocturnal lights (Marfa, Brown Moutnain, Min Min, Nekha, Hessdalen, etc). Topic covered include: Aurora-like phenomena Ball Lightning Diffuse Electrical Discharge Phenomena Lightning Anomalies Low-Level Meteor-Like Luminous Phenomena Nocturnal Lights Marine Phosphorescent Displays 425 pages, hardcover, $24.95, 128 illustrations, Time-of-event index, Source index, First-author index, Subject index, 1660 references. 2001. LC 2001126955, ISBN 0-915554-44-5. 7 x 10" format

Dark Days, Ice falls, Firestorms and Related Weather Anomalies "Weather" is a composite experience of sight, sound, temperature, and other sensations of the elements. The phenomena of this Catalog volume are not primarily luminous or acoustic or confined to the sensory channels that form the bases for the other volumes in the field of geophysics. Here, we deal with rain, fog, wind, clouds, precipitation, and sunshine-- but only when they are anomalous or at least curious enough to attract our attention. Several themes that thread their ways through the geophysical volumes of the Catalog recur in this book: The importance of electricity in geophysical phenomena The possible influences of the sun, moon, planets, and inbound meteoric material on terrestrial weather The occasional prankish, frivolous behavior of some weather phenomena. This judgment is, of course, highly subjective. One interesting feature of weather phenomena taken as a whole is their rather low level of anomalousness; at least when compared to other geophysical phenomena in the Catalog of Anomalies. Weather, it seems, is not as strange as, say, luminous geophysical phenomena. There are more plausible theories available to explain weather phenomena than for ball lightning or long-delayed radio echoes. Of course, this does not mean that science understands all facets of the weather---this volume would not exist if it did. 327 pages, softcover, $24.95, illustrations, Time-of-event index, Source index, First-author index, Subject index, references. 2006. ISBN 0-915554-62-3. 7 x 10" format

Geological Catalogs

Inner Earth: A Search for Anomalies; A Catalog of Geological Anomalies The focus of this, the eleventh volume in the Catalog of Anomalies, is the earth's interior, which is revealed to us mainly through seismic signals, magnetic variations, and the flow of heat from great depths. Hundreds of kilometers below the surface lurk huge pieces of foundered continental crust and bizarre structures of unknown origin. Typical subjects covered: Anomalous gravity signals * Mid-plate volcanism * Mysterious seismic reflectors * Seismic velocity discontinuities * Deep-focus earthquakes * Incompleteness of the stratgraphic record * Cyclothems and rhythmites * Exotic terranes * Compass anomalies * Earth-current anomalies * Problems of paleomagnetism * Polarity reversals [Picture caption: Model of the earth's interior] 230 pages, hardcover, $18.95, 52 illustrations, 5 indexes, 1991, references, LC 90-92347, ISBN 915554-25-9, 7x10 format.

Carolina Bays, Mima Mounds, Submarine Canyons; A Catalog of Geological Anomalies Topographical phenomena are the subject of this Catalog. The ups and downs of the earth's surface betray many anomalies. Could continental drift be inferior to the expanding earth hypothesis? Have ocean levels fluctuated wildly down the eons? Typical subjects covered: Carolina Bays and oriented lakes * Large circular structures * Immense craters * Raised beaches * Guyots (flat-topped seamounts) * Island arcs * Doubts about plate tectonics (continental drift) * Mima mounds * Drumlin anomalies * Patterned ground * Esker problems * Lake walls and ramparts * Crevicular structure * Submarine canyons [Picture caption: Pyramid of frozen foam on the Bozenkill, New York State] Comments from reviews: "...enough terrestrial intrigue to keep us thinking for years", Pursuit. 245 pages, hardcover, $17.95, 84 illustrations, 5 indexes, 1988, 682 references, LC 87-63408, ISBN 915554-22-4, 7x10 format.

Anomalies in Geology: Physical, Chemical, Biological; A Catalog of Geological Anomalies Journey here into ice caves, exhume Siberian mammoths, see animals perish in gas-filled valleys -- a little media hype is justified here. But more serious questions involve the origins of oil, coal, and natural gas. Typical subjects covered: Biological extinction events * Musical sands, ringing rocks * Anomalies of oil's origin * Ice caves, frozen wells * Natural fission reactors * Marine organisms and fossils found far inland * Siberia's frozen mammoths * Radiometric dating problems * Anchor ice, frazil ice * Violent lake turnovers * Flexible rocks * Origin of ocean water * Skipping in fossil record * Valleys of death * Prismatic sandstone from Missouri 335 pages, hardcover, $18.95, 55 illustrations, 5 indexes, 1989. 1260 references, LC 89-90680, ISBN 915554-23-2, 7x10 format.

Neglected Geological Anomalies; A Catalog of Geological Anomalies Neglected but far from insignificant are the anomalies cataloged here. Do we really know how concretions and geodes form, where tektites come from, whence the immense deposits of superficial debris all over our globe ? [Picture caption: Mace-shaped and sand-spike concretions from the Colorado delta] Typical subjects covered: Concretions and geodes * Tektites and microtektites * Erratic boulders and gravels * Polystrate fossils * Bone caves and bone beds * Giant basalt flows * Natural glasses * Surging glaciers * Driftless regions * Stretched pebbles * Crystal inclusions * Rarity of fossil meteorites and tektites * Elevated erratics * Stone rivers and rock glaciers 333 pages, hardcover, $18.95, 80 illustrations, 5 indexes, 1990. 1030 references, LC 90-60568, ISBN 915554-24-0, 7x10 format.

Astronomy Catalogs

The Moon and the Planets; A Catalog of Astronomical Anomalies From our own moon's cratered surface to the red, rock-strewn plains of Mars, the Solar System is a fertile field for scientific research. Despite centuries of observation, each new spacecraft and telescope provides us with new crops of anomalies [Picture caption: One drawing of the Venusian radial spoke system] Typical subjects covered: The ashen light of Venus * The Martian 'pyramids' * Kinks in Saturn's rings * Continuing debate about the Voyager life-detection experiments * Neptune's mysterious ring * Evidence of water on Mars * The grooves on Phobos * The two faces of Mars * Lunar clouds, mists, "weather" * Ring of light around the new moon * Dark transits of Jovian satellites * Io's energetic volcanos * Jupiter as a "failed star" * Venus-earth resonance Comments from reviews: "The author is to be commended for his brilliantly conceived and researched volume", Science Books. 383 pages, hardcover, $18.95, 80 illustrations, 4 indexes, 1985. 988 references, LC 85-61380, ISBN 915554-19-4, 7x10 format.

The Sun and Solar System Debris: A Catalog of Astronomical Anomalies Our sun, powerhouse of the Solar System and an enigma itself, is orbited by clouds of asteroids, comets, meteors and space dust These "minor objects" cause "major headaches" to astronomers searching for explanations. Typical subjects covered: Solar svstem resonances * Bode's Law and other regularities * Blackness of comet nuclei * Cometary activity far from solar influences * Unidentified objects crossing sun * The 'missing' solar neutrinos * Pendulum phenomena during solar eclipses * Observations of Planet X * Meteorite geographical anomalies * Meteorites from the moon * Long fireball processions * Very long duration meteorites * Zodiacal light brightness changes * [Picture caption: One of the many possible modes of solar surface oscillation] Comments from reviews: "It is an unusual book, nicely executed, and I recommend it highly", Icarus. 288 pages, hardcover, $17.95, 66 illustrations,4 indexes, 1986. 874 references, LC 86-60231, ISBN 915554-20-8, 7x10 format.

Stars, Galaxies, Cosmos: A Catalog of Astronomical Anomalies Did the Big Bang really begin the existence of all we know? Do we honestly know how the stars (and our sun) work? Can we rely on Newton's Law of Gravitation? According to this volume the answer seems to be "Probably not ! " Typical subjects covered: Optical bursters and flare stars * Estorical color change of Sirius * Infrared cirrus clouds * Quasar-galaxy associations * The red-shift controversy * Quantization of red shifts * The quasar energy paradox * Apparent faster-than-light velocities in quasars and galaxies * Evidence for universal rotation * Swiss cheese structure of universe * Is the "missing mass" really missing ? * Superluminous infrared galaxies * Shells around elliptical galaxies Comments from reviews: "...it never fails to be interesting, challenging and stimulating", New Scientist 246 pages, hardcover, $17.95, 50 illustrations, 4 indexes, 1987. 817 references, LC 87-60007, ISBN 915554-21-6, 7x10 format.

Astronomy Handbook

Mysterious Universe: A Handbook of Astronomical Anomalies

• Our Astronomy Handbook covers much the same ground as the three preceding Astronomy Catalogs, but in more detail. For example, the quotations are much more extensive [Picture caption: Unexplained rift in the zodiacal light]
• Typical subjects covered:
  The lost satellite of Venus * Transient lunar phenomena * Ephemeral earth satellites * Venus' radial spoke system * Relativlty contradicted * Cosmological paradoxes * Changes in light's velocity * Vulcan; the intramercurial planet * Knots on Saturn's rings * Bright objects near the sun * The Sun's problematical "companion star" * "Sedimentary" meteorites * Life chemistry in outer space * Planet positions and sunspots
• Comments from reviews: "...highly recommended ... excellent value for money", Nature (Astronomy Book Club selection)
• 716 pages, hardcover, $19.95, 103 illustrations, index, 1979, References, LC 78-65616, ISBN 915554-05-4, 6x9 format.

Science Frontiers: Some Anomalies and Curiosities of Nature

An indexed compilation of the first 86 issues of our newsletter Science Frontiers.

• Chapter 1. Archeology: Ancient Engineering Works * Small Artifacts * Epigraphy and Art * Bones and Footprints * Diffusion and Culture.
• Chapter 2. Astronomy: Planets and Moons * Solar System Debris * Stars * Galaxies and Quasars * Cosmology.
• Chapter 3. Biology: Humans .* Other Mammals * Birds * Reptiles and Amphibians * Fish * Arthropods * Invertebrates * Plants and Fungi * Microorganisms * Genetics * Origin of Life * Evolution.
• Chapter 4. Geology: Topography * Geological Anomalies * Stratigraphy * Inner Earth.
• Chapter 5. Geophysics: Luminous Phenomena* Weather Phenomena * Hydrological Phenomena * Earthquakes * Anomalous Sounds * Atmospheric Optics.
• Chapter 6. Psychology: Dissociation Phenomena * Hallucinations * Mind - Body Phenomena * Hidden Knowledge * Reincarnation * Information Processing * Psychokinesis.
• Chapter 7. Chemistry, Physics, Math, Esoterica: Chemistry * Physics * Mathematics.
• Comments from reviews: "This fun-to-read book may lead some to new scientific solutions through questioning the phenomena presented", Science Books and Films
• 356 pages, paperback, $18.95, 417 illus., subject index, 1994. 1500+ references, LC 93-92800 ISBN 0-915554-28-3, 8.5 x 11.

Sourcebooks

The first publications of the Sourcebook Project appeared in the early 1970s. These were loose-leaf notebooks called "Sourcebooks." Here were reproduced articles and excerpts of articles dealing with anomalous phenomena. Although these Sourcebooks were superseded by the Handbooks and Catalogs, the continuing demand for them has encouraged us to keep most of them in print, as detailed below:

• Strange Universe: Astronomical Anomalies
  • Vol. A1, 285 pp., 1975, $16.95, Xeroxed text, plain binder
  • Vol A2, 286 pp , 1977, $16.95 Xeroxed text, plain binder
• Strange Planet: Geological Anomalies
  • Vol E1, 289 pp , 1975, $9.95 Printed text and binder
  • Vol E2, 275 pp , 1978, $16.95 Xeroxed text, plain binder
• Strange Phenomena: Geophysical Anomalies
  • Vol G1, 277 pp , 1974, $16.95 Xeroxed text, plain binder
  • Vol G2, 270 pp , 1974, $9.95 Printed text, plain binder
• Strange Artifacts: Archeological Anomalies
  • Vol M1, 268 pp , 1974, $16.95 Xeroxed text, plain binder
  • Vol M2, 293 pp , 1976, $16.95 Xeroxed text, plain binder
• Strange Minds: Psychological Anomalies Vol P1, 291 pp. 1976, $16.95 Printed text, plain binder;

Uses for the catalogs and handbooks

(l) Librarians will find these books to be unique collections of source materials and bibliographies; (2) Scientists will find research ideas as well as unexpected observations and many references; (3) Students can use these books to select and develop research papers and theses; (4) The science-oriented layman will find thousands of those mysteries of nature that make science exciting.

The Catalog of Anomalies is in effect an encyclopedia of the unknown and puzzling that is based primarily upon recognized scientific research. It is the only organized, indexed, unsensationalized collection of difficult-to-explain phenomena. The Catalog is supplemented by several "Handbooks" containing more voluminous descriptions of some of the phenomena.

Reviews in scientific and library publications

The Catalogs and Handbooks have been favorably reviewed in many scientific journals, such as Nature, American Scientist, and New Scientist. In addition, library publications such as Choice, Booklist, and Science Books have recommended them. Four have been book club selections. All Catalogs and Handbooks have been compiled by William R. Corliss

Order from:

The Sourcebook Project
P.O. Box 107
Glen Arm, MD 21057
USA

Tel: +1 (410) 668 6047.

Ordering information

Prices are in U.S. dollars. Canadian dollars and pounds sterling are accepted at prevailing exchange rates. U.S. customers should add $1.50 for each order under $30. Foreign customers should add $2.00 per book for surface mail.

Science Frontiers Sourcebook Project Reviewed in: Icarus: Volume 41, Issue 3, p. 470-470 1984, Vol.56:3, P.615 1983, Vol.58:3 June 1984, Vol.60:3 Dec 1984, Vol.72:3 Dec 1987 Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Vol. 81, no. 1 1987 American Journal of Physics, Volume 52, Issue 8, p. 764 August 1984 Quotes "Before opening the book, I set certain standards that a volume which treads into dangerous grounds grounds like this must meet. The author scrupulously met, or even exceeded those standards. Each phenomenon is exhaustively documented, with references to scientific journals [..] and extensive quotations" -- "Book Review: The moon and planets: a catalog of astronomical anomalies", The Sourcebook Project, 1985., Corliss, W. R., Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada>, Vol. 81, no. 1 (1987), p. 24., 02/1987