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Rating: 
Summary: A good reference guide
Review: As the name implies- Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal is just that- all entries are comprehensive and presented in a textbook format. This could be a valuable research tool- entertainment value is somehow on the low end- but it (somehow) makes up for it for the well researched entries as well as the unbiased discussion of the Mystical and paranormal.
Rating: 
Summary: Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience
Review: I ordered the book on Monday and got it on Saturday. I could not believe it got here so fast. The book itself is in excellent condition.
Rating:
Summary: Hefty, Handsome, Perceptive- Excellent Reference Work
Review: One could do far worse than make this handsome and hefty volume one's primary reference for topics of a spiritual, mystical, and paranormal nature. You will find every thing described here from the perenial wisdom literature to various "new age" movements and personalities. I know I've refered to it any number of times over the years. The author generally gives concise but fairly comprehensive entries that leave you informed about the essentials of the subject without overwhelming you. Should you desire to know more, she gives you both cross references to other entries, as well as, a listing of sources that go into more depth. It is obvious to me that Rosemary Ellen Guiley knows what she is talking about on such subjects. She fully understands what she has gleaned from her sources. She is is very perceptive. Nor have I found an error to date with those subjects that I am personally familiar with. Also, she is clearly not totally credulous- if a topic is somewhat...dubious... she doesn't hesitate to point it out. Perhaps it isn't totally comprehesive, but no source short of the Akashic Records (page 4) can claim that....
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating facts vs. idle hypotheses.
Review: One of the more striking features of the modern world is the way modern education, particularly of the 'scientific' kind, has succeeded in producing an extremely narrow or altogether closed mind, the type of mind which takes pride in describing itself as 'skeptical.' One of the more distressing consequences of this widespread 'skepticism,' or narrow-mindedness, is a total refusal to believe in anything which has not been sanctioned by the prevailing Newtonian-Darwinian paradigm, much as if one were to say : "I wasn't taught this in high school so it can't be true." What such persons fail to see is that, in fleeing from what they take to be 'superstition,' they have fallen victim to an equal if not greater body of superstition, since much of modern science reveals itself on close inspection to be little more than wild hypothesis and even pseudo-science. Most authors of books on the paranormal feel obliged to spend a great deal of time answering, point by point, every conceivable 'argument' that skeptics come up with, arguments that are often as silly as the one that claimed flying saucers are just marsh gas or light reflected from the rear ends of flying ducks. This can be extremely tedious for those of whose who are not paradigm-paralyzed, and it's refreshing to come across a book which totally and, it would seem, deliberately, ignores all skeptics. Facts are facts, whether they can be explained by current science or not. People do walk on fire. They also see ghosts. And hundreds of thousand of sane and responsible people have seen flying saucers. Too bad if hidebound scientists and their groupies have no explanation. They may succeed for a time in preserving outworn hypotheses by rejecting inconvenient facts, but sooner or later, as books such as this demonstrate, the facts will catch up with them. Three cheers for Rosemary Ellen Guily for not wasting our time on idle hypotheses but giving us instead a book crammed with such amazing facts!
Rating:
Summary: Thorough reference book on the paranormal and mystical
Review: Since its publication in 1991, this book has been for me the standard reference guide for information about paranormal and mystical phenomena and experiences. The author is a journalist and author who specializes in subjects related to the paranormal, whose books include _The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft_ and _The Atlas of the Mysterious in North America_. Her work is of a consistently high level throughout, and this book maintains the demands she puts on herself for quality. The book is divided into over 500 entries arranged alphabetically, with each entry including a list of sources at its end. Subjects included major figures in this field, explanations of different mystical and divinatory techniques, mystical traditions, places, and phenomena. The reader will find here information about Alexandra David-Neel, channeling, the Native American Ghost Dance, Stonehenge, and Fortean phenomena, along with many, many other subjects, all cross referenced. It is one of those books that I always keep close at hand not only to verify information I find in other books, but also for sheer reading pleasure. I am certain that I have read the entire book in piecemeal fashion, going from one entry to the other capriciously. This book is not a source of anecdotes of ghosts or other encounter phenomena; its strength instead lies in its definition of the subject of discussion and possible prosaic and otherworldly explanations for the same. The entry on "Firewalking," for example, defines the topic, provides information on its history, and offers possible explanations for the fact that burning coals do not harm firewalkers: the Ledenfrost effect (the formation of a protective cushion of air and moisture between flesh and coal); psychokinetic control of electrostatic fields which protect the firewalker's feet and legs; willing a change in body chemistry; and hypnotic trance. The thoroughness which characterizes this entry is replicated in the others as well. Aside from these excellent and well-written entries, I find the cross-references a useful tool, and the citation of sources at the end of each entry has helped me build up my own library, provided me with new destinations for travel, and guided me to new research topics. The book would benefit from a more forgiving attitude toward the skeptical perspective, which Guiley either dismisses or omits completely, but overall this book is thoroughly researched, and is not only a good starting place for a beginning scholar in these matters, but also a source to which more knowledgeable readers will frequently return.
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Summary: Anything Mystical
Review: This encyclopedia covers anything and everything that is considered mystical or paranormal. There are so many entries in this book that it is hard to stop reading because almost every listing is interesting. This encyclopedia contains almost everything that is related to the paranormal, such as important people in paranormal fields, natural oddities, legends such as Loch Ness monster,ect., religious cults, ufos, the list goes on and on. If it is considered paranormal its in this book. This encyclopedia is very well written and is a great source of information, if you're interested in these sorts of things I would recommend buying this book.
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Summary: Swiftness of Service
Review: This seller, was very professional, she kept in touch with me, without me, contacting her first. I received the book in excellent condition, in less then 4 days. Thank you
Rating:
Summary: Swiftness of Service
Review: This seller, was very professional, she kept in touch with me, without me, contacting her first. I received the book in excellent condition, in less then 4 days. Thank you
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