Fans of supernatural phenomenon owe a debt of gratitude to Charles Fort, a fascinating writer, also known as “the mad genius of the Bronx” who lived from 1874-1932. As this biography reveals, Charles endured a harsh upbringing with a strict disciplinarian father who thought nothing of locking his boys in a dark closet for days, beating them or sending the youngest off to an Industrial Farm at the age of ten. It is little wonder Charles found comfort in books, writing and generating surprises for himself. Charles revealed an aptitude for writing that allowed him to work for newspapers and when he realized a need for broader life experiences, traveled around the globe expanding his horizons. Oddities of all kinds captured his attention and eventually led to the writing of four books including The Book of the Damned in 1920. In this instance, “the damned” refers to any event that fell outside the boundaries of science and included rains of frogs, fish, blood, sightings of UFO’s and a host of other strange occurrences. Even as Charles regaled readers with accounts of the supernatural, he alternately poked fun at believers and pondered how these documented events could actually happen.
Steinmeyer has woven pages of Fort’s own writing with those who knew him at the time to create a fitting tribute to a talented, witty, often shy author whose contributions to the birth of modern day science fiction remain largely unappreciated. His adroit observations continue to delight as one reads again his musings about a wide range of extraordinary events like why it only “rained” baby frogs and not all the weeds, mud or tadpoles one might expect if a rainspout sucked up pond contents. The many period writings add a historical feel while documenting the life of this remarkable “crank’s, crank”.
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