Conspiracy Encyclopedia
OCLC 62162975 | |
Conspiracy Encyclopedia: The Encyclopedia of Conspiracy Theories is a non-fiction reference book about conspiracy theories, with an introduction by editor Thom Burnett. It was published in 2005 by Chamberlain Bros., and in 2006 by Collins & Brown. Contributors to the work include Thom Burnett, Nigel Cawthorne, Richard Emerson, Mick Farren, Alex Games, John Gill, Sandy Gort, Rod Green, Emma Hooley, Esther Selsdon, and Kenn Thomas. The encyclopedia discusses 365 conspiracy theories, most of which are political.
The encyclopedia was positively reviewed in The Guardian, where it was referred to as a "beautifully-produced tome".[1] It received both a positive and a negative review from two different writers in The Times. In 2008 the encyclopedia was listed as required reading in a course on conspiracy at Harvard University.[2]
Background
Burnett has written other works on
Contents
Thom Burnett begins the encyclopedia by introducing the reader to the contents and concepts in the work.
Reception and legacy
The Bookseller called the book "the first comprehensive encyclopedia of its kind".[12] In a review of the encyclopedia for The Guardian, Andrew Mueller called it a "beautifully-produced tome" and commented that the work "succeeds, as was probably intentional, in offering some fascinating tours of the byways of history and providing a tantalising alternative universe in which much of what you know may not be what it seems".[1] John Cooper reviewed the encyclopedia for The Times, and described it as "an entertaining compilation of ideas ranging from who was the 'real William Shakespeare' to the BCCI case and al-Qaeda".[11] Cooper noted, "The most fascinating section relates to 'Assassinations' ... an unusual fairytale book for Christmas."[11] Martin Samuel gave a more critical review of the encyclopedia for The Times, commenting, "For all the encyclopedia's pretence at sifting the evidence in search of a verdict, if the truth is out there, the authors are damned if they can find it."[10]
Conspiracy Encyclopedia was listed as required reading in a 2008 course on conspiracy at Harvard University.[2] Writing in Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies, authors Christopher Hodapp and Alice Von Kannon comment that Burnett asserts "the spirit of our times has had the crap kicked out of it by global domination".[7] The encyclopedia is recommended for further reading by David Southwell and Sean Twist in their book Unsolved Political Mysteries.[13] Writing for The Star, James Mitchell observed, "There's a huge amount packed in here, simply presented."[14] Mitchell concluded, "Read the Conspiracy Encyclopedia, and you'll either have your worst fears confirmed that there's a grand, unified conspiracy affecting everything ... or less exciting, that most of the time, vanilla rules: What you see is what you get!"[14]
Editions
- Burnett, Thom (2005). Conspiracy Encyclopedia: The Encyclopedia of Conspiracy Theories. ISBN 978-1843402879.
See also
- Cabal
- Conspiracy (crime)
- List of conspiracy theories
References
- ^ a b c Mueller, Andrew (September 24, 2005). "The Guide: Preview: Books: Conspiracy Encyclopedia". The Guardian. p. 31.
- ^ a b Anderson, William Henry (Spring 2008). "SSCI E-132 – Conspiracy" (PDF). dcewww.harvard.edu. Harvard University. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
- ISBN 978-1-84340-290-9.
- ISBN 978-1-932857-58-0.
- ^ ISBN 1-84340-381-1.
- JSTOR 10.1086/ahr.111.1.289.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-470-18408-0.
- .
- JSTOR 4486054.
- ^ a b c Samuels, Martin (November 19, 2005). "The truth isn't out here – Nonfiction". The Times. Times Newspapers Limited. p. 4; Section: Books.
- ^ a b c Cooper, John (November 22, 2005). "Six for the stockings – Media review". The Times. Times Newspapers Limited. p. 7.
- ISSN 0006-7539.
- ISBN 978-1-4042-1083-7.
- ^ a b Mitchell, James (February 15, 2007). "No devil behind every Bush". The Star. South Africa: Independent Online. p. 10; Section: Arts and Entertainment.
External links
- "Conspiracy Encyclopedia: The Encyclopedia of Conspiracy Theories". Penguin Books. 2009. Archived from the original on June 21, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2014.