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Books like The book of the damned

by Charles Fort

20 connected reads, with a reason for every recommendation.

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  1. 01Cover of Lo!

    Lo!

    Charles Fort

    Fort’s follow-up gathers further puzzling reports from the natural world in the same idiosyncratic, questioning spirit.

    • anomalous phenomena
    • speculative nonfiction
    • cosmic mystery
  2. 02Cover of New Lands

    New Lands

    Charles Fort

    Fort turns his attention toward astronomical observations and disputed accounts of phenomena beyond Earth.

    • anomalous phenomena
    • astronomy
    • speculative nonfiction
  3. 03Cover of Wild talents

    Wild talents

    Charles Fort

    This later Fort collection explores strange claims about human abilities and other unexplained occurrences.

    • anomalous phenomena
    • psychic mysteries
    • speculative nonfiction
  4. 04Cover of At the mountains of madness
    An unexpected connection

    Lovecraft transforms scientific exploration and hints of ancient life beyond human understanding into chilling cosmic horror.

    • cosmic horror
    • Antarctic setting
    • science fiction
  5. 05Cover of The UFO Experience, A Scientific Inquiry

    Astronomer J. Allen Hynek examines UFO reports through a systematic framework that complements Fort’s interest in anomalous evidence.

    • UFOs
    • investigative nonfiction
    • scientific inquiry
  6. 06Cover of Passport to Magonia: from folklore to flying saucers

    Vallée connects reports of aerial phenomena with older folklore, tracing an arresting bridge between modern sightings and legend.

    • UFOs
    • folklore
    • speculative nonfiction
  7. 07Cover of The Mothman Prophecies

    Keel investigates strange reports surrounding a small-town mystery, mixing witness accounts with an unsettling sense of the uncanny.

    • paranormal investigation
    • regional mystery
    • eerie
  8. 08Cover of Solaris
    An unexpected connection

    Solaris

    Stanisław Lem

    Lem’s novel turns the question of extraterrestrial life into a mysterious encounter with an intelligence humans may not be able to comprehend.

    • science fiction
    • alien intelligence
    • philosophical
Explore 12 more recommendations
  1. 09Cover of The eighth tower

    The eighth tower

    John A. Keel

    Keel proposes an expansive interpretation of paranormal reports, linking UFOs with other puzzling experiences.

    • paranormal nonfiction
    • UFOs
    • speculative
  2. 10Cover of Operation Trojan Horse

    Keel explores UFO encounters alongside folklore and other unexplained events, offering a provocative alternative to simple explanations.

    • UFOs
    • paranormal investigation
    • speculative nonfiction
  3. 11Cover of The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects

    Ruppelt recounts his role in an early official investigation of UFO reports and the difficulties of assessing them.

    • UFOs
    • government investigation
    • historical nonfiction
  4. 12Cover of The Invention of Morel
    An unexpected connection

    The Invention of Morel

    Adolfo Bioy Casares

    A fugitive’s strange observations on an isolated island lead to a compact mystery about reality, technology, and perception.

    • fantastic fiction
    • island setting
    • enigmatic
  5. 13Cover of Flying saucers from outer space

    Keyhoe surveys mid-century flying-saucer reports and argues for taking the phenomenon seriously.

    • UFOs
    • historical nonfiction
    • space age
  6. 14Cover of On the Track of Unknown Animals

    Heuvelmans applies a naturalist’s curiosity to reports of animals that conventional zoology has not confirmed.

    • cryptozoology
    • natural history
    • field investigation
  7. 15Cover of The Humanoids

    The Humanoids

    Aimé Michel, Charles Bowen

    Bowen assembles reports of alleged encounters with humanoid beings, extending the seed’s interest in life beyond Earth.

    • UFOs
    • case reports
    • anomalous phenomena
  8. 16Cover of Cosmicomics
    An unexpected connection

    Cosmicomics

    Italo Calvino

    Calvino turns scientific ideas about the universe into imaginative stories that make cosmic mysteries feel intimate and playful.

    • speculative fiction
    • cosmic scale
    • playful
  9. 17Cover of Unexplained!

    Unexplained!

    Jerome Clark

    Clark surveys unexplained events and unusual claims in a broad reference work suited to readers who enjoy Fort’s miscellany.

    • anomalous phenomena
    • reference nonfiction
    • mystery
  10. 18Cover of Flying Saucer Story

    Flying Saucer Story

    Brinsley Le Poer Trench

    Trench traces the flying-saucer subject through sightings and interpretations from the early UFO era.

    • UFOs
    • historical nonfiction
    • speculative
  11. 19Cover of The occult

    The occult

    Colin Wilson

    Wilson surveys occult traditions and disputed claims about human experience in a sweeping study of the uncanny.

    • occult history
    • speculative nonfiction
    • mystery
  12. 20Cover of Last and First Men
    An unexpected connection

    Last and First Men

    Olaf Stapledon

    Stapledon imagines humanity’s far future across immense stretches of time, expanding the seed’s cosmic curiosity into a sweeping speculative history.

    • science fiction
    • deep time
    • cosmic

About the book

Charles Fort’s 1919 miscellany gathers accounts of curiosities and wonders, including reports related to meteorology, astronomy, religion, science, and life on other planets.

About the author

Charles Fort is known for collecting reports of unexplained phenomena; his name gave rise to the term “Fortean” for unusual or anomalous subjects.