"A tour de force of engaging storytelling, skeptical inquiry about extraordinary claims, and masterful explications of evidence.... an important work of multidisciplinary scholarship." – Skeptical Inquirer
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“Remarkable… an outstanding examination of an important part of the ragged path that Western civilization has followed across the centuries in its efforts to understand the world in which we live. Pankratz brings psychological knowledge and experience as well as devotion to the history of both science and deception, backed up by his unparalleled personal library, providing readers with a unique vantage point.” –James E. Alcock, PhD. Professor of Psychology, York University and author of Belief: What it Means to Believe and Why Our Convictions are So Compelling
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"Pankratz delves deeply into history to dig up fascinating examples of deception through the ages, from the Oracle at Delphi to modern mind readers. Each account is an unputdownable detective story as he explains how critical thinkers approached questionable claims and devised ingenious methods to test charlatans, tricksters, and frauds, to distinguish between reality and falsehood, and to throw light on the psychological mechanisms that allowed the deceptions to succeed. A gripping story and an education in how not to be fooled."
–Harriet Hall, M.D., Contributing editor to Skeptic magazine, Skeptical Inquirer, and the Science-Based Medicine Blog, as well as the author of Women Aren’t Supposed to Fly: The Memoirs of a Female Flight Surgeon.
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“In this era replete with unquestioned beliefs, Mysteries and Secrets Revealed could not be timelier. Loren Pankratz provides fascinating accounts of individuals who ask uncomfortable questions about easy-to-acquire-but-difficult-to-discard beliefs and then engage in thoughtful searching for answers to those questions. Appropriately conceived. Well researched. Deftly written.”
– Dr. Charles M. Wynn Sr., Professor Emeritus, Eastern Connecticut State University and co-author of The Human Side of Science
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