The book charts a course through a confusing ocean in which genuine marvel is mixed up with make-believe and misperception. Modern parapsychological research, UFO sightings, the Loch Ness Monster and ancient astronauts are covered. So too are those prominent in the history of the paranormal, from Paracelsus to Aleister Crowley, C.G. Jung to Harry Houdini. General entries on cults, beliefs and religions through the ages suggest how our perceptions of the paranormal arise from the past and are shaped into modern culture.