A World of Wonders

This book is a fine compilation of folklore, myths, and legends, spanning thousands of years and many cultures, always skeptical in tone. As a specifically rationalist- although not irreligious- volume, it presents legend to discredit it; superstitions regarding animals, astrology, alchemy, major figures in sorcery, poetry and play alike, are all explored, to be debunked. Many of the superstitions involve the occult, or the paranormal.In an intriguing turn, some of the discredited "myths" listed (for example the existence of "dwarves" or rather pygmy tribes in Central Africa, or the ability to destroy ships using mirrors or burnished bronze, as Archimedes engineered in antiquity) have themselves regained acceptance!