''The Fringe of the Unknown'' is a

science book A science book is a work of nonfiction, usually written by a scientist, researcher, or professor like Stephen Hawking ('' A Brief History of Time''), or sometimes by a non-scientist such as Bill Bryson ('' A Short History of Nearly Everything'' ...

L. Sprague de Camp Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and works of non-fiction, including biog ...

, first published in hardcover and paperback by Prometheus Books in 1983.

Summary

The book is a collection of articles that constitute a "study ... of controversial and often little-known happenings in science and technology, with an emphasis on the wayward activities of those who dabble in fringe science.""L. Sprague de Camp. ''The Fringe of the Unknown''" - description of the work at the publisher's website
/ref> The material is organized in three sections, "Our Ingenious Forebears," "Beasts of Now and Then," and "Scientists, Mad and Otherwise." The first debunks extravagant occult and pseudoscientific claims regarding ancient civilizations while highlighting these cultures' actual accomplishments. The second performs much the same function in regard to biology, focusing on elephants, claims regarding the survival of dinosaurs into the present day, and past extinction events. The third explores the distinction between science and pseudoscience as illustrated in the lives of a number of scientists holding extreme views.

;Part I. Our Ingenious Forebears 1. "The Wisdom of the Ancients" (from ''

Science Fiction Quarterly ''Science Fiction Quarterly'' was an American pulp science fiction magazine that was published from 1940 to 1943 and again from 1951 to 1958. Charles Hornig served as editor for the first two issues; Robert A. W. Lowndes edited the remainder. ...

'', Nov. 1951)
2. "Apollonios Enlists" (from '' Astounding Science Fiction'', Jun. 1961)
3. "Appius Claudius Crassus" (original title: "Appius Claudius Crassus: Roman Builder") (from ''

Science Digest ''Science Digest'' was a monthly American magazine published by the Hearst Corporation from 1937 through 1988. History ''Science Digest'' was first published in January 1937 in an 8 x 5 inch digest size format of about 100 pages. ...

'', Jun. 1962)
4. "The First Missile Launchers" (from ''

'', Oct. 1960)
5. "The Iron Pillar of Delhi" (from '' Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact'', Sep. 1972)
6. "The Mechanical Wizards of Alexandria" (from ''

'', Aug. 1962)
7. "The Landlocked Indian Ocean" (from ''

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher ...

'', Jun. 1969) ;Part II. Beasts of Now and Then 8. "Dinosaurs Today" (original title: "Dinosaurs in Today's World") (from ''

'', Mar. 1968)
9. "Mammoths and Mastodons" (from ''

'', May 1965)
10. "Death Comes to the Megafauna" (from '' If Worlds of Science Fiction'', Sep. 1971)
11. "Xerxes' Okapi" (original title: "Xerxes' Okapi and Greek Geography") (from ''

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...

'', Mar. 1963)
12. "The Temperamental Tank" (original title: "War Elephants") (from ''

Elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

'', 1964)
13. "How to Plan a Fauna" (from ''

'', Oct. 1963) ;Part III. Scientists, Mad and Otherwise 14. "The Care and Feeding of Scientists" (original title: "The Care and Feeding of Mad Scientists") (from '' Astounding Science Fiction'', Jul. 1951)
15. "The Great Whale Robbery" (from '' The Day of the Dinosaur'', 1968)
16. "Mad Men of Science" (originally published in two parts, as "Mad Men of Science" and "More Mad Men of Science") (from ''

Future Science Fiction ''Future Science Fiction'' and ''Science Fiction Stories'' were two American science fiction magazines that were published under various names between 1939 and 1943 and again from 1950 to 1960. Both publications were edited by Charles Hornig fo ...

'', Jan. and Mar. 1957)
17. "Orthodoxy in Science" (from '' Astounding Science Fiction'', May 1954)
18. "Hoaxes in Science" (original title: "Why Do They Do It?") (from '' Astounding Science Fiction'', Sep. 1950)
19. "Little Green Men from Afar" (from ''

The Humanist ''The Humanist'' is an American bi-monthly magazine published in Washington, DC. It was founded in 1941 by American Humanist Association. It covers topics in science, religion, media, technology, politics and popular culture and provides ethical ...

'', Jul./Aug. 1976)
20. "The Need to Know" (original title: "Pure Science") (from ''The Book of Knowledge Annual'', 1959)
"Acknowledgments"

Reception

Joel W. Hedgpeth, noting that the book's "assemblage of articles" includes "all sorts of more-or-less scientific subjects," feels de Camp "writes about these matters in ... good-humored spirit, but with a ... substantial factual basis." While highlighting the essays on sea serpents, the extinction of the megafauna, the "strange story of the okapi," and the Cope-Marsh feud, Hedgpeth states " s most entertaining piece is about the use of elephants in warfare, which is aptly titled 'The Temperamental Tank.'"Hedgpeth, Joel W. Review in ''The Quarterly Review of Biology'' v. 59, no. 2, Jun. 1984, p. 221.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fringe of the Unknown, The 1983 non-fiction books Science books Essay collections Books by L. Sprague de Camp Prometheus Books books

Summary

Contents

Reception

Notes