Chris Mikul Libri

Exploring the intricate world of cults and new religions, this book delves into their histories, rituals, and the charismatic leaders who captivate followers. It presents a range of compelling narratives, from the peaceful Oneida community to the tragic violence of the Manson Family and Roch Thériault's Ant Hill Kids. Each account reveals the extremes of devotion and the complex interplay between human aspiration and depravity, showcasing the extraordinary characters and mythologies that define these groups.

A shocking - and amusing - look at the lives of some of the world's worst tyrants.

Bizarrism is a collection of strange-but-true tales, featuring a grand parade of eccentrics, visionaries, crackpots, cult leaders, artists, theorists and outsiders of every stripe. First published in 1999, this new, fully revised and expanded edition revisits a host of unique individuals, including: - William Chidley, who believed that, when it comes to sex, we've all been making a terrible mistake - Arthur Cravan, who combined poetry with boxing - Slim Gaillard, jazz singer and dispenser of 'vout' - William Lindsay Gresham, author of the classic noir novel Nightmare Alley - Rosaleen Norton, Australia's most notorious witch - Harry Crosby, poet, sun worshipper and the best looking corpse of 1929 - Reginal Levgiac, author of the mysterious pamphlet Drugs Virus Germs.

Bizarrism II collects further tales of high strangeness around the world. The cast includes an eccentric baroness, a murderous comic book artist, an obsessed ichthyologist, a celebrity stigmatic, a cannibalistic writer, a senile surgeon and a woman who tried to make atheism into a religion. Along the way, a light is shone on various religious cults, mysterious deaths are pondered, conspiracy theories probed and the fate of Napoleona (TM)s penis tracked. Ita (TM)s a lively, meticulously researched collection of tales that will amuse, appal and intrigue, and leave you marvelling at the infinite strangeness of human beings.