Infobox Paranormalpeople1
Class = Anomalist
Image_Caption =
Name = William R. Corliss
Born =
Blocation =
Died =
Dlocation =
Phd = Physics, Bsc (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1950),
Physics, M. Sc (University of Colorado, 1953).
Djob = Writer
Pjob = Anomalistics
Affiliates = AAAS|
William Roger Corliss (born August 28, 1926 in Stanford, Connecticut)["William R(oger) Corliss". "Contemporary Authors Online". Gale. July 3, 2002. Retrieved on August 6, 2008.] is an American physicist and writer who has become known [William J. Broad. "The science corps wants a few more good heretics". "The New York Times". October 16, 1983. A18.] for his interest in collecting data regarding anomalous phenomena. ]Since 1974, Corliss has published a number of works in the "Sourcebook Project". Each volume is devoted to a scientific field (archeology, astronomy, geology, et cetera) and features articles culled almost exclusively from scientific journals. Corliss was inspired by Charles Fort, who decades earlier also collected reports of unusual phenomena. Unlike Fort, Corliss offers little in the way of his own opinions or editorial comments, preferring to let the articles speak for themselves. Corliss quotes all relevant parts of articles (often reprinting entire articles or stories, including illustrations). Many of the articles in Corliss's works were earlier mentioned by Fort works.
In his book "Unexplained!", Jerome Clark describes Corliss as "essentially conservative in outlook". He explains, "Corliss [is] more interested in unusual weather, ball lighting, geophysical oddities, extraordinary mirages, and the like — in short, anomalies that, while important in their own right, are far less likely to outrage mainstream scientists than those that delighted Fort, such as UFOs, monstrous creatures, or other sorts of extraordinary events and entities." [Jerome Clark. "Sourcebook Project" "Unexplained!". Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 466-7.]
Corliss has written many other books and articles, notably including 13 educational books about astronomy, outer space and space travel for NASA and a similar number for the Atomic Energy Commission and the National Science Foundation.[Adrian Hope. "Finding a Home for Stray Fact". "New Scientist". July 14, 1977. 83.] ]
=Bibliography[=]
*"Propulsion Systems for Spaceflight" (1960)
*"Radioisotopic Power Generation" (with D.G. Harvey; 1964)
*"Space Probes and Planetary Exploration" (1965)
*"Scientific Satellites" (1967)
*"Mysteries of the Universe" (1967)
*"Teleoperator Controls" (with E.G. Johnsen; 1968)
*"Mysteries Beneath the Sea" (1970)
*"Human Factors Applications in Teleoperator Design and Operation" (with Johnsen; 1971)
*"History of NASA Sounding Rockets" (1971)
*"Man and Atom" (with Glenn T. Seaborg; 1971)
*"History of the Goddard Networks" (1972)
*"The Interplanetary Pioneers" (1972)
*"Strange Phenomena: A Sourcebook of Unusual Natural Phenomena" (1974)
*"Strange Artifacts: A Sourcebook on Ancient Man" (1974)
*"The Unexplained" (1976)
*"Strange Life" (1976)
*"Strange Minds" (1976)
*"Strange Universe" (1977)
*"Handbook of Unusual Natural Phenomena" (1977)
*"Strange Planet" (1978)
*"Ancient Man: A Handbook of Puzzling Artifacts" (1978)
*"Mysterious Universe: A Handbook of Astronomical Anomalies" (1979)
*"Unknown Earth: A Handbook of Geological Enigmas" (1980)
*"Wind Tunnels of NASA" (1981)
*"Incredible Life: A Handbook of Biological Mysteries" (1981)
*"The Unfathomed Mind: A Handbook of Unusual Mental Phenomena" (1982)
*"Lightning, Auroras, Nocturnal Lights, and Related Luminous Phenomena" (1982)
*"Tornados, Dark Days, Anomalous Precipitation, and Related Weather Phenomena" (1983)
*"Earthquakes, Tides, Unidentified Sounds, and Related Phenomena" (1983)
*"Rare Halos, Mirages, Anomalous Rainbows, and Related Electromagnetic Phenomena" (1984)
*"The Moon and the Planets" (1985)
*"The Sun and Solar System Debris" (1986)
*"Stars, Galaxies, Cosmos" (1987)
*"Carolina Bays, Mima Mounds, Submarine Canyons" (1988)
*"Anomalies in Geology: Physical, Chemical, Biological" (1989)
*"Neglected Geological Anomalies" (1990)
*"Inner Earth: A Search for Anomalies" (1991)
*"Biological Anomalies: Humans I" (1992)
*"Biological Anomalies: Humans II" (1993)
*"Biological Anomalies: Humans III" (1994)
*"Science Frontiers: Some Anomalies and Curiosities of Nature" (1994)
*"Biological Anomalies: Mammals I" (1995)
*"Biological Anomalies: Mammals II" (1996)
*"Biological Anomalies: Birds" (1998)
*"Ancient Infrastructure: Remarkable Roads, Mines, Walls, Mounds, Stone Circles: A Catalog of Archeological Anomalies" (1999)
*"Ancient Structures: Remarkable Pyramids, Forts, Towers, Stone Chambers, Cities, Complexes: A Catalog of Archeological Anomalies" (2001)
*"Remarkable Luminous Phenomena in Nature: A Catalog of Geophysical Anomalies" (2001)
*"Scientific Anomalies and other Provocative Phenomena" (2003)
*"Archeological Anomalies: Small Artifacts" (2003)
*"Archeological Anomalies: Graphic Artifacts I" (2005)
References
External links
* [http://www.science-frontiers.com/sourcebk.htm The Sourcebook Project homepage]
* [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sourcebookdiscussion/ Unofficial Sourcebook discussion group]
* [http://www.scientificexploration.org/jse/abstracts/v16n3a6.php A Search for Anomalies] , by William R. Corliss, Journal for Scientific Exploration, Volume 16: Number 3: Article 6 (2002)
