Ripley's Believe It or Not!: Special Edition

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Believe it or not, Ripley’s famous newspaper column came into being by
accident. In 1918, while working as a sports illustrator for a
newspaper, Ripley submitted a cartoon based on various oddball athletic
facts that he had picked up as an amateur baseball player. To his
complete surprise, his cartoon was an overnight success. Ripley expanded
his subject matter to cover oddities from all over the world and by the
1920s, he had 80 million loyal readers. Over the next four decades,
Ripley successfully expanded into radio and television, and even had a
traveling roadshow known as the Odditorium.

The tone of this book seems like a voice from a bygone era, when
readers were easier to impress or shock. It is hard not to smile at
Ripley’s wide-eyed enthusiasm as he informs the reader “The Ostrich
beetle stands on its head when threatened” or features people like
sculptor Willard Wigan who creates tiny sculptures that can fit in the
eye of a needle. The book also contains photos of giants, dwarfs,
three-legged men, obese babies, and others that are sadly reminiscent of
an old-fashioned circus sideshow and would likely be considered by most
adults as not appropriate for young readers. Not recommended.