Eyewitness And Other Tales Of Detection

This dark psychological fantasy is more than a moral tale. It is also a product of its time, drawing on contemporary theories of class, evolution and criminality and the secret lives behind Victorian propriety, to create a unique form of urban Gothic.

Here is a new and exciting guide to the fascinating world of crime and detection. From John Dillinger's death mask to a scene-of-crime forensics kit, superb color photographs offer a unique "eyewitness" view of famous crimes and the evidence that has brought criminals to justice. See evidence of one of the first known strangulations, Lord Lucan's traveling chest, a Canadian Mountie's uniform, the bulletproof jackets of Bonnie and Clyde, the difference between Hitler's real diary and the fake one. Learn how to detect the presence of arsenic in blood, about the magnetic fingerprint brush, how a face can be reconstructed from a skull, the difference between a strand of cotton and a strand of polyester. Discover how to track ransom money and find a kidnapper, a violin case used to conceal a gun, the bank clerks who thought they were being given medicine when really they were being robbed, and much, much more!

Nine exciting stories of real life crime and detection featuring serial killers, art forgers, kidnappers, robbers, runaways and forensic scientists. Gripping and engaging for readers who prefer real life to fiction.

Does listening to Mozart make us more intelligent? Is there such a thing as a gay gene? Does the size of the brain matter? Does the moon influence our behaviour? Can we communicate with the dead? Can graphology tell us anything about a person's character? Is the human brain clonable? What role do dreams have in cognition? Can mind conquer matter and diseases? Are out-of-body experiences possible? Can we trust our intuitions? To some, the answer to all these questions might well be a resounding 'no', but to many people these represent serious beliefs about the mind and brain - beliefs that drive their everyday behaviour, beliefs that cost them huge amounts of money. Whole industries have developed founded on these dubious claims about the mind and brain. Even major corporations have dabbled with assessment methods such as those advocated by graphology, accepting and rejecting candidates on the basic of their handwriting. Expectant parents buy books and tapes by the dozen showing them how to improve the intelligence of their child by playing them classical music. People subscribe to expensive therapies founded on beliefs rather than science, or risk their health buying books that tell them how they can conquer illness through positive thinking, perhaps at the expense of more scientifically proven treatments. Tall Tales about the Mind and Brain presents a sweeping survey of common myths about the mind and brain. In a lighthearted and accessible style, it exposes the truth behind these beliefs, how they are perpetuated, why people believe them, and why they might even exist in the first place.