October 1 - November 5, 2013
A Curious Man by Neal Thompson
Ballentine Books, NY, 2013
Robert Ripley was as unique and fascinating as the "Believe It or Not" newspaper feature that made him one of the most popular and widely read syndicated cartoonists in the country during the 1930s, and author Thompson delivers an equally fascinating biography that captures the influence on Ripley's work life then and now, well into the age of TV and the internet. Thompson shows how Ripley's work is the basis for today's more extreme reality shows by teaching readers "to gape with respect at the weirdness of man and nature."