The odditorium

the long version

This book is about the antics and adventures of tricksters, eccentrics, deviants and inventors. While their stories range from heroic failures to great hoaxes, one thing unites them, they all carved their own path through life. Each protagonist exemplifies the human spirit through their dogged determination, willingness to take risks, their unflinching obsession and, often, a good dollop of eccentricity. Learn about Elaine Morgan (1920-2013), a journalist who battled a tirade of prejudice to pursue an aquatic-based theory of human evolution, which is today being championed by David Attenborough. Elsewhere, we uncover the lesser-known obsessions of such historical giants as Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1726), whose beloved alchemy led to a lifetime's search for the philosopher's stone and elixir of life; and philosopher Rene Descartes (1596-1650), whose obsession with cross-eyed ladies led him to seek a cure through the first recorded case of CBT. This book reminds us of the characters who felt compelled to carve their own path, despite risking ostracism, failure, ridicule and madness. It is when curiosity and compulsion meet that conventions are challenged, culture is re-invigorated and we find new ways to understand ourselves and the world around us.