Charles Fort's The Book of the Damned: the archive of the impossible
In 1919, Charles Fort publishes The Book of the Damned, a work that compiles thousands of reports on events that official science dismisses. The author gathers data on rains of frogs, luminous objects in the sky, and disappearances that no one can explain. His goal is not to provide answers, but to question the limits of what we consider real. The book functions as a catalog of exceptions that challenges any established belief system. 🕵️♂️
A method that accumulates perplexity
Fort avoids building definitive theories. Instead, he piles case after case, generating in the reader an effect of growing astonishment. His style is ironic and deliberately chaotic, reflecting the torrent of anomalous data he handles. The author points out with relish the contradictions and dogmas of accepted knowledge. The result is not a conclusion, but an invitation to doubt every official narrative about the natural world.
Key characteristics of Fort's approach:- Collect without filtering: Prioritizes accumulating reports on rare phenomena rather than ignoring them for not fitting paradigms.
- Question authority: Actively challenges how science decides what is valid and what is discardable.
- Preserve the mystery: Resists offering premature explanations, valuing the question above the answer.
The true protagonist of the book might be the experts' own incompetence in admitting that sometimes fish rain, period.
The legacy of investigating the inexplicable
This work is considered the cornerstone for studying anomalous phenomena systematically. Its influence extends directly to fields like ufology and cryptozoology in later decades. Fort demonstrates that what is labeled absurd deserves, at least, a close look. His main legacy is an attitude: that of documenting what doesn't fit, protecting the enigma against convenient and quick explanations.
Areas influenced by Fort's work:- Modern ufology: The method of collecting strange sightings finds a clear precedent in his archives.
- Cryptozoology: The search for creatures not recognized by science draws from his spirit of compiling the marginal.
- Critical thinking: Fort encourages examining the foundations of what we take for granted in any discipline.
A catalog that endures
The Book of the Damned transcends its time to become a symbol. It does not propose an alternative truth, but exposes the holes in the fabric of accepted truth. Its power lies in reminding us that reality can be stranger and more disordered than our categories allow us to conceive. Fort's work invites us to glance sideways at uncomfortable data, those that history would prefer to condemn to oblivion. 📚