William R. Corliss
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

William Roger Corliss (August 28, 1926 – July 8, 2011)"William R(oger) Corliss". ''Contemporary Authors Online''. Gale. July 3, 2002. Retrieved on August 6, 2008. was an American
physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...
and writer who was known for his interest in collecting data regarding
anomalous phenomena Anomalistics is the use of scientific methods to evaluate anomalies (phenomena that fall outside current understanding), with the aim of finding a rational explanation.Hess David J. (1997) "Science Studies: an advanced introduction" New York Un ...
(including
cryptozoology Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, particularly those popular in folklore, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness ...
,
out-of-place artifact An out-of-place artifact (OOPArt or oopart) is an artifact of historical, archaeological, or paleontological interest found in an unusual context, which challenges conventional historical chronology by its presence in that context. Such artifac ...
s and
unidentified flying object An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...
s). Corliss was
Charles Fort Charles Hoy Fort (August 6, 1874 – May 3, 1932) was an American writer and researcher who specialized in anomalous phenomena. The terms "Fortean" and "Forteana" are sometimes used to characterize various such phenomena. Fort's books sold w ...
's most direct successor.Boyle, Tanner F. (2020). ''The Fortean Influence on Science Fiction Charles Fort and the Evolution of the Genre''. McFarland. p. 46. Arthur C. Clarke described Corliss as "Fort's latter-day - and much more scientific - successor."Clarke, Arthur C. (1990). ''Astounding Days: A Science Fictional Autobiography''. Gollancz. p. 110


Biography

Starting in 1974, Corliss published a number of works in the "Sourcebook Project". Each volume was devoted to a scientific field (
archeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
,
astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...
,
geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...
, et cetera) and featured articles culled almost exclusively from
scientific journal In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. Content Articles in scientific journals are mostly written by active scientists such as s ...
s. Corliss was inspired by
Charles Fort Charles Hoy Fort (August 6, 1874 – May 3, 1932) was an American writer and researcher who specialized in anomalous phenomena. The terms "Fortean" and "Forteana" are sometimes used to characterize various such phenomena. Fort's books sold w ...
, who decades earlier also collected reports of unusual phenomena. Many of the articles in Corliss's works were earlier mentioned in Charles Fort's works. Unlike Fort, known for his idiosyncratic writing style, Corliss initially offered little in the way of his own opinions or editorial comments, preferring to let the articles speak for themselves. Corliss quoted all relevant parts of articles (often reprinting entire articles or stories, including illustrations). In some of his later ''Sourcebook'' efforts, such as the mid-1990s ''Biological Anomalies'' series, Corliss added his evaluation of both the reliability of the claims, and their ranking as anomalies. Well-documented reports from credible sources are ranked as a "1" while entirely unsubstantiated reports are rated as a "4", with "2" or "3" representing intermediate reports. Similarly, Corliss's uses a rating of "1" for anomalies that cannot be explained by existing scientific theories, while a "4" describes phenomena that are unusual but do not challenge scientific theories. Corliss wrote many other books and articles, notably including 13 educational books about astronomy, outer space and space travel for
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
and a similar number for the Atomic Energy Commission and the
National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...
.Adrian Hope. "Finding a Home for Stray Fact". ''
New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishe ...
''. July 14, 1977. 83.


Reception

In his book ''Unexplained!'',
Jerome Clark Jerome Clark (born November 27, 1946)"Jerome Clark". ''Contemporary Authors Online''. June 12, 2002. Retrieved on April 11, 2012. is an American writer, specializing in unidentified flying objects and other paranormal subjects. He has appeared ...
describes Corliss as "essentially conservative in outlook". He explains, "Corliss smore interested in unusual weather, ball lighting, geophysical oddities, extraordinary mirages, and the like — in short, anomalies that, while important in their own right, are far less likely to outrage mainstream scientists than those that delighted Fort, such as UFOs, monstrous creatures, or other sorts of extraordinary events and entities." Arthur C. Clarke said: The meteorologist
Charles A. Doswell Charles A. Doswell III (born November 5, 1945) is an American meteorologist and prolific severe convective storms researcher. Doswell is a seminal contributor, along with Leslie R. Lemon, to the modern conception of the supercell, which was develo ...
has praised the research of Corliss, stating his documentation of anomalies was intriguing. However, the geologist Henry Faul has criticized Corliss. In a review for ''Handbook of Unusual Natural Phenomena'', Faul noted: In a review for a book that documented astronomical anomalies, the astronomer
Joseph Veverka Joseph Veverka (born 1941) is the James A. Weeks Professor of Physical Sciences, professor of Astronomy at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. His research area is in planetary sciences, with a focus on physical studies of satellite surfaces an ...
wrote that Corliss had shown negligence of the scientific literature for more than a decade and made incorrect statements. However,
Richard Baum Richard Dennis Baum (; July 8, 1940 – December 14, 2012) was an American China watcher, professor emeritus of political science at UCLA, and former director emeritus of the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies, noted for his many academic works on C ...
wrote a mostly positive review, stating that it was an objective work and "his reviews are concise and well-referenced, and if on occasion his examples are questionable we do at least have the benefit of the bibliographies which will be useful to historians." Science journalist Jeremy Cherfas in the ''
New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishe ...
'', suggested that Corliss' book ''Incredible Life'' had an agenda to challenge evolutionary theory as he believed that
natural selection Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations. Charle ...
fails to explain biological mysteries. Science writer
John Gribbin John R. Gribbin (born 19 March 1946) is a British science writer, an astrophysicist, and a visiting fellow in astronomy at the University of Sussex. His writings include quantum physics, human evolution, climate change, global warming, the orig ...
positively reviewed Corliss' book ''Unknown Earth'' in the ''New Scientist'', stating it was a "delightful mixture of established science, and the lunatic fringe... Where else can you get such entertainment at so little cost?".Gribbin, John. (August 28, 1980). ''Unknown Earth by William R. Corliss''. ''New Scientist''. p. 658


Bibliography

Books published include: *''Propulsion Systems for Spaceflight'' (1960) *''Radioisotopic Power Generation'' (with D. G. Harvey; 1964) *''Space Probes and Planetary Exploration'' (1965) *''Scientific Satellites'' (1967) *''Mysteries of the Universe'' (1967) *''Teleoperator Controls'' (with E. G. Johnsen; 1968) *''Mysteries Beneath the Sea'' (1970) *''Human Factors Applications in Teleoperator Design and Operation'' (with Johnsen; 1971) *''History of NASA Sounding Rockets'' (1971) *''Man and Atom'' (with
Glenn T. Seaborg Glenn Theodore Seaborg (; April 19, 1912February 25, 1999) was an American chemist whose involvement in the synthesis, discovery and investigation of ten transuranium elements earned him a share of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His work i ...
; 1971) *''History of the Goddard Networks'' (1972) *''The Interplanetary Pioneers'' (1972) *''Strange Phenomena: A Sourcebook of Unusual Natural Phenomena'' (1974) *''Strange Artifacts: A Sourcebook on Ancient Man'' (1974) *''The Unexplained'' (1976) *''Strange Life'' (1976) *''Strange Minds'' (1976) *''Strange Universe'' (1977) *''Handbook of Unusual Natural Phenomena'' (1977) *''Strange Planet'' (1978) *''Ancient Man: A Handbook of Puzzling Artifacts'' (1978) *''Mysterious Universe: A Handbook of Astronomical Anomalies'' (1979) *''Unknown Earth: A Handbook of Geological Enigmas'' (1980) *''Wind Tunnels of NASA'' (1981) *''Incredible Life: A Handbook of Biological Mysteries'' (1981) *''The Unfathomed Mind: A Handbook of Unusual Mental Phenomena'' (1982) *''Lightning, Auroras, Nocturnal Lights, and Related Luminous Phenomena'' (1982) *''Tornados, Dark Days, Anomalous Precipitation, and Related Weather Phenomena'' (1983) *''Earthquakes, Tides, Unidentified Sounds, and Related Phenomena'' (1983) *''Rare Halos, Mirages, Anomalous Rainbows, and Related Electromagnetic Phenomena'' (1984) *''The Moon and the Planets'' (1985) *''The Sun and Solar System Debris'' (1986) *''Stars, Galaxies, Cosmos'' (1987) *''Carolina Bays, Mima Mounds, Submarine Canyons'' (1988) *''Anomalies in Geology: Physical, Chemical, Biological'' (1989) *''Neglected Geological Anomalies'' (1990) *''Inner Earth: A Search for Anomalies'' (1991) *''Biological Anomalies: Humans I'' (1992) *''Biological Anomalies: Humans II'' (1993) *''Biological Anomalies: Humans III'' (1994) *''Science Frontiers: Some Anomalies and Curiosities of Nature'' (1994) *''Biological Anomalies: Mammals I'' (1995) *''Biological Anomalies: Mammals II'' (1996) *''Biological Anomalies: Birds'' (1998) *''Ancient Infrastructure: Remarkable Roads, Mines, Walls, Mounds, Stone Circles: A Catalog of Archeological Anomalies'' (1999) *''Ancient Structures: Remarkable Pyramids, Forts, Towers, Stone Chambers, Cities, Complexes: A Catalog of Archeological Anomalies'' (2001) *''Remarkable Luminous Phenomena in Nature: A Catalog of Geophysical Anomalies'' (2001) *''Scientific Anomalies and other Provocative Phenomena'' (2003) *''Archeological Anomalies: Small Artifacts'' (2003) *''Archeological Anomalies: Graphic Artifacts I'' (2005)


References


External links


The Sourcebook Project homepageUnofficial Sourcebook discussion groupA Search for Anomalies
by William R. Corliss, ''
Journal of Scientific Exploration The Society for Scientific Exploration, or SSE, is a group committed to studying fringe science. The opinions of the organization in regard to what are the proper limits of scientific exploration are often at odds with those of mainstream science. ...
'', Volume 16: Number 3: Article 6 (2002) *
William Roger Corliss Obituary
''
Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'', July 13, 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Corliss, William R. 1928 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American physicists American fortean writers American UFO writers Cryptozoologists Paranormal investigators Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni University of Colorado alumni Writers from Stamford, Connecticut