''Lo!'' is the third published

nonfiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to present topics objectively ...

work of the author

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 ...

(first edition 1931). In it he details a wide range of unusual phenomena. In the final chapter of the book he proposes a new

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...

that the earth is stationary in space and surrounded by a solid shell which is "not unthinkably far away".

Overview

Of Fort's four books, this volume deals most frequently and scathingly with

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

(continuing from his previous book '' New Lands''). The book also deals extensively with other subjects, including paranormal phenomena (see

parapsychology Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, teleportation, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry (paranormal), psychometry) and other paranormal cla ...

), which were explored in his first book, '' The Book of the Damned''. In ''Lo!'', Fort coined the now-popular term "

teleportation Teleportation is the hypothetical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. It is a common subject in science fiction and fantasy literature. Teleportation is often paired with tim ...

". He also tied his previous statements on what he referred to as the ''Super-Sargasso Sea'' into his beliefs on teleportation. He would later expand this theory to include purported mental and

psychic A psychic is a person who claims to use powers rooted in parapsychology, such as extrasensory perception (ESP), to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance; or who performs acts that a ...

phenomena in his fourth and final book, '' Wild Talents.'' It takes its derisive title from what he regarded as the tendency of

astronomers An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either observ ...

to make positivistic, overly precise, and premature announcements of celestial events and discoveries. Fort portrays them as quack

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divinity, divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings ...

s, sententiously pointing towards the skies and saying "Lo!". ''Lo!'' has been described as Fort's "most accessible, most readable book". It is divided into two sections: the first on the above phenomena; the second, on his attacks on the contemporary astronomy. The reason for this is that Fort had been working on a follow-up to '' The Book of the Damned'', but he scrapped the idea and incorporated many of the subjects into this one. ''Lo!'' is used extensively in Blue Balliett's book '' Chasing Vermeer''.

Part One: Teleportation

Fort establishes his

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

for this particular book early on—that some sort of mysterious force, known as the " cosmic joker" (''sic''), is responsible for the teleportation of people, animals, and materials. This thesis would be revised later to accommodate Fort's research on psychic phenomena in '' Wild Talents''. Fort starts the book largely where he left off in '' The Book of the Damned'': mysterious falls of animals and strange materials, flying stones,

poltergeist In German folklore and ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; ; or ) is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descriptions of polter ...

activity, etc., and incorporates these strange phenomena into his new theory on teleportation, saying that teleportation from the ''Super-Sargasso Sea'' can explain these phenomena. Fort also briefly touches on UFOs again in this book, and writes extensively on a number of other topics which he claims can be explained by teleportation:

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 ...

and various out of place animals, animal mutilations and attacks on people, strange swarming of balls, the emergence of various strange people (the famous cases of

Princess Caraboo Mary Baker (née Willcocks; 11 November 1792 (alleged), Witheridge, Devonshire, England – 24 December 1864, Bristol, England) was an English impostor. Posing as the fictional Princess Caraboo, Baker pretended to come from a far-off island kin ...

and

Kaspar Hauser Kaspar Hauser (30 April 1812 – 17 December 1833) was a German youth who claimed to have grown up in the total isolation of a darkened cell. His claims, and his subsequent death from a stab wound, sparked much debate and controversy both in Nur ...

), and the mysterious disappearances of others (including the diplomat Benjamin Bathurst, and vessels such as the ''

Mary Celeste ''Mary Celeste'' (; often erroneously referred to as ''Marie Celeste'') was a Canadian-built, American-registered merchant brigantine that was discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores on December 4, 1872. The Canadi ...

'', '' Carroll A. Deering'', and , presaging later interest in the

Bermuda Triangle The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a loosely defined region in the North Atlantic Ocean, roughly bounded by Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. Since the mid-20th century, it has been the focus of an urban legend sug ...

phenomenon). He writes a chapter on the winter of 1904–1905 in Britain, when a widespread religious revival in England and Wales coincided with numerous other strange occurrences: the appearances of

ghosts In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

, poltergeists, a few purported cases of Spontaneous Human Combustion, and a ravenous predator mutilating sheep and other farm animals in

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

. Fort believed that all of these anomalous phenomena can be explained by his teleportation theory—though he later apparently retracts this theory to an extent in his final book, ''Wild Talents''.

Part Two: Astronomy

Fort was sceptical of

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

's theories of relativity and the claim that these could be confirmed by a transit of the Sun. He was sceptical of the accuracy of the

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

and the observations involved, and pointed out seeming contradictions and anomalies in scientists' statements to the press.

Publication

''Lo!'' was published in February 1931. It received positive reviews in both the ''New York Times'' and the ''New York Herald Tribune'' and quickly went into a third printing.

Availability

The book was re-released in a paperback version in the 1990s, and is also included in ''The Complete Works Of Charles Fort'' with Fort's other paranormal writings.

External links

Edited and Annotated Online Version
*https://web.archive.org/web/20120203115215/http://www.forteans.com/ The homepage of the International Fortean Organization (

INFO Info is shorthand for "information Information is an Abstraction, abstract concept that refers to something which has the power Communication, to inform. At the most fundamental level, it pertains to the Interpretation (philosophy), interpr ...

)

References

{{Reflist Books by Charles Fort Pseudoarchaeological texts 1931 non-fiction books