A romp through the curious worlds occupied by influential crank scientists — worlds in which the earth is flat or hollow, and invisible orgone radiation will help us undo our prenatal mental implants and fend off the saucer people. You’ll recognize many of the names (L. Ron Hubbard, Wilhelm Reich, Immanuel Velikovsky) and be first introduced to many others. Gardner acknowledges that there is a broad grey area between crank science and orthodox science where wild (but perhaps true) theories live, and that often orthodox science is just plain wrong, but he insists that there is a well-defined and identifiable arena for cranks. He shows no overt sympathy for these loonies, but his affection for their eccentricities shines through. The book was published in the 1950s, and so is slightly dated, but I wouldn't let this stop you.