There's a lot of editoralising in this (the edition I read lacks Rowan Wilson as a credited author); Colin Wilson was a dedicated investigator of the Paranormal and has a certain amount of belief in the supernatural. I had heard of some of the cults and fanatics listed in this book but they were interesting. People often want to believe and then there's a certain sunk cost in that belief when things start to look dodgy. As a group humans like certainty and often this has left them ripe for exploitation and often there's someone willing to lead them and exploit them and this catalogue of repetitive behaviour by humans shows how true this is.

Interesting read, not sure I'd read it again. While it lacks a bibliography there are scattered references throughout. ( )

A good introduction to a number of cults and fanatics around the world. While I had already heard of many of these cults and individuals, there were some shadowy organisations and people that were new to me and made for interesting reading (I'm chasing up a book on the mysterious "Brother Twelve").

There are better books on cults and fanatics out there and sadly this book does not carry a bibliography (or index for that matter) but this could be a great entree into the weird world of cults and fanatics. ( )

World Famous Cults & Fanatics is a small book but it is packed full of information. Reading about different cults from the past was ver interesting. I was particularly interested to learn the origin of the word 'thug'. Though I would have preferred more detail, this is a great book for the total beginner. If you know nothing about cults and fanatics, this book provides the basics, and lays the foundation for further research. Unfortunately, the Wilson's have not provided a bibliography to point us in the right direction, so any further research needs to start from scratch. ( )