Although I have not been able to complete in time for its publication in 2026 the major new cryptozoology book that due to medical issues I've been working upon for quite some time now (but I fully intend to do so some time next year), I have nonetheless overseen as its official consultant the painstaking preparation and eventual publication a month ago of a very significant new multi-contributor volume, written by a panel of specialist writers, which includes plenty of cryptozoological content. And this is it – A History of the Unexplained, published in October 2026 by Dorling Kindersley, 288 pages long, brimming with superb illustrations throughout, and priced at £30 in hardback form.
I have already created and uploaded onto my own official website a succinct dedicated page for this volume, which can be accessed here. In addition, I'm now presenting exclusively on ShukerNature the following more detailed account of its contents and significance.
Down through the years, several scientists have commented that the universe is not only stranger than we imagine, but stranger than we can imagine. This is no less true of one infinitesimal microcosm within that universe, one that we call the Earth, together with the Solar System in which it is snugly ensconced. Our planet has always been a source of wonder and mystery to humanity, from as far back in time as when that first early, long since forgotten individual rubbed two sticks together and engendered fire, or shaped the first wheel and recognized how useful it could be in the transport of heavy items. Innumerable discoveries about the world in which we live have been made by our uniquely enquiring minds, some of them so dramatic or hitherto-unexpected that they have incited paradigm shifts, as occurred with hyperbolic geometry, evolution, quantum mechanics, and plate tectonics, for example.
Yet for all such scientific revolutions and revelations, there have always been many mysteries that have remained tenaciously unexplained, some dating back centuries, if not millennia, in the history of humanity. Added to those, moreover, are others that have arisen newly-minted alongside the very latest technological and other scientific developments. Perhaps one of the greatest puzzles of all, however, is how, drawing from such an unutterably vast number and diversity of examples, a single book could possibly document in a succinct yet highly informative, organized, and entertaining manner the incredible number that can be found within the pages of the truly fascinating book under consideration here – and yet, inexplicably, it has done.
For ease of data access and cross-reference purposes between related topics, as well as for presentation practicalities, all of the mysteries of the unexplained chronicled in this volume have been methodically divided up into five thematic chapters.
Chapter 1 is concerned with historical mysteries, ones that cut across specific genres but are linked by virtue of their significant, persistent presence within the timelines of the past, whether it be a hundred years or so ago, or several thousand. So we find such varied examples as the pyramids of ancient Egypt, the Green Children of Woolpit, the Bermuda Triangle, the Nazca lines of Peru, the Holy Grail and other contentious religious icons, plus a sundry selection of sunken continents all jostling for your attention amid many additional cases here.
Chapter 2 turns our attention to UFOs, aliens, and possible visits to Earth as well as direct contact with humanity by extraterrestrial astronauts. All manner of ancient archaeological relics and other discoveries that according to some researchers contain clues to such visitations are presented and discussed, as are many of the most famous, classic encounters and incidents featuring UFOs and alleged aliens. Also included is a survey of some of the most significant ufological organizations and research.
Chapter 3 is where we encounter the supernatural, or at least this book's extremely comprehensive coverage of it! From ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties to things that go bump in the night – they're all here, and much else besides. Psychic powers and associated phenomena, including telepathy, premonitions, telekinesis, spiritualism, religious visions, levitation, near-death experiences and out-of-body experiences too, are also documented, and, once again, a survey of notable studies and investigations into paranormal and preternatural topics can be found here.
Chapter 4 is devoted to the realm of cryptozoology – the investigation of reports describing a sizeable range of highly elusive mystery beasts (cryptids) that may be real but are still unrecognized by science. Prominent among these are man-beasts, such as the bigfoot, yeti, and orang pendek. Also well-represented are aquatic cryptids variously reported from extremely large lakes, rivers, or other expanses of freshwater, and obviously from the vast oceans' depths too, of whose contents it has often been said that we know less than we do about those of the moon. Putative prehistoric survivors, including alleged living non-avian dinosaurs, pterodactyls, woolly mammoths, and giant ground sloths, for example, also find a home here, alongside gigantic spiders, gargantuan snakes, mega-lizards, ultra-giant squids, and even some supposed extra-large carnivorous plants.
Last, and latest in some cases, are the unexplained enigmas contained in Chapter 5, which examines an eclectic selection of scientific mysteries ranging in time from the origin(s) of life on Earth billions of years ago and the death of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago to such modern-day examples as cold fusion, the Green Flash, the Wow! Signal, and FRBs (fast radio bursts), with the migration instinct, Neanderthal/Denisovan inheritance, ley lines, ball lightning, the Star of Bethlehem, and other familiar but still at least partly-unexplained mysteries bridging the gap between these two time period extremes.
But that is still not all. Every single case throughout those five chapters is not only concisely covered, with particular emphasis upon its historical context, but also amply supplemented by a sumptuous, lavish array of illustrations. These yield a very successful pictorial balance between antiquarian, modern-day, and specially-commissioned images, to provide the reader with a full visual complement to the book's compelling text. There is also an extensive index, an invaluable item in a book covering so many subjects as this one does (but which has nonetheless been all too often missing in such tomes, thereby greatly reducing the ready accessibility of their information).
When I was a youth during the 1970s, I spent countless hours poring through the enthralling pages of three hefty volumes (which I still own today) dealing with mysteries of every conceivable (and inconceivable!) kind, wholly enraptured by the anomalies and inexplicabilia that they documented. Indeed, they directly influenced my decision after completing my postgraduate university studies in zoology to become a full-time professional author, consultant, and freelance investigator within the field of the unexplained, in particular cryptozoology. How wonderful it would be, therefore, if this present brand-new book could inspire a new generation of future researchers and writers to seek out answers to the tantalizing questions posed by the mysteries contained in its own pages. Who knows what they may discover??
As its consultant, I meticulously checked all of the data contained in the text prepared by this volume's panel of writers as well as the illustrations, and prior to the beginning of the writing I'd scrutinized the provisional list of contents and made a number of suggested additions and deletions (most especially in relation to the cryptozoology chapter, as you'd expect), the vast majority of which were duly heeded by the editorial team. The result is an excellent compendium in whose production I am justifiably very proud and happy to have been involved.
So if you're seeking a Christmas (or birthday) present for someone interested in mysteries and the unknown that you can be certain they'll appreciate and enjoy for a very long time to come, look no further than A History of the Unexplained. Any recipient of this fine book will not be disappointed by it, that's for sure!
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