As I walk through local bookstores I sometimes glance over at the occult section and read a few book titles. Most books deal with the New Age movement. Astrology, crystals, healing through touch (it used to be called faith healing) and maybe a few books on alien abductions. In short, whatever is the most popular diversion at the time. Thankfully the books on Bigfoot, Atlantis, the Loch Ness Monster and other fads from the seventies were absent. I thought, finally, that such nonsense had run its course. I was wrong.

A catalog, although large and glossy enough to be a magazine, appeared in my mailbox recently. Adventures Unlimited is the name of this magazine which is addressed to people "who humbly seek the answers to the enduring mysteries of heaven and earth."; And what do I find inside? Books and videos about hairy American mammals, foreign and domestic giant aquatic monsters and, of course, lost cities of intelligent beings just waiting to be discovered. Think the Face on Mars talk has been silenced by recent photographs? Nope. Think the "men in black" UFO nonsense has been relegated to the movies? Nope. It's all there. A skeptic's nightmare. A virtual library of ideas and myths that have been proven to be nonsense doesn't stop the faithful.

I'm keeping my copy just to remind myself that these topics don't disappear, they just hang about for a while until they become popular again. If you want a copy, their address is One Adventure Place, P.O. Box 74, Kempton, IL 60946. I received mine free but it carries a hefty price tag of $3.95. I can't honestly believe people pay that much for a magazine that only lists books and videos but then again I can't believe people actually read such books and videos.