The Outer Edge: Classic Investigations of the Paranormal is a collection of thirteen articles selected by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), though at the time they were still known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP). All of the articles were originally published between the 1977 Spring/Summer and the 1991 Fall issues of the Skeptical Inquirer, the official journal of the CSI. According to their website, CSI's mission is to "promote scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims"1. They use the Skeptical Inquirer to do so by publishing critical scientific evaluations of all manner of controversial and extraordinary claims, such as those of a paranormal or fringe-science nature, and discussions of relevant issues2. The articles features in The Outer Edge, being from the Skeptical Inquirer, also follow this description and are of varying lengths on a smorgasbord of topics written in an assortment of styles.

The introductory article by Carl Sagan, "The Burden of Skepticism", originally from the Fall 1987 issue of Skeptical Inquirer, is one of, if not the best, article in the collection. The article was so good that it officially changed my opinion on Carl Sagan; from the idea that he was a "horrible horrible person", which I developed after reading Cosmos in 9th grade biology, to "this guy is quite amazing." In his writing Sagan describes what skepticism is, why we need it, why some people still believe certain things despite the evidence against it, and laments over the state of our society where pseudoscience is given more attention then the real deal; all the while using various examples - from buying a used car to the discovery of quasars - and his own sense of humor to share his passion for science with the reader.

The other twelve articles are divided into five sections: Celestial Portents, Extraterrestrials, Fortunetelling, Visions of Death, and Investigation Paranormal Claims. Though nice, the 'chapters' are a little pointless considering Fortunetelling and Visions of Death only have one article in each and that all the articles could possibly fit into Investigation of Paranormal Claims as it is practically the subtitle of the book. These other not-by-Carl-Sagan articles, while good in their own way, are more specific in topic and, for the most part, have little reason to read unless interested in the subject.

Other then Carl Sagan's article Ryan Hyman's "Cold Reading: How to Convince Strangers That You Know All About Them" (originally Spring/Summer 1977) and "An Investigation of Firewalking" by Bernard J. Leikind and William J. MacCarthy (originally Fall 1985) had, in my opinion, the most favorable stylizing. The first showing the tricks that so-called physics use to make their living by providing instructions for anyone to follow, and the later pointing out the false promises of expensive self-help seminars while telling the story of their own experiences at a firewalking event. On the flip side, half of "The Moon Was Full and Nothing Happened" by I.W. Kelly, James Rotton, and Roger Culver (originally Winter 1985-86) was a meta-analysis which means it was what they figured from a combination of other studies, thirty-seven in total, and while it was informative, you could only go five words before it was time to cite the next study, causing it to be difficult to read smoothly. "Scientific Tests of Astrology Do Not Support Its Claims" by Paul Kurtz and Andrew Franknoi is also notable for it's style, not in the authors' writing but that it was a letter sent to every daily newspaper in the United States requesting that they run a disclaimer with their astrology columns.

As a film major and a television enthusiast I especially appreciated the mention of the media's effect in encouraging belief in these pseudoscience claims and paranormal activities. Carl Sagan criticized the media driving out 'good science' by focusing on the more exciting ratings-getting 'bad science'. While "The Moon Was Full and Nothing Happened" gives examples of movies that uses the notion that the full moon is mysteriously powerful all the while perpetuating the idea. And in "The Columbus Poltergeist Case: Flying Phones, Photos, and Fakery" (originally Spring 1985) James Randi tells how the media frenzy that occurred covered up some obvious slip-ups by the teenage subject.

As all the articles are written by people who support the CSI's mission statement to promote the use of reason in examining claims they are all critical in thinking and none can be said to be sub-par. Even so, I would not personally recommend reading The Outer Edge: Classic Investigations of the Paranormal, with the exception of Sagan's writing, unless there is an article that really catches your eye or is needed to get you going on some sort of research paper of your own.