Paranormal Purbeck: A Study of the Unexplained by David Leadbetter

Ghosts, moving objects, displacements in time, near death experiences, synchronicities, out-of-body experiences – these things are happening all the time. A new book just published by Roving Press entitled Paranormal Purbeck: A Study of the Unexplained features nearly 70 locations in Purbeck, Dorset, with first-hand, matter-of-fact accounts from more than 100 people.

The word ‘paranormal’ evokes different responses from different people. Author David Leadbetter has been studying the subject for years and was first interested as a boy when told about his family’s experiences. ‘My parents and maternal grandmother all had stories to tell, while some on my father’s side were strictly religious and wouldn’t discuss the subject; this embodied for me the different attitudes.’

David argues that there are two ways of looking at the world: a view blinkered by dogma, prejudice and preconceived notions (‘the keyhole view’) and a wider vision which takes into account more inexplicable phenomena. He suggests we perceive the paranormal through the intuitive side of our brain – the same side that artists, musicians and writers use to produce their work.

David says: ‘I was fascinated by the ways in which the paranormal might connect with science. Some modern theoretical physics is fairly esoteric – parallel worlds, string theory, quantum mechanics, relativity, dark matter and dark energy … we’re discovering so much that’s new and strange about the physical world that it’s highly probable that what is termed paranormal relates to other worlds that may lie beyond the physical. As human beings, we may be just scratching the surface.’

Anyone with a thirst for mysteries and a desire to extend the frontiers of human knowledge will be gripped by this study.

Paperback: Colour, Illustrated, 144 pp
Publisher: Roving Press (July 2013)
ISBN: 9781-906651-220
Format: 234 x 156 mm
RRP: £9.99
Info: www.rovingpress.co.uk