In my library: Paul Simpson

If the Mayans were right, this new year — the last on their calendar — is where the world ends. But Paul Simpson, a connoisseur of conspiracy theories, isn’t holding his breath. “Something predicted in a religious text or calendar is usually subject to so many interpretations,” says Simpson, author of “That’s What They Want You to Think: Conspiracies Real, Possible, and Paranoid,”out next month. Conspiracies have gotten easier to parse since the Internet, says Simpson, who just finished his “five-year mission” as the editor of Star Trek Magazine. “So many law-enforcement officials have put primary information on the ’Net — you can type the url in your laptop and see the FBI witness statements!” Here are four of his favorite conspiracy books.

In God’s Name

by David Yallop

This is the first conspiracy book I read. It’s about Pope John Paul I, who reigned only for 33 days and appeared to be in good health yet was found dead. Yallop’s very good at drawing a reader in. If the book was published now, someone would say, “This is Dan Brown territory.” Only this is better written.

Crossfire

by Jim Marrs

This is the JFK book, the basis of the Oliver Stone movie. It basically refuses to accept that Lee Harvey Oswald could even possibly be the lone gunman, that there has to be more to it. Marrs goes through the Warren Commission and cherry-picks the evidence . . . It’s a fascinating read on how to interpret anything to make your theory work.

Roswell

Uncovering the Secrets of Area 51 and the Fatal UFO Crash

by Rupert Matthews

Roswell’s inspired so many films, TV shows and books, but I hadn’t come across the full details of what happened there in July 1947. This book, based on primary sources, makes it clear something out of the ordinary happened there that day in that sleepy town.

Alternative 3

by Leslie Watkins

“Alternative 3” aired in 1977 in Britain and basically claimed the moon missions were all faked, that Earth was going to become uninhabitable and key people would be moved to Mars. It was supposed to air on April Fool’s Day! [Instead] it inspired this book, that claims it was real, and ramps everything up to 11.

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