ABCS, UFOS & UAVS...
This is probably the first issue of the year where the weather beyond the windows of Fortean Towers has been warm enough to tempt us outside. With that in mind, we bring you a trio of features with an outdoor feel: Merrily Harpur returns to the pages of FT with an update on her quest for Britain’s Anomalous Big Cats (p32); David Clarke looks skyward, asking if a spate of recent near-miss reports means we should be worrying about hostile drones rather than old-fashioned UFOs (p38); and Jan Bondeson digs down to the roots of some arboreal folklore to trace the legend of the once majestic Maud’s Elm (p44). Elsewhere, SD Tucker concludes his trilogy of tales about South American generals (p50), and we celebrate the lesser known fortean side of the late Prince Philip (pp14, 18-21). All this plus Uri Geller versus the curse of the pharaohs, the mystery of the Man from Taured, a major shake-up in physics and bizarre accounts of cat- and rabbit-people…
ALL CHANGE
We are sorry to announce the departure of news editor Chris Josiffe after 18 busy months in the role. While Chris has done a fantastic job of rounding up the world’s weirdest news, the sheer volume of stories sent in by FT’s army of clipsters has proved incompatible with finishing his book – a biography of psychical researcher Eric Dingwall – so he is stepping down in order to focus his energies on that task. k.
Stepping into the bre breach, we’re happy to say, is Ian Simmons, Simmon whose name will be familiar to longtime lo readers. Ian’s association with FT T goes back a quarter of a century, cen during which h time he has written wri features, edited books, mounted exhibitions, ch chaired talks a at UnConvention and been a constant n presence at Fort Sorts. To help keep things running smoothly, Abigail Mason will be taking charge of the regular avalanche of news clippings. All of this means, s of course, that we now have a new PO Box address and a new email to which all clippings should be sent s – see the info box opposite for full f details.
GETTING COPIES OF FT
You should s be able b to buy FT from your usual s stockist, but if you are experiencing difficulties, difficulti or cannot go out, then copies pies for home delivery d can be ordered here: https://magsdirect.co.uk/magazine-category/ https://magsd c azine-category/ entertainment/fortean/. entertainment/ Taking out a subscription is th the best est way to guarantee your regular FT fix, and a great way to support us if you can – turn to p.60 for the latest offers.
ERRATA
FT403:57: Chris Hill, in his review of The Craft by John Dickie, described masonry as “Scotland’s greatest export... its Hibernian roots obscured.” David Stokes wrote in to point out that Hibernia was the Latin name for Ireland, not Scotland. Anne Keane, of Edinburgh, commented that: “If it’s Scotland’s greatest export it’s got Caledonian roots. Unless we’re talking Hibernian FC.”