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An extremely interesting nonfiction book about the strange disappearances in and around the Bermuda Triangle, this brief (208 pages) hardcover that I purchased at a library book sale discusses known disappearances and other anomalies (such as maelstroms or whirlpools) within a region of the Atlantic Ocean that the U.S. Navy doesn't officially recognize. Several theories explain the strong magnetic forces at work, including the idea that it is one portal to Hell (the Sea of Japan is said to be the other); that the Triangle is a prime area of alien abduction; and that the forces may be signals from a long-lost, superior civilization (e.g., Atlantis).

Dr. Berlitz discusses all of these theories and more in an easy-to-understand manner, as well as the geological origin of the region. I found all the stories of the disappearances fascinating, especially when one considers that the Florida Keys and much of the Caribbean Sea, a cruise destination, is within it. ( )

I can't give this the one-star it deserves, despite it being throughly saturated with stupid. It's actually a great illustration of the kind of crap that 20 million bought into, and are still buying into today (think Fox"News", Breitbart, Alex Jones, and even more from an unfortunately lengthy list...). Why read it now? Well, not all of my Year of Nostalgic Re-reads are fiction. I read this back in 1974 or 75, which put me at 13 or 14. I was intrigued, at the time. Of course, while on the path of future skepticism, I had less than no resources in south-eastern Connecticut to check anything, so just read it out of curiosity and while with a critical eye, no means to counter.

Now, 40 years later, and with access to lots of resources via the internet, Berlitz's embellishments, fabrications, outright lies, distortions and tabloid imflammatory style are so easily debunked. And yet, this book is still shoved incorrectly in the nonfiction section.

First example: from the actual transcript and circumstances of Flight 19 (December 5, 1945), any idiot can see that Berlitz not only misrepresented the story, but made up his own parts to go with it (the corporal asked to be excused because he had his required hours, and not because he had a bad feeling).This is the style throughout:

Large aircraft which have also disappeared since the Star Ariel have generally followed the same pattern - that is, normal flight procedures, then - nothing [...]

ooh. Eerie. Right?

Snort.

Of the bioluminescence of the Sargasso Sea: "...it was also the last light from earth the astronauts saw on their way to space." Apart from the fact that the likely source of light comes from mating of fireworms near the surface and that such grouping are small, Berlitz never names his sources and I found no record of such Apollo astronaut claims. Easy to dismiss but all part of the catastrophe that is Berlitz.

The first paragraph of Chapter 5 shares this gem: "...where the Gulf Stream flows at four knots per hour" ... um, a "knot" is already a unit of speed. Nitpicking? Sure, but that's because on every page there are so many unverifiable claims that stupid stuff like that stands out.

Or page 86: "First, the 'Devil's Triangle' is one of the two places on earth where a magnetic compass does point to true north. Normally, it points to magnetic north." Only two places, eh? The truth is there are an infinite number of places along the agonic line. A magnetic compass still points to magnetic north...it just happens to be on the imaginary line where it also points to true north (zero declination). Hokum likely intended to distract from the shoddy sensationalist writing.

In chapter 6 (with the lovely title of "Time-Space Warps and Other Worlds"), Berlitz talks about Ivan Anderson's 12 Devil's Graveyards quackery. Burger and Simpson had fun with that in their 1978 book Ghostboat. And because these "give considerable evidence of magnetic space-time anomalies", nut cases perpetuate Berlitz's crap.

And it continues... But I'm unfair. This is too easy.

I've read enough Martin Gardner and James Randi since I first read this, and I've engaged in enough debunking and red herring debates to know that trying to pick apart everything on every page would result in half a Wikipedia of debunkery. I didn't NOT like it...I do like it to give amateur skeptics for a challenge. (Lots easier nowadays!)
( )

Very entertaining but presents some things as facts on very flimsy evidence and not much analytical thought. Interesting that Berlitz acknowledged Larry Kusche. The man who wrote the debunk. ( )

This was the first book of this ilk I read, and I read it while still in college, so I was enthralled by it. I would have given it 5 stars had I reviewed it in those days! But since then, I have come to realise that most of these "conspiracy theories" are based upon very nebulous evidence at best, and out-and-out hoaxes at worst.

Still, giving it 3 stars for entertaining me. However, I would recommend it only if you enjoy crackpot theories.
( )

Berlitz must have made a billion from this one. It was all the rage for awhile, much in the way that The Amityville Horror was a few years later. Amityville is still a riveting horror novel, passed off as a true story, but this book needs a few counter-arguments! ( )

Yes, they're hokey. But the genre is fun, and you will learn of mysteries nobody else will talk about.

One debunker said 'this particular ship was never in the triangle. She was far north, made a successful run, and what was heard was a skip transmission - that had bounced off the clouds and down to receivers in the Bermuda area.
This then gave the impression of a ghost ship - one from whom transmissions were heard - but there were no ships there to account for the transmissions, and no debris found.
Personally, I would consider this a legitimate solve - but those famous jets have yet to reappear...they found a formation underwater BUT... the serial numbers on the engine blocks were wrong.
Either more jets were lost then we realized or a manufacturer has a lot of explaining to do.
But the genre is fun - and every once in a very great while, you DO get an explanation of a mystery. ( )

This is the book that got me interested in the unknow. It is easy to read. There are photographs as well. ( )

Although most of the sensational "mysteries" and disappearances of ships and airplanes in the "Bermuda Triangle" have since been proven to be the result of either human error or ordinary bad weather, this is still an entertaining read. For a while. After running to the computer every few pages to check on recent developments in the searches for these crafts and finding out that either wreckage has been found, or that recordings of distress signals have been digitally enhanced and turned out to be far less ominous than reported, I got more and more disenchanted. That this book is frequently listed as non-fiction is unfortunate. Nevertheless, Berlitz is a compelling writer, and it's not difficult to read. I'm sure if you like this genre and aren't terribly distracted by "facts" you may enjoy this book. ( )

This is an older book, written in 1974, that I picked up at my grandmother's house. No matter how old the books about the Bermuda Triangle are I always enjoy reading them. I don't really have any explanation of my own about what is causing so many vessels and aircraft to disappear from the area but I do believe that there are many disappearances that are probably easily explained that still get attributed to the mystery of the Triangle. Unfortunately the lore has caused a snowball effect and it builds upon itself each time much like what would happen if someone told you that a house was haunted. You would be a little bit jumpy at night just because someone had mentioned it to you. ( )