Have you ever had your car keys or television remote control inexplicably vanish from under your nose, only to reappear months later in another part of the house for no evident reason? Most would dismiss it as absent-mindedness, with perhaps a joking remark about paranormal activity. Yet remarkable circumstances surrounding many such accounts suggest that the mysterious disappearance of objects could be more than “just one of those things.”

Examining a large selection of fascinating narratives, this book reviews the “disappearing object phenomenon” (DOP) from a scientific standpoint. Both skeptical and supportive perspectives on DOP are considered, leading to the conclusion that disappearing, appearing and reappearing objects are indicators of a controversial take on the nature of reality.

Tony Jinks teaches neuroscience and paranormal studies to psychology students at the University of Western Sydney, Australia. He is a consultant on the Australian Institute of Parapsychological Research Review Board and publishes in a wide variety of scientific fields.

Tony Jinks
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 192
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9860-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2451-8
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction 1

Part I

1: Jottles Are More Than Disappearing Objects 7

2: A Typology of Jottles 14

3: Additional Features Applicable to All Jottles 29

Part II

4: How Prevalent Is the Phenomenon? 35

5: Collating Case Studies—Finding the Common Threads 71

6: Thinking Skeptically About Jottles 76

Part III

7: A New Approach 97

8: External Agents 124

9: ­Human-Centered Causes 141

10: What Are Jottles? (In My Opinion, at Least) 157

Chapter Notes 167

Bibliography 175

Index 181