Ever since 1997, Alien Zoo, Dr. Shuker's cryptozoology news column, has been a regular feature in "Fortean Times," the world's premier magazine devoted to unexplained phenomena of every kind. Today, the long-running series has been meticulously compiled by Dr. Shuker, incorporating numerous remarkable illustrations.

Lusciously sweet and with a complex texture, figs are both a nutritious culinary delicacy and an important symbol in religion and culture. Associated with Christmas since the time of Charles Dickensnot to mention Dionysus or the Garden of Edenthe fig is steeped in history. In this account of the festive fruit, David C. Sutton places the fig in its historical context, examining its peculiar origins and the importance it has garnered in so many countries.
Sutton begins by describing the fig s strange biologybotanically, it is not a fruit, but rather a cluster of ingrowing flowersthen...