“A Curious Man” by Neal Thompson – Living as an Oddity

Though I imagine most of us like to limit our societal contributions to paying our taxes and not breaking the law, there are other people who have gone far beyond that, as Robert Ripley did for instance. 

Those of you who have heard the name probably know him as either a famous cartoonist, or that guy who hosted the “Believe it or Not” shows. However, as Neal Thompson showcases it in his biography of Ripley, titled A Curious Man, the man was more than just an artist… he was a living oddity.

As it turns out, Ripley’s life reads more like a fairy tale rather than a biography. From birth he had the makings of an unlikely hero, gifted with the great blessings of being shy and buck-toothed. 

Nevertheless, he didn’t let anything deter him and at only eighteen years of age he got his first cartoon published in Time magazine. Soon after he struck gold with his “Believe it or Not” show which has served as an inspiration for countless programs today.

Though his work is described in great detail by Thompson, Ripley’s personal life is the really interesting part of this story. As it turns out, he would be best described as bizarre and eccentric, always making outlandish declarations that actually turned out to be true. His assistants were composed of countless female admirers, an ex-banker and a researcher who spoke eleven languages. 

A Curious Man by Neal Thompson (Book cover)
In his free time, he also led a crusade to get “eccentric” people recognized and respected (remember, this was the first half of the twentieth century), such as E. L. Blystone, the man who wrote 1615 alphabet letters on a single grain of rice. Ripley was about as rich as a man could ever be, having a giant mansion filled to the brim with technological marvels of the time as well as plenty of oddities, including medieval torture devices.

All in all, Robert Ripley was a very unique man who, despite being a misfit in his time, managed to have a huge impact on our culture. Regardless of whether you want to learn more about him as a person or are simply looking for an entertaining read about an eccentric personality, I recommend you check out Neal Thompson’s A Curious Man: The Strange and Brilliant Life of Robert Ripley.

Neal Thompson (Author)

Neal Thompson


Personal site

Neal Thompson is an American writer who specializes in non-fiction, and has so far not divulged much about himself, though he certainly did entertain the world of literature with the four books he published so far, with Hurricane Season being arguably the better-known of them all.


Images from A Curious Man


Young Ripley
Young Ripley

Tribal mask in South America
Tribal mask in South America 

"Milking" a rattlesnake on the air
"Milking" a rattlesnake on the air



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