The author was inspired to collate information and writing about other strange lives following on from the curious tale of Donald Crowhurst who set sail on a one man voyage around the world in a home made boat. Here, strange lives, eccentrics, and beacons of shining if erratic brilliance in a world of sensible conformity' are chronicled with essays covering a diverse spectrum of people whose lives have been goverened by inner voices, sexual aversions, interplanetary heroics, and UFO magazines.'