Book excerpt: "Wild Talents" captures Charles Fort at his finest, most thought provoking, and wittiest. Containing accounts of-among numerous other bizarre topics-strange coincidences, vampires, werewolves, talking dogs, poltergeist activity, teleportation, witchcraft, vanishing people, spontaneous human combustion, and the escapades of the 'mad bats of Trinidad, ' the book is essential reading for anyone wanting to learn about the early years of research into the myriad mysteries of this world and beyond.