Jackie Gleason: Library of the Paranormal

"I want to make hypnotic therapy and psychology my livelihood when I get out of this racket…And I'm going to spend as much time as possible investigating psychic phenomena." -Jackie Gleason, Parade, 1952Comic legend Jackie Gleason (1916-87) was one of the biggest, most beloved and best paid stars of his time.His role as Ralph Kramden in The Honeymooners remains a veritable classic of television's early days.As big as his star was, Gleason never shied away from one of his favorite, nonmainstream topics: the occult.A high school dropout with a photographic memory and a major case of insomnia, he was an avid reader and spiritual searcher who looked for answers in the most unexpected places.Gleason was also a confirmed skeptic who believed that some grand cosmic scheme existed, but he could not say what it might ultimately be. Additionally, Gleason amassed a staggering collection of over 3,000 esoteric books, ranging from scholarly studies to supermarket paperbacks, now part of the holding