By WILLIAM LITTLE
Added: Thu, 30 Apr 2009 23:00:00 UTC

Open the press release

Icon Books Press Release
STRICT EMBARGO: 7 May 2009

THE PSYCHIC TOURIST
A Voyage Into the Curious World of Predicting the Future

WILLIAM LITTLE

PUBLICATION DATE: 7th May 2009

£14.99 ● Hardback ● ISBN 978-1-84831-050-6

Richard Dawkins meets Louis Theroux in William Little’s new book, The Psychic Tourist, which pits the author against both the rising tide of belief in psychics and astrology.

William Little’s deceptively light book, The Psychic Tourist, draws in believers, effectively challenging their beliefs and undermining the ‘science’ behind astrology.

Little argues that belief in Britain today is not encouraged at the pulpit, witnessed by decreasing congregation sizes, but in the psychic booth, where ordinary people believe they are creating a direct communication with the dead and their future. The priests of belief are not preaching on Sunday mornings, but every day of the week in psychic shops and on premium rate telephone lines. Belief has been decentralised and contracted out to the psychic sector.

The Psychic Tourist – A Voyage into the Curious World of Predicting the Future is a deceptive tale of one man’s attempts to question his belief in psychics and astrologers following a prediction of his sister’s death. The book is also cleverly pitched at the same time at readers who enjoy Jon Ronson and Louis Theroux-style journalism.

The end result is a slow chipping away at the fundamentals of belief in psychics and astrology. By using story telling techniques, the Psychic Tourist converts and informs while it entertains.

In a book that answers the unanswerable about what science, psychics, and crystal balls can reveal about tomorrow, William Little lifts the lid on the most sought-after destination of them all – the future. Through a rollercoaster ride of mystics, mishaps and mayhem, Little even discovers uncomfortable facts that make him reassess his own beliefs. In the vein of Jon Ronson and Louis Theroux, THE PSYCHIC TOURIST will appeal both to believers and sceptics in the way it offers an unparalleled insight into an endlessly fascinating subject.

WILLIAM LITTLE is a freelance journalist for the Saturday Telegraph magazine, the Daily Mail, Guardian, The Times, and Financial Times. He has also worked for Arena, Esquire and Cosmopolitan, and contributed articles to the Independent, the Daily Express and the Big Issue, among many others.

William Little is an informative and entertaining interviewee. He can talk in depth about the style of the book, why it is important to draw in believers, and also about how belief is constructed in the UK today.


Notes to Editors

• Icon Books was founded in 1991 and is a publisher of popular, intelligent trade non-fiction
• Icon is a member of the Independent Alliance
• More information at www.iconbooks.co.uk



To request a review copy, to discuss features and interviews,
please contact Najma Finlay, Head of Publicity, Icon Books
najma.finlay@iconbooks.co.uk Tel 020 7700 9962

PRESS RELEASE ENDS

TAGGED: ANNOUNCEMENTS, BOOKS, REVIEWS