PAGES : Making Book on Conspiracy Data

Conspiracy theories come in all sizes--from such shattering political epics as President Kennedy’s assassination and Watergate to such fan magazine mysteries as the death of Elvis, who continues to be spotted years after his 1977 funeral.

But whatever the magnitude, conspiracies are woven into a sort of national folklore, raising accusations and arguments with their tantalizing unanswered questions: Did General Motors sabotage mass transit in America? Did the United States encourage Saddam Hussein to attack Kuwait? Was Karen Silkwood murdered? Is Elvis really dead?

Maintaining that conspiracy believers have moved from a lunatic fringe (the fluoridated water crowd) to the mainstream as U.S. political life has become increasingly bizarre, EarthWorks Press has published “It’s a Conspiracy.”

Combining a tabloid breathlessness (“The Shocking Truth About America’s Favorite Conspiracy Theories!”) with extensive research, the 250-page paperback lays out more than 60 conspiracies with succinct background, official explanations and suspicious facts.

“It’s basically a digest, and it’s a first,” says Michael Litchfield, a technical journalist who edited the two-year project.

“We’ve tried to make the book user-friendly. I think people take conspiracies seriously today because they really feel they aren’t getting the facts.”

Information: EarthWorks Press, 1400 Shattuck Ave., No. 25, Berkeley, Calif. 94709.