Comedian Jackie Gleason (1916–1987) was a television pioneer, spiritual searcher, and insomniac who spent his nights reading esoteric books. Ranging from scholarly to crackpot, his 3,000-volume library spans the fringes of speculative thinking and reveals a man as concerned with the mysteries of the universe as with getting a laugh. Jackie Gleason: Library of the Paranormal pairs selections from Gleason’s library with newspaper coverage of “The Great One” riffing on psychic phenomena, life after death, and other decidedly off-topic interests, including his failed plans in the early ’50s to produce a television show devoted to paranormal experiences.