Uri Geller's Encounters Magazine

Uri Geller's Encounters was a short-lived but highly distinctive paranormal magazine launched in November 1996. Riding the massive wave of public interest in the unexplained—fueled by The X-Files and the approaching millennium—it was the famous spoon-bender’s own entry into the publishing world.

Unlike the more academic Fortean Times, Encounters was unashamedly populist and personality-driven. It positioned itself as an "interactive" magazine, often featuring experiments where Geller would attempt to transmit psychic energy to the reader through the pages (e.g., asking readers to place their hands on a specific image to see if they could feel heat or bend a key).

Key highlights for collectors include:

  • The Launch Issue: Issue #1 (Nov 1996) is the key collectible, promising to "Unlock Your Psychic Potential."

  • Interactive Experiments: Famous for its "Geller Effect" pages, where Uri would challenge readers to fix broken watches or bend cutlery simply by focusing on the magazine.

  • Celebrity Stories: The magazine often featured other celebrities recounting their own ghost stories or UFO sightings, blending high-street gossip with the paranormal.

  • The 90s Aesthetic: A perfect time capsule of pre-internet conspiracy culture, featuring grainy photos of "Rod" phenomenons, crop circles, and the "Face on Mars."

The magazine ran for only a short period (around 16 issues), making a complete set a rare and quirky find for collectors of 90s oddities.