Sidis Archives

William James Sidis (SIGH-dis), the world-famous child prodigy said to have been a "prodigious failure," actually wrote many books, articles, and periodicals under pseudonyms. In addition, there are as many as ten manuscripts not yet found. Nevertheless, the considerable amount of material found so far, all of which is presented here, will educate us all.

His general theory of the phenomena of the universe based on the theory of logical probability, The Animate and the Inanimate, is online here. Recent discoveries by the Hubble Space Telescope and other NASA and EU satellites suggest the correctness of his theory that "Big Bang" is wrong. Sidis argues that it is far more likely the universe is eternal.

His 100,000-year history of North America, The Tribes and the States, is as revolutionary as his cosmology. He had learned the language of the wampum (written Native-American history), and then later used wampum belts as sources for the first part of this book.

The W. J. Sidis Archive here presents all of his writings found so far: four books, four pamphlets, 13 articles, four periodicals (36 issues), 89 weekly magazine columns, selected letters, financial documents, and one wonderful invention. There is also some biographical material including Dr. Abraham Sperling's short bio of Sidis, and Dan Mahony's annotated bibliography of Sidis's writings interwoven with news articles about him.

The Boris Sidis Archive presents here nearly all of the writings of this great psychologist, who was deleted from the histories of American psychology, possibly because of the adverse journalism surrounding his son. you'll find here 15 books, 40 articles, 22 reviews of his works; and, we assume, all known biographical material.

Boris Sidis Archive
"He was of a retiring nature, and his absorption in his work
and a bluntness springing from his intellectual honesty and independence,
prevented his obtaining the following and recognition his distinction and originality deserved."

Books by W. J. Sidis
Click images or to read / save / print all of his works found to date―complete online here.
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A General Theory of the Phenomena of the Universe Based on the Theory of Probability
"Among the physical laws it is a general characteristic that there is reversibility in time; that is, should the whole universe trace back the various positions that bodies in it have passed through in a given interval of time, but in the reverse order to that in which these positions actually occurred, then the universe, in this imaginary case, would still obey the same laws."
He has shown that the "Big-Bang" theory is wrong. The universe is infinite and eternal; it did not begin at some time, and will not end at some other time; it has no border at some place, and no other border at some other place.―Dan Mahony

100,000-Year History of North America
"The weaving of wampum belts was a sort of writing by means of belts of colored beads, in which the various designs of beads denoted different ideas according to a definitely accepted system, which could be read by anyone acquainted with wampum language, irrespective of what the spoken language was. Records and treaties were kept in this manner, and individuals could write letters to one another in this way."

The media industry, believing that this was his only book, proclaimed it evidence that Sidis had "burned out." But why would a great genius write such a book? Here's why: Notes on the Collection of Transfers is taxonomy Aristotelian in scope. He collected the transfers while riding trolley cars in many cities researching American history at the local level.

Collisions in Street and Highway Transportation "The advocacy of the universal use of one-way streets is the most fundamental suggestion embodied in this book." "The numbers of people injured and killed by motor vehicles are said to be at rates which approximate the losses of a major war." Includes a design for a Super-City.

Two More Manuscripts
Dr. Sperling's letter mentions a book on philology, and another on anthropology. Elsewhere Sperling wrote: "What the journalists did not report, and perhaps did not know, was that during all the years of his obscure employments he was writing original treatises on history, government, economics and political affairs. In a visit to his mother's home I was permitted to see the contents of a trunkful of original manuscript material that Bill Sidis composed (Psychology for the Millions)."

The Peace Path [Fragment] Sidis wrote in a letter: "I am now writing something that I am entitling The Peace Path, on the old courier system and the many ramifications of its consequences in modern life. It seems to be rapidly developing toward book length, and it seems to have interested the few people who have had a chance to read as much of the manuscript as I have gotten ready so far."―1943.

Re guide books to the local transportation systems of Boston and the District of Columbia. "Several volumes, including two for the Boston area and one for the District of Columbia, are now ready to go to the printer, and several more are almost ready." "We know of an unpublished guide book that has complete local transit and street-number information, as well as adequate maps; but it is no good to visitors as long as it remains unpublished." "According to an unpublished Boston guide-book. . ."

The Libertarian (1943) "I am sending you the latest, and last, issue of The Libertarian."

Unconscious Intelligence
Argument against Freudian theory of the Unconscious.

The Modern Gray Champion
Mysterious figure in American history, first described by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Sidis makes a quite mysterious and uncharacteristic statement:"...he made his final disappearance, leaving this earth on July 25, 1938."

A Remark on the Occurrence of Revolutions
Notes correlation of sunspot cycles and political revolutions...

"Railroading" in the Past (ca.1940)
His own account of having been "kidnapped by his parents, by arrangement with the district attorney," as a result of guilty verdict for participation in an anti-draft demonstration in 1919.

Translation of "An Appeal to the Workers of the Allies" by G. Chicherin (ca. 1919)

Grammar o th'American Lingo
"This is the first time a grammar o th'American lingo's been attempted in a way as would put American on an equal basis with regular recognized lingoes."

The Peridromophile
"The Peridromophile is a paper issued primarily for the benefit of the followers of the hobby of transfer and token collection, and who consequently, from that point of view, have an interest in matters relating to local transit all over America. This paper was taken over by Geprodis System on October 16 last [1929], the paper itself having been operated since September, 1926."―Geprodis. No copies found―yet.

Financial Documents
Sidis inherits $4000 in 1924. This amount would have the spending power of $48,224.17 in 2008.

"Where are They Now?" The New Yorker (1937)
The unkind and untruthful article that led to a US Supreme Court decision cited even today in celebrity cases. Oddly, it is here the word Okamakammessets appears in print for the first time.

US Appeals Court Decision re Sidis vs. The New Yorker (1941)
"The intimate details of private life are not entitled to an absolute immunity from the prying of the press, and a limited scrutiny may be had of the private life of any person who has achieved, or has had thrust upon him, the questionable and indefinable status of a 'public figure'."—Chief Justice Brandeis

"Railroading' in the Past" by W. J. Sidis (ca.1940)
His own account of having been "kidnapped by his parents, by arrangement with the district attorney," as a result of guilty verdict for participation in an anti-draft demonstration in 1919.

"Prodigious Failure" TIME, July 31, 1944. This magazine actually entitled an obituary of a person this way. We provide here documented refutation the many errors in newspapers and magazines.―Dan Mahony

""In Search of the April Fool" by Cathy Spence (1987)
The first national magazine article to tell the truth about Sidis.

Robert Pirsig on Sidis (1991)
"American Indian mysticism is not something alien from American culture. It's a deep submerged hidden root of it."

"The Failure Myth" by Dan Mahony (1999)

"Most research shows that child prodigies go on to lead productive lives―as did Sidis."

quantonics.com for additional Sidis material and comment.
"Sidis will be known to all school children of Earth's future, given the efforts of a few on his behalf now."―Doug Renselle

Your comment, questions, suggestions, or reports of typos are welcome. Email dan at sidis dot net.

Begins with history of the early peoples of
the Western Hemisphere, and progresses
chronologically, from a new point of view,
through the founding of America.

Contributors* to the Sidis Project (1976-1999) Dan Mahony (Founder), Dr. Sara Zarem, Ella Maezel, Helena Sidis, Martin Dworkin, Maria Taranto, Elliot Sagall, M.D., Grace Spinelli, Jim Bernstein, Issac 'Rab' Rabinowitz, Anne H. Feinzig, Robin Lagemann, Chicotoneepa (Slow Turtle), Wampanoag Cultural Center, Tom Reilly, Harold "Doc" Humes, Larry Nobile, Robert Bearce, Andrew Bearce, Tom Mahony, Diana Segara, Devin Mahony, Amy Wallace.