e time being uncommon in isolated

Unlock The Orb of Chatham and witness its mystery ... You MUST hold 'The Orb of Chatham' in your hands to FULLY access these features. LEARN more about 'The Chatham Five' witnesses READ news accounts of 'The Orb of Chatham' mystery LISTEN to audio interviews recalling the events of 1935 SEE amateur video of Orb sightings WITNESS postcards and photos that offer clues about the Orb BLOG with other 'Orb of Chatham' readers STUDY a map showing where the Orb may hide in Chatham's waters To BUY the book, please click here Email your friends about 'The Orb Of Chatham' web site! Just Click Here   Home I Sneak Peek I The Chatham Five I Buy The Book I FAQs I Unlock The Orb Code I About The Author I The Art I Behind The Scenes I Press & Media I Book Signings & Events I Contact I Links I About Chatham I Blog I The Orb Store I About Chatham I Walking Tour I Help "A strange noir mystery that is truly baffling, yet curiously entertaining." -- Tim Wood, The Cape Cod Chronicle   'Middle-of-the-night black, moonlight white and cold gray have never been so eerily orchestrated as they are in Staake's superb drawings for his chilling tale, 'The Orb of Chatham'. Your eyes will feast and your skin will crawl." -- Michael Keegan, The Washington Post   "A taut tale of ghostly suspense -- a clever mystery with a solid mythology." -- CapeCodToday.com Email your friends about 'The Orb Of Chatham' web site! Just Click Here   About The Author and Illustrator of 'The Orb Of Chatham'   Known for his evocative aesthetic style, Bob Staake's illustrations and art appear everywhere -- from magazines to books, animation to greeting cards, advertising to newspapers, cereal boxes to CD-ROM games. His clients have included Time Inc, McDonald's, American Express, Sony, United Airlines, Nickelodeon, Sports Illustrated For Kids, Ralston Purina, Hallmark Cards, Kenner Toys, The Washington Post, AT&T, Sega, TWA, Dr.Pepper, The Chicago Tribune, Good Humor, Warner Books, Kellogg's, Cartoon Network, Turner Broadcasting, The Wall Street Journal, Netscape, Forbes, Simon and Schuster, The Ren and Stimpy Show, MAD, Children's Television Workshop, Blockbuster Video, Disney, Anheuser-Busch, Doubleday, Klutz Press, Hershey's, Target Stores, Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Fleishman-Hillard, DMBB, and countless others. He has authored and/or illustrated over 39 books, including 'Hello Robots!' (Viking), 'My Little Color Zoo' (Simon & Schuster) and 'The Red Lemon' (Random House). Currently he is writing a pair of storybooks and illustrating three other titles, including a modern version of the 19th Century German classic, 'Der Struwwelpeter'. 'The Orb Of Chatham' marks a new departure for Staake -- his first black and white picture book that is also part graphic novel and part mystery. "When I decided to take on the story", says Staake, "I knew that it had to be rendered in black and white. If I'm successful at evoking a certain moodiness and dreamlike experience through the artwork in the book, the monochromatic palette deserves as much of the credit." Ironically, Staake used no traditional palette of paints when creating the eery 'Orb of Chatham' illustrations. The art reproduced in the book is entirely digital, Staake prefering to drag a computer mouse rather than a paint brush to execute his images. "My books are generally more 'mirthful'", says Staake, 'and filled with rich color and playful patterns. But while others are mesmerized by the stunning daylight commonly found in Chatham, I've always been as intrigued by the dramatic shadows, reflections and shapes produced by the moon and the stars at night. Chatham is an esquisitely mysterious place and this is what I've tried to capture in the book." Staake resides and works in Chatham, Massachusetts in a 200-year-old house that's 300 yards from the Atlantic -- but is only inhabited by 100 ghosts. He collects mid-century modern furniture, vintage Fiestaware and original illustration artwork Staake's voluminous, award-winning web site can be found at, you guessed it, BobStaake.com   Related Links: Bob Staake Talks About The Creation of 'The Orb of Chatham' How was the book created? Why was it created? And what's the bigger story behind the mystery? To find out, visit this page. Contact Bob Staake: To arrange a book signing, literary event or speaking engagement with the author/illustrator, please visit this page. Excerpting the Book Reprinting of Hi-Res Artwork: To download and publish examples of 'The Orb Of Chatham' artwork or a photo of the author/illustrator to coincide with any media interviews or reviews, please click here. + Take A Sneak Peek At 'The Orb Of Chatham' NOW + Unlock The Orb Code (To do so, you must hold the book in your hands to solve the clues found in the artwork) + Buy The Book + Email your friends about 'The Orb Of Chatham' web site! Just Click Here Written and illustrated by Bob Staake, 'The Orb Of Chatham' is unlike any other of his more than 35 books. A hauntingly eery tale that meanders through this mysterious New England town, 'The Orb Of Chatham' fascinates and mesmerizes readers both young and old. Take a peek at the book       The Book Is Only The Beginning Of The Orb Of Chatham Story: Of the five who reported witnessing 'The Orb Of Chatham' in 1935, why would Margaret Snow be the last to file her report with the authorities, while her husband, Walter, was the first? Additional Information on 'The Chatham Five' can be found inside the Orb. Click here to unlock the code and enter Why are so many orb shapes found in Chatham? The mysterious forms are commonly seen decorating gardens, placed in northeast corners of barns, and even used as book ends. Once people have read 'The Orb of Chatham', they report noticing even more Orb shapes within the quaint village. Additional photos of Orbs can be found inside the Orb. Click here to unlock the code and enter What explains that orbs are often found near ship wrecks, particularly those occuring on nights with full moons? Unless you look closely at some of these mysterious photographs, you may not even notice the orbs that almost seem to hide from view. Additional shipwreck photos can be found inside the Orb. Click here to unlock the code and enter Given the relative shallowness of Chatham's waters, why did divers feel it necessary in 1976 to use a titanium diving suit like this to search the ocean floor of Stage Harbor when lobster traps were discovered being mysteriously "crushed" by something? Additional photos can be found inside the Orb. Click here to unlock the code and enter Why would this novelty song about 'The Orb Of Chatham' have been recorded in 1936 -- but banned from being played on the town's only radio station? Additional product photos can be found inside the Orb. Click here to unlock the code and enter Is there a reason why orb sightings in the Chatham skies increase during the winter months -- even though the town's population drops considerably? And why do so many townspeople insist that 'The Orb of Chatham' events of 1935 never took place? Additional Sighting Photos can be found inside the Orb. Click here to unlock the code and enter   The Orb Of Chatham and OrbOfChatham.com is Copyright 2005 by Bob Staake - All Rights Reserved. The book was originally published by Commonwealth Editions. The text, images and content on this web site cannot be used without the expressed, written consent of the author. For licensing inquiries, please click here. Any similarity to charcacters living or dead is strictly coincidental Flash animation and music sequence by Ryan Staake -- Melonsoft.

, the reports were made upon daylight, though local authorities dismissed them a hoax.

Still, the witnesses' independent accounts were virtually identical; the orb appeared to be made of blackened metal, perhaps six feet tall, and traveled in absolute silence by rolling (though one witness reported spotting the orb "hovering" in the air above a local church).

Two months later, all five witnesses vanished -- on the same October evening -- never to be seen again.

Whether 'The Orb Of Chatham' is truth or fiction remains a mystery to this day.