Another jaw-dropping volume

Believe it or not, another collection of Ripley’s oddities has been published.

“Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Expect ... the Unexpected” (Ripley Publishing, $27.95) is the third volume in the series and features all-new examples of just how weird the world can be.

The large-format hardcover has hundreds of facts and photos, most in color, about offbeat people, unusual animals, unfamiliar customs, bizarre happenings and fantastic feats -- as well as some fantastic feet, including those of a Californian who wears size 29 1/2 shoes, and a woman in China who functions normally even though her feet face backward.

Here are other examples from the book that you are free to believe or -- well, you know:

* A 4-watt lightbulb has been burning in the Livermore, Calif., Fire Department since 1901, making it the world’s oldest-known working lightbulb.

* In 2005, a 25-year-old Canadian man from Calgary caught a boiled egg -- thrown from 275 feet away -- in his mouth.

* A letter mailed to a small town in Germany in 1718 was finally delivered -- in 2004.

* And a slice of singer Justin Timberlake’s half-eaten French toast fetched $4,000 on EBay. But that included syrup and a fork.