Help! New member tearing out the remains of his hair!

[Adam Reith]

Many years ago (MANY!) I read a science-fiction book that as far as I can recall involved some sort of alternate-universe travel. I think the main character had a mental ability where he would be sitting in a London Undergound Tube train and think of a ship's brass compass binnacle. He could then swing the compass needle in his mind and get transported to another reality. Any ideas of the book title?
A second book was also sci-fi. In it the main character was possibly on Mars but had a machine that he could use to look back in time and to see the thoughts of people in the past. On one occasion towards the end of the book he used the machine but probed too deeply into the mind of a sleeping subject and woke him. Time instantly changed and the main character suddenly found himself on Mars but as a vagrant wandering around. And he now believed his earlier life, with the time viewing maching, to be no more than a dream.
Looking for these two books has been driving me round the bend for a long time. ANY help would be much appreciated.
I hear that THIS forum has the best record anywhere for solving problems. Oh, and there is a reward. I will buy you a beer in a great little country pub just north of London, England if you (a) have the answers, and (b) are close enough to take up the offer.
Regards to you all. Adam Reith

 

[BookStop]

Sorry, no help to ya, Adam, but both books sure sound interesting so I hope someone here has a clue.

 

[Boneman]

And if anyone has the answers, but can't take up the beer offer, I'd gladly step in.
And I'm just tugging at locks at the moment, as the first book mentioned has sparked a memory in me, that's niggling away..... I'm hoping it comes to me! Do I get a half-pint if I just get one of them?

 

[Adam Reith]

Hmmmm, a half-pint for one? Oh what the heck, sure.
Still got my fingers crossed here and thanks for posting replies guys and gals.

 

[Asmer20]

you said many years ago??? I think that means those books were published back in the 1950s or 60s. Try this website it has many SFF writers in it. Do you remember the author's name? Try that too : Fantastic Fiction

 

[Adam Reith]

Thanks Asmer20, I will give it a shot. Unfortunately I don't remember any of the important details. Back in those days, as I was at school and in the early days of employment, I had very little money so I used to get a book, read it and then exchange it at the Popular Second-Hand Book shop. I never looked to the future nor thought about keeping records. Ah, the things we would do given a second chance. But let me try that site.

 

[Asmer20]

Heres another way to find the book by plot: Detailed book reviews