Introductionary reading

[Pegusta]

Some time ago a friend of mine approached me with a request. She wanted to know more about the UFO phenomenon I had pestered her with for a long time. She had finally caved in to my suggestions for her to start looking at this odd and amusing (and frustrating) phenomenon. She asked me if I could recommend some good books to get her started, and to give her an introduction to the topic.

My first impulse was to give her a list of books almost entirely made up of Vallee and Keel books. I realized this would not be fair, as it would not give her a neutral introduction. So I ventured to compile a list of five books that would give her a firm ground to stand on for her further studies.

These five were the ones I recommended:

1. UFOs by Kean.
For its gravitas and no nonsense approach. Furthermore for its international perspective, showing that this phenomenon is international in scope.

2. Wonders in the Sky (or Passport to Magonia or Dimensions) by Valle and Aubeck
First of to show that the phenomenon goes a long way back in our past, and that it is most probably not a just a modern phenomenon. And secondly, I had to introduce her to Valle J.

3. UFOs: Myths, Conspiracies and Realities By Alexander
Alexander said it best: “To understand the UFO phenomenon you need to understand conspiracy theory”. Again, a no nonsense factual approach to UFOs.

4. Communion by Strieber
Certainly a controversial one, however: Whether you lend Strieber’s accounts any credence or not, the fact is that to fully understand modern ufology with its different subgenres (abductions etc.) you need to have read Communion. Many central themes are to be found in this book. And besides, it’s a good read; interesting and pretty entertaining.

5. The UFO encyclopedia by Clark
Self-explanatory really. Staple reading.

I would be very much interested in what your choices would be to give someone new to the topic a good introduction to the phenomenon.

 

[Randall]

• It's getting older, but Beyond Top Secret by Timothy Good is an excellent resource and much less expensive than Clarke's Encyclopedia.
• For the alt-history angle: The Gods of Eden by William Bramley
• All Ufology 101 students should read: The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects.
• For a Skeptical view: UFOs Explained by Phillip J. Klass | Scientific Study Of Unidentified Flying Objects by Edward U. Condon
• A conservative but open minded introduction to the UFO phenomenon online: www.ufopages.com

 

[Angel of Ioren]

Although it covers a lot more than just UFOs, but A Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan is amazing.

 

[Jeff Davis]

• It's getting older, but Beyond Top Secret by Timothy Good is an excellent resource and much less expensive than Clarke's Encyclopedia.
• For the alt-history angle: The Gods of Eden by William Bramley
• All Ufology 101 students should read: The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects.
• For a Skeptical view: UFOs Explained by Phillip J. Klass | Scientific Study Of Unidentified Flying Objects by Edward U. Condon
• A conservative but open minded introduction to the UFO phenomenon online: www.ufopages.com

The Gods of Eden is one of my all time favorites. A very fast and entertaining read for sure.
I would also recommend the book by Ivan T. Sanderson called Invisible Residents.

 

[Pegusta]

I had initially planned to include a Klass or Sagan book, but decided not to in the end. You see, I want her to get hooked on the mystery first, and then slam her with the harshness of reality.


I really do appreciate the insights of both Sagan and Klass and find them very useful. That is not to suggest that I don’t think there is something truly anomalous to some UFO cases, but I think getting the more critical input is also valuable.

 

[Pegusta]

A shame to admit it but I haven’t read either The Gods of Eden or Invisible Residents. I am looking forward to mending that though.

I always appreciate the opportunity of getting to learn something new.

 

[Jeff Davis]

The reason I recommended Sanderson's obscure little gem is because of it's perspective angle. I would also STRONGLY recommend a book recently reprinted and released called Operation Trojan Horse by John Keel. Keel was perhaps one the most powerful and exhaustive researchers of the last 50 years within what's loosely defined as Ufology.

To start with the premise that UFOs are automatically spaceships piloted by aliens from an ET outer space origin is an extremely narrow take on the phenomenon, albeit certainly a popular one.

Another good book for perspective's sake is The Cryptoterrestrials by the late Mac Tonnies. The sentiments and the basic hypothesis contained therein have been echoed and bandied about within Ufology for MANY years, but it's written from the young and imaginative perspective of Mac which is very cool. A truly sad loss for the community for certain.

 

[Randall]

The reason I recommended Sanderson's obscure little gem is because of it's perspective angle. I would also STRONGLY recommend a book recently reprinted and released called Operation Trojan Horse by John Keel ...

Wow ... some cool classics there Jeff. Do you collect them too or just read 'em and return 'em?

 

[Jeff Crowell]

I couldn't get through Communion, I admit. It sat on my nightstand for months after I read about a fourth of it. Finally I just reshelved it.

 

[Randall]

I had initially planned to include a Klass or Sagan book, but decided not to in the end. You see, I want her to get hooked on the mystery first, and then slam her with the harshness of reality.

That little smiley grin just took on a sort of devilish tinge ... I really hope you're only kidding.

 

[Jeff Davis]

Wow ... some cool classics there Jeff. Do you collect them too or just read 'em and return 'em?

From time to time Ufology I have gotten into the collector mind state with older UFO books and records and whatnot. Truth is I can't afford many of the titles I really want! So, I've mostly gone for whatever I come across at a good deal second hand. Most of the UFO books from the last 20 years or so that I knowingly want to have, I presently have except for a few. I need more Timothy Green Beckley for certain. So many of them just keep coming out it's insane. I have 50 or so I am waiting to read presently that I gathered over the last few summers at flea markets and eBay.

So many classics that I don't have though and it just makes me SICK!!!!

 

[Randall]

From time to time Ufology I have gotten into the collector mind state with older UFO books and records and whatnot. Truth is I can't afford many of the titles I really want! So, I've mostly gone for whatever I come across at a good deal second hand. Most of the UFO books from the last 20 years or so that I knowingly want to have, I presently have except for a few. I need more Timothy Green Beckley for certain. So many of them just keep coming out it's insane. I have 50 or so I am waiting to read presently that I gathered over the last few summers at flea markets and eBay.

So many classics that I don't have though and it just makes me SICK!!!!

Very Cool. I used to go around to all the used book stores and buy up whatever they had on UFOs before used books started getting expensive, so now I've got a wall across my basement filled with a lot of old stock I need to put up on the USI website. Quite a few doubles of the old classic Edwards stuff and the like. As much as I take ufology seriously, I also find it really enjoying as mind candy, entertainment, and of course its connection to all the speculative sci-fi and real science. There's just nothing like it and there's so much to enjoy if we don't always take ourselves so terribly seriously all the time ( as was also pointed out once by our absentee cohost Nick Redfern I believe ). Hey ... shouldn't we nominate Goggs for a spot on that page! He's been on more than Redfern lately anyway! @Goggs Mackay

 

[Pegusta]

That little smiley grin just took on a sort of devilish tinge ... I really hope you're only kidding.

Fear not! It was a joke in a sense, albeit a poor one.

I may be from the barbaric north, but I am not in the habit of hitting women (or men) in the head (or elsewhere) with books. My point was that adding the hardcore skeptical perspective would be adding a wee bit of frustration to the mix.

 

[Pegusta]

The reason I recommended Sanderson's obscure little gem is because of it's perspective angle. I would also STRONGLY recommend a book recently reprinted and released called Operation Trojan Horse by John Keel. Keel was perhaps one the most powerful and exhaustive researchers of the last 50 years within what's loosely defined as Ufology.

To start with the premise that UFOs are automatically spaceships piloted by aliens from an ET outer space origin is an extremely narrow take on the phenomenon, albeit certainly a popular one.

Another good book for perspective's sake is The Cryptoterrestrials by the late Mac Tonnies. The sentiments and the basic hypothesis contained therein have been echoed and bandied about within Ufology for MANY years, but it's written from the young and imaginative perspective of Mac which is very cool. A truly sad loss for the community for certain.

A agree a 100%. It is crucial to get a diverse mix of hypothesis. We are definitely on the same page concerning this (and the ETH).

Really looking forward to reading Sandersons book.

And yes, Keel is one of my favorite authors on the topic. As I mentioned above, initially I would not have minded adding only Keel and Vallee books. I am in fact in possession of a copy of Operation Trojan Horse (along with a number of his other titles) and I have read it with much interest.


I am not on the other hand a huge fan of the late Tonnies theories, but reading his works is nonetheless a good thing to do, on the basis of widening the scope. He was definitely a gifted guy.

 

[Jeff Davis]

One thing that has always struck me as peripherally incredible is how unified matters within the broadest Fortean scope really seem to be according to observation based documented reporting. What has this suggested to me throughout the years? That we ourselves, the sentient being that is humanity, are integral and even possibly centric to that which is Fortean phenomena. I then began to ask myself, and I continue to this day to speculatively consider in the simplest manner possible, at what precise juncture does that which is observed as Fortean phenomena unify with the human experience? There is only one answer that I have been able to come up with to the glory of my limited imagination. That answer is consciousness.

With the turning of this last century, no branch of science has ever even come close to the paradigm shift that the science of Quantum Physics is suggesting on an almost daily basis. It is STUNNING just how integrated consciousness is portrayed as being with respect to theoretical Quantum Mechanics. This is why I like to encourage a very broad spectrum of speculative consideration with respect to Fortean phenomena itself. If considerations within Theoretical Mechanical Quantum Physics has inspired anything at all, it's inspired a new and clear understanding that "things material" are not what they seem.

I would like to suggest a book that is almost akin to a pamphlet in the sense that it's a very fast read. I mean incredibly friendly on an approachable and comprehensive level much like Kaku's Parallel Worlds. It's called Biocentrism by Robert Lanza. Biocentrism / Robert Lanza’s Theory of Everything

This is not UFO specific in anyway, but it's a wonderful eye opener with respect for simple broader physical considerations of our Universe itself.

I would also suggest looking into a personal pet favorite of mine with respect to cosmology that is namely the "Electric Universe Theory". Fascinating stuff! Just Google it.

 

[Decker]

Your friend now wishes to explore the UFO topic? Okay, once again a book I consider absolutely indispensible was written by Lawrence Fawcett and Barry J. Greenwood. This is primarily taken from military and govt. files and quite frankly may frighten hell out of you IF you are not familiar with the subject.

Clear Intent: The Government Coverup of the Ufo Experience

Here is where she might find a copy.

Amazon.com: Clear Intent: The Government Coverup of the Ufo Experience (9780131366497): Lawrence Fawcett, Barry J. Greenwood: Books

Decker

 

[Decker]

The following is one review from Amazon on Clear Intent.

"This book contains direct information gleaned from an exhaustive search of the US Archives with corraborative testimony from eyewitnesses and insiders. I was originally loaned this book by a retired USAF Colonel who worked in Project Blue Book. He would tell me very little, but pointed me towards several books which he told me would give me "a pretty good picture of what's going on". The material in this book is well validated and is as far reaching as it is shocking. It is so revealing that I came away from it feeling that I always knew more about this subject than I had allowed myself to cognize. It does help one to see why our government keeps what they know a secret. Another equally revealing book that should be read as a companion volume is: "The Case for the UFO" By M.K.Jessup, I no longer remember how to get a copy of this. Interestingly, I was allowed to borrow a book which conclusively proved that M.K. Jessup was assasinated by someone after he refused an "Official" request not to publish book two of "The Case for the UFO" I believe the title was "The Mysterious Death of M.K. Jessup". (A ten year investigation went into this book. The detective also accidentally uncovered physical evidence of the "Philadelphia Experiment" which is also discussed in "Clear Intent".) I returned these books to him as he was adamant that aquiring copies was nearly impossible. If you are interested in this subject GET or read "Clear Intent"."

 

[pixelsmith]

I will check out that Clear Intent book. A good friend of mines father worked on editing/blacking out Project Blue Book. He said his father worked on it while in a "faraday cage"... he said it looked like a cage made out of thin straps of metal and he could not go near it until his father was let out of it by guards.

 

[dyingsun]

Ok, Pixel. That sounds interesting all on its own.

 

[exo_doc]

This was the very first book on UFO's I read. It was my aunts book that had languuished on her bookshelves for years, she let me keep it and I still have it. That was 1974, and I still think it's one of the best ever written on the subject.