SUBJECT: UFOs EXPLAINED FILE: UFO2823 ##UFO## UFOs Explained Philip J. Klass 1974, Random House (1976 Vintage); (438p.) #UFO# A classic debunking work on UFO's, selecting a number of well-known and intriguing cases, particularly some most touted by ET or mystery proponents. Klass's reconstructions can be complicated, but are convincing. Not all would agree with his extrapolation to imply that all UFO cases, even if not explained similarly, must have prosaic explanations, but Klass's argument is not a trivial dismissal. Cases discussed include the Socorro "Landing," the RB-47 case, the Pascagoula abductions and the Army helicopter incident of 1973, and many more. UFO's: The Public Deceived Philip J. Klass 1983, Prometheus Books; 310p. #UFO# Another Klass volume of prosaic explanations of prime UFO cases, less-than-competent UFO investigators and exposed hoaxes. Includes a pretty definitive treatment of the famous Travis Walton case, most probably a hoax. Again, the bulk of the book is individual cases, with the implication that there is a good chance that the processes that go into their explanations are also operative in others that are not explained. UFO-Abductions: A Dangerous Game Philip J. Klass 1988 (updated 1989), Prometheus Books; 200p. (222) #UFO# Argues that typical UFO abduction accounts arose from popular mythology, circulated in accounts like _The Interrupted Journey_ and stories about the Travis Walton case. With the `abduction explosion' of the 1980s -- through best-sellers by Budd Hopkins and by Whitley Streiber -- a pre-fabricated `storyline' was already in place. To explain how disparate people provide similar accounts and believe in them, Klass provides two mechanisms. Firstly, many abduction accounts were `uncovered' through hypnosis, so it is likely that they arose through the hypnotist's asking questions which `led' the patient to create a UFO abduction memory. The second is that several abductees (Streiber especially) exhibit symptoms of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), which encourages confabulation of memory and fantasy. While the hypnosis hypothesis can be checked through session transcripts, the TLE idea reaches too far. Klass was a layman making a long-distance diagnosis on the basis of a little psychology research; saying Streiber had an organic brain disorder. This, and other ad hominem attacks (such as arguing that aliens wouldn't have taken an abductee because she was ugly) make this book an interesting failure. Flying Saucers: Magic in the Skies Otto Billig 1982, Schenkman Books; ?p. #UFO# UFO's And Outer Space Mysteries: A Sympathetic Skeptic's Report James Oberg 1982, Donning; 192p. #UFO# UFO's: A Scientific Debate Carl Sagan and Thornton Page, eds. 1974, Norton; 344p. #UFO# The UFO Verdict: Examining the Evidence Robert Sheaffer 1986, Prometheus Books; 242p. #UFO# Final Report Of The Scientific Study Of Unidentified Flying Objects Edward U. Condon and Daniel S. Gillmor, eds. 1968, Bantam books; 965p. #UFO# Round In Circles: Physicists, Poltergeists, Pranksters and the Secret History of the Cropwatchers Jim Schnabel 1993, Hamish Hamilton Ltd., London; 295p. #UFO# Watch The Skies! A Chronicle of the Flying Saucer Myth Curtis Peebles 1994, Smithsonian Institution Press; 342p. #UFO:history# An objective history of "the flying saucer myth." Beginning with Kenneth Arnold's classic sighting of nine objects "skipping like saucers" near Mount Rainier in 1947, Peebles covers the classic events (Captain Thomas Mantell's "dogfight" with a UFO, the "Invasion of Washington," etc.) through their evolution into the modern belief in alien abductions. The dustjacket assures the reader "[t]his thoroughly researched chronicle concludes that the flying saucer myth is not really about disk-shaped spaceships and their angelic or demonic pilots. Rather, like earlier mythologies, it is an attempt to make order out of the world, an expression of our hopes and fears." An assurance which will not disappoint the reader. The Great Airship Mystery: A UFO of the 1890s Daniel Cohen 1981, Dodd, Mead & Co.; 212p. #UFO:history# Thousands in the US reported seeing a "mysterious airship" overhead, in 1896 and 1897, though no such ship was possible at that time. Both the sightings and the reactions to them parallel what took place with the first UFO reports. Media attention was present, and explanations proposed included hoaxes, a "mysterious inventor" and spaceships from other worlds. Cohen concludes that the best explanation for the wave is misindentification and hoax, with the media improving on simple "night lights" reports. Similar hoaxes are known, and paranormal explanations are riddled with contradictions. Angels And Aliens: UFOs and the Mythic Imagination Keith Thompson 1991, Fawcett Columbine; 283p. #UFO:history#, #UFO:sociology#, #UFO:defense# An account of UFO history focusing on the conflict between believers and disbelievers, in "mythic" terms. Thompson reserves his admiration for those (like Jung and Vallee) who chose not to focus on the debunkers and believers but rather pondered why the strange phenomenon (whether physically 'real' or not) was happening *now*. He points out that both believers and skeptics at times have gone to ridiculous lengths to prove their cases, but neither side has attained conclusive victory. By the conclusion, however, an underlying "reality" of UFO's becomes the de facto viewpoint, along with unwarranted speculation about abductees being a transcendent form of human development. The UFO Controversy In America David Michael Jacobs 1975, Indiana University Press; 384p. #UFO:history# UFOs And The Extraterrestrial Contact Movement: A Bibliography George M. Eberhart 1986, Scarecrow Press; 1298p. #UFO# The UFO Literature: A Comprehensive Annotated Bibliography of Works in English Richard Michael Rasmussen 1985, McFarland & Co.; 263p. #UFO# Observing UFOs: An Investigative Handbook Richard F. Haines 1980, Nelson-Hall; 300p. #UFO# UFO Phenomena and the Behavioral Scientist Richard F. Haines, ed. 1979, The Scarecrow Press, 1979; 450p. #UFO# The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry J. Allen Hynek 1972, 1977, Ballantine Books; 309p. #UFO:defense# Hynek, sometimes called "the father of modern UFOlogy" by proponents, started out as a scientific consultant to Project Blue Book, working to determine misidentifications of astronomical objects in UFO reports. He became convinced there was more to it upon investigation. Hynek is also well-known for his classification (1st to 3rd kinds) of UFO "close encounters." The book consists mainly of presentations of examples that fall within these categories. A classic of UFO literature, it does not include surprising information or hypotheses for anyone involved in UFO matters, but it is an excellent overview of the UFO incidents of its time. The Edge Of Reality J. Allen Hynek and Jacques Vallee 1975, Henry Regnery; ?p. The UFO Handbook: A guide to Investigating, Evaluating and Reporting UFO Sightings Allan Hendry 1979, Doubleday; 297p. #UFO:defense# UFOs and the Limits of Science Ronald D Story 1981, William Morrow; 290p. #UFO:defense# Passport To Magonia: From Folklore to Flying Saucers Jacques Vallee 1969, Henry Regnery; 372p. #UFO# Dimensions: A Casebook of Alien Contact Jacques Vallee 1988, Contemporary Books; 304p. #UFO:defense# Revelations: Alien Contact and Human Deception Jacques Vallee 1991, Ballantine Books; 294p. #UFO#, #UFO:defense# A theme of this book is the irrationality that surrounds UFOs where military authorities are concerned; but they may also use it for their own purposes, or promote it unintentionally. Vallee exposes some of the myths that have been accepted as fact in some UFOlogical circles, discussing for example alleged abductions and various conspiracy threads, and shows what the origins of these myths are. An appendix presents his famous "Five arguments against the ET hypothesis;" another gives Vallee's swan song at the MUFON convention "Forbidden Science: The UFO Phenomenon and the Research Community." Though some of the "revelations" should be taken with a grain of salt, this is a good introduction to the mindsets prevailing in what is left of American UFOlogy today. Above Top Secret: The Worldwide UFO Cover-up" Timothy Good 1987, Sidgwick and Jackson (London); 590p. #UFO:defense# Some UFO proponents recommend this as "the most important book" on a UFO cover-up. Its focus is Britain and the US, but material is included about countries such as the ex-Soviets, China, and Australia. While documentation appears to have been provided, the many instances of shoddy research and overcredulity overshadow any case that might be made. Representative of the UFO cover-up theme in popular UFOlogy, but not recommended for useful information about UFO matters. The UFO Evidence Richard H. Hall, ed. 1964, NICAP; ?p. #UFO:defense# ********************************************** * THE U.F.O. BBS - http://www.ufobbs.com/ufo * **********************************************