Lets discuss UFO books

This is a good question and a good thread. And as much as I love books, UFOs are the one of the few areas where I'd humbly suggest books don't actually contribute much. Not even Jung. Valles, maybe. McKenna, maybe. The phenomena is too ephemeral to be locked into print. It's either folklore or it's a force so beyond our ability to comprehend that our language lacks the concepts to articulate it.

Marrs and Fort are tellers of tall tales in my opinion. Fort's sources were dubious at best and Marrs, while he mixes pertinent facts in regarding JFK, his other books are rather unconvincing, to put it lightly. Nazi bases in Antarctica? Come on now. He is an old school, Mark Twain teller of tall tales. Great to listen to but he is an entertainer.

I wonder Kandinsky, what you think of UFOs, Generals and Pilots, that book by Leslie Kean. At first it sounded exciting but now I reckon its an overrated rehash, like Dolan's tedious chronicles. I ask out of genuine curiosity, as you are far more versed on this subject than I.

I seem to remember reading the old classic UFO books from Ruppelt and Keyhoe back in the late 70s when I was a young lad as they were in the local library and they seemed like good solid studies of something genuinely unknown. I also seem to remember I liked Timothy Good's early books back in the 80s. But then he started repeating himself an awful lot in further volumes and using dubious sources of information.

Back then I also wasted some of my pocket money on Communion by Whitley Streiber and found it disappointingly unbelievable. I think that may have been the point when I treated the topic with a more sceptical eye than I had as a child.

I did like Richard Dolan's first two books on 'UFOs and the National Security State '.But the "Breakaway Civilisation" theme he has since adopted has more basis in science fiction ( the movie "They Live" always comes to mind) than hard science facts.

Of the recent 2 new UFO books I've read :

Nick Pope's 'Encounter in Rendlesham Forest'. It was well written and he'd done a good job of pulling the information together. But ultimately presented little new and missed out on many details that a certain thread here on ATS about Rendlesham covered . I think both Georgina Bruni's 'You Can't Tell the People' and Larry Warren's "Left at East Gate" were more expansive and interesting pieces of work.

Russ Kellet's 'The Berwyn Mountains Incident: Revealed' is a tall tale including a Royal Navy and RAF battle with UFOs over the skies of North Wales/The Irish Sea, crashed UFOs, alien bodies and an almighty cover up by Britain's military. It sadly weighs in at less than 100 pages and has little to back up this story and shows the lack of real research in at least one instance .

I've just got hold of 'The Missing Times: News Media Complicity in the UFO Cover-up by Terry Hansen" which was less than £2 on Kindle. Although I have not even looked at it just yet.

Of course there is also Mark Pilkington's "Mirage Men" which looks at things from a slightly different angle.

But my main impression is that once a writer becomes a 'personality' in this field they tend to lose their objectivity for one reason or another. Perhaps the main one being a 'financial' one.

a reply to: Nicorette

are you referring to Charles Hoy Fort ? its my general observance that his sources were on the vast part , some of the most renowned scientific journals of the time , some of which are still going today.

or is there another Fort I've not heard of ?

funbox

a reply to: Nicorette

Leslie Kean's book covers that English Channel sighting of 2007 in depth better than any other book I have personally read. That is one of the most interesting cases. Both Airplane Pilots, along with some of the passengers, saw two elongated objects over a mile long sitting stationary in the sky.

a reply to: mirageman

Mark Pilkington's Mirage Men is a great book. Its actually one of my favorites.

And I agree about the Rendlesham books. Left At East Gate was a little better than Pope's new book.

originally posted by: Vrill
I own a massive library of UFO books and everything unexplained and Cryptid.

My question to some of you fine people, is what are some great UFO books that have recently came out within the past 1-2 years? (or ARE coming out soon in the coming months) that will be must reads?

I do not keep up with new releases and such like I used to. So I am curious if any of you are in this loop.

Thanks much!

I'm sure that replies will just rehash popular authors who have flooded the field with accounts of alleged alien abductions and the some authors will try to feed the gullible their opinions of abduction celebrities such as the Hills, which Kandisky is leading off by mentioning Nick Redfern's new book linking the Hills with MKULTRA which is downright ridiculous as the Hills were never abducted by aliens or anyone. I never accepted tales such as theirs and all of the others such as Travis Walton, Betty Andreasson, Whitley Strieber, and any book written by Raymond Fowler, Strieber, Hopkins, Friedman, Jacobs, Mack, Dolan, Pope, von Daniken, Randles (both Jenny Kevin), Maussan, Jerome Clark, Corso (especially!), Birnes and his crew of incompetents, Robert Dean, Glenn Dennis, Knapp, Lazar, et al!

I've read their books and tons more and the only conclusion one reaches is that they are all in it for the money since none of them want to pursue the truth in which there is no money. The truth is that the majority of books on UFOs and aliens (again, ETs) are aimed at the gullible because that is where the money is and the believing gullibles don't press for evidence, they're happy with being fed UFO/alien pablum.

But not all UFO book authors are unethical. I'll recommend 2 books from among the few that are not dedicated entirely to lying. Since a UFO didn't crash near Roswell despite the disinfo campaign by said authors, the best and most truthful author on the subject is Karl T. Pflock who authored "ROSWELL: Inconvenient Facts and the Will to Believe", and Terry Matheson's "ALIEN ABDUCTIONS: Creating a Modern Phenomenon - FOCUSING ON THE POPULAR WORKS OF... BUDD HOPKINS, JOHN FULLER, WHITLEY STRIEBER, DAVID JACOBS, JOHN MACK AND OTHERS..."

While it's almost impossible to de-condition believers (look up cult deprogramming to see how really difficult it is), reading one or both books just has to make a breakthrough in your believing armor. These 2 authors and others in similar vein, are not getting rich as Friedman et al have. But they can be proud that they don't insult the gullible with popular bs.

a reply to: Uggielicious

The problem is, a lot of these UFO books are rehashes. You just have to figure out which ones are not...or which ones tell a new story with new information etc. But most times, a lot of them will tell the same exact thing in different ways.

This is why I tend to like the more obscure UFO books.

But really, if someone own books by Hynek, Ruppelt, Keyhoe and Dolan, you have them all pretty much. I can throw in other names like Richard Hall and Richard Haines into that mix too.

Great topic, I've learnt a lot about the various authors already. I'm currently redecorating my room, & now I'm doing well for myself I have decided to buy a 6ft cabinet & fill it with informative conspiracy books, mostly UFO focused.

Also, I am interested in subscribing to a UFO magazine, any recommendations on this?

As for myself, I've barely read any. I did rent one from a library when I was younger & it was very interesting. I did also have a great book I got when I was 8 called "Wacky World", please tell me someone else had this? It's responsible for my obsession with everything unusual & 'other worldly' in this world & beyond, it had plenty of unexplainable & hugely bizarre happenings.

Everything from someone dying, years later spotted in a local bakery looking "spaced out" & then disappearing again, bizarre UFO encounters & an American on holiday in Mexico was asked by a random postman to read an address on a parcel, only to see it was his address back in the US.

originally posted by: AblyEnergy


Also, I am interested in subscribing to a UFO magazine, any recommendations on this?

As for myself, I've barely read any.

The market for UFO magazines has sadly all but died. Mainly because the exciting tales that entertained us in the previous century seem to have dwindled to almost nothing in this one. There are a few still out there but they don't last long and you may find you pay a subscription and the publisher goes bust before you get value out of it. So beware.

There is of course the entirely free Phenomena Magazine : www.phenomenamagazine.co.uk... which is a downloadable pdf each month. It covers a lot more subjects than just UFOs and there is a vast archive available too.

a reply to: mirageman

UFO magazine has more of a cult following now. Some of the back issues are hard to find and pretty expensive if found online (Amazon/eBay etc)

originally posted by: mirageman

originally posted by: AblyEnergy


Also, I am interested in subscribing to a UFO magazine, any recommendations on this?

As for myself, I've barely read any.

The market for UFO magazines has sadly all but died. Mainly because the exciting tales that entertained us in the previous century seem to have dwindled to almost nothing in this one. There are a few still out there but they don't last long and you may find you pay a subscription and the publisher goes bust before you get value out of it. So beware.

There is of course the entirely free Phenomena Magazine : www.phenomenamagazine.co.uk... which is a downloadable pdf each month. It covers a lot more subjects than just UFOs and there is a vast archive available too.

Appreciate the advice, maybe I'll stay away from UFO magazines & stick to the books.

Phenomena looks like an interesting monthly read, thank you.

originally posted by: Nicorette
This is a good question and a good thread. And as much as I love books, UFOs are the one of the few areas where I'd humbly suggest books don't actually contribute much. Not even Jung. Valles, maybe. McKenna, maybe. The phenomena is too ephemeral to be locked into print. It's either folklore or it's a force so beyond our ability to comprehend that our language lacks the concepts to articulate it.

Marrs and Fort are tellers of tall tales in my opinion. Fort's sources were dubious at best ... snip

You criticize Fort blindly. From wikipedia: "Fort's relationship with the study of anomalous phenomena is frequently misunderstood and misrepresented. For over thirty years, Charles Fort sat in the libraries of New York City and London, assiduously reading scientific journals, newspapers, and magazines, collecting notes on phenomena that lay outside the accepted theories and beliefs of the time."

originally posted by: Vrill
What are your general thoughts on Richard Dolan, Kandinsky? I own all of his books too. Ive always respected him as a man and a researcher. His books are always excellent reads. Especially his "UFOs and the National Security State" series. He is writing the 3rd one as we speak that is up to current day. He just puts the evidence out there and leaves it up to the reader to decide what to believe.

However, he has been beating that "Breakaway Civilization" drum a lot recently. I am not sure what to think about that.

Also, what are your thoughts on Timothy Good?

I'm not Kandinsky but the floor's open so I'll add my 2 cents. Dolan is not a skeptic, he is a believer and when he speaks it's classic belief. I communicated with him before he became a reference source and he told me that he believed that a UFO did crash near Roswell. Some researcher! His nascent website featured a famous photo of UFOs over the capitol. I told him that the photo did not show UFOs but did show the reflections of the lamps surrounding the capitol. Dolan did not remove the photo. He operated under false pretenses. Anyone can research public records and write reference books. He is not creating, he is copying.

Timothy Good, while being one of the most "honored" UFOlogists, is no better than any of the authors who produce UFO/alien books like rabbits in heat. He comes off as class-act but without substace. Books on UFOs, UFO cases, aliens, etc., without providing any evidence are a dime a dozen. Good's are no different.

a reply to: Uggielicious

Richard Dolan's "UFO's and the National Security State" series will always remain "Must Have's" within the Ufology realm when it comes to UFO books. They are simply excellent, both of them are. He is working on part 3 up to current day as we speak.

originally posted by: Vrill
a reply to: Uggielicious

This is why I tend to like the more obscure UFO books.

Vrill, if you like some of the more obscure ones then researcher Kenny Young has written a good one here- also Charles Fort's books are linked in the thread.

Also have to agree with Senor Kandinsky there, 'UFOs and Government' really is an excellent book.

a reply to: karl 12

Karl 12, what are the best books out there about USOs?

I own Carl W Feindt's UFOs and Water along with Ivan Sanderson's classic.

Any others that go in depth about USOs?

originally posted by: Vrill
a reply to: Kandinsky
I actually just finished Nick Pope's newest book on the Rendlesham case. Its pretty good, but much of it was a rehash of things that we already know.

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: Vrill
Nick Pope doesn't appeal to me. He straddles the middle-ground so successfully that his UFO books are like a warm bowl of porridge - edible enough, but you'd hardly be reminiscing about it at lunchtime.

Nick Pope was just a low-level employee at the British Ministry of Defense who discovered that the UFO phenomenon is real.

I always wondered why every American TV and documentary producer felt the urge to bring on Nick Pope in every UFO related production about British UFO cases made in the last decade.

Is it because of Pope's extensive knowledge of the UFO phenomenon and dedicated hard work to elucidate it? No.

Is it because of his charismatic personality and ability to bring through the 'message' to an audience'? No.

So, is it because he used to work in the British MoD? Apparently, having worked for a ministry that has no idea what to do with the bulk of UFO reports and officially deals with it as if it was of no importance lends credibility to Mr Pope.

That said, I do not dislike Mr Pope, and he has the democratic right to express himself on the UFO phenomenon as anyone else. But why is he continuously brought on as an 'expert' on British UFO cases when he is no expert, and basically only expresses watered down opinions of others? When will real experts and meticulously hard working UFO researchers such as Jenny Randles be allowed to talk on public broadcast about the hands on research she has done on cases such as the Rendlesham Forest incident?

a reply to: Vrill

Good question, Vrill!

I always recommend "Day After Tomorrow" by Phil Corso as THE definitive book on Roswell, by the insider's-insider to that event and its aftermath, as the researchers unraveled the secrets of the aliens and their technology.

www.amazon.com...=sr_1_1_title_1_mas?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412427730&sr=1-1&keywords=day+after+ros well+corso

I haven't read him, but I've seen Timothy Good recommended highly as one of the best current writers on UFOs/ETs. He is said to have both insider contacts and a good grasp of the technical details.

www.amazon.com...=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412426548&sr=1-2&keywords=UFO+books+by+Timoth y

This next book was long in coming and well received: proves my speculation that THE best UFO witnesses are pilots:

www.amazon.com...=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412426817&sr=1-9&keywords=above+top+secr et+timothy+good

And here are a few books that explain technology or highlight personal experiences in U.S. Military Black Ops programs:

www.amazon.com...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412426708&sr=1-1&keywords=above+bla ck

www.amazon.com...=sr_1_fkmr2_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412427126&sr=1-3-fkmr2& keywords=Ultra+Secret+about+UFOs

www.amazon.com...=pd_sim_b_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0PJ1F785HHTQZ3NXGCHN

www.amazon.com...=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412427348&sr=1-3&keywords=Charles+ James+Hall
(Charles James Hall claims he guarded the Nevada compound of the Tall White aliens, while he was in the Air Force. He wrote a fictionalized account of that experience as this book.)

originally posted by: Heliocentric
snip
That said, I do not dislike Mr Pope, and he has the democratic right to express himself on the UFO phenomenon as anyone else. But why is he continuously brought on as an 'expert' on British UFO cases when he is no expert, and basically only expresses watered down opinions of others? When will real experts and meticulously hard working UFO researchers such as Jenny Randles be allowed to talk on public broadcast about the hands on research she has done on cases such as the Rendlesham Forest incident?

I don't care for Pope, Redfern, Dolan, et al. They are not UFO/alien experts because there is no such title. All that you have are just a bunch of individuals who read each others' books and add their 2 cents to the mix. Pope's position did not give him any special knowledge, he deal with reports that were filed by sometimes people who had no idea what is was they saw. Redfern travels around and asks stupid questions and believes the answers. Dolan looks through material, selects some, has it published and gains notoriety for having authored "reference" works. These three are examples of the larger picture in that there are a lot of famous authors, lecturers, etc., and they are just clones of each other.

So, there are no experts. And don't put Jenny Randles on a pedestal 'cause even though she's been around, mostly in the background, not everything she writes is worthy. She's okay but that's it for me. And how much can be written about the Rendlesham sham?