Do UFO Skeptics and Believers Read Books?

Just a very simple, straightforward question for anyone posting comments on the Aliens and UFO's forum:

What books on UFO's have you read?

I'd like to find out to what degree we are or are not working with the same set of information as we discuss this subject. In order to simplify this a little let's leave out articles and such and just focus on book length treatments. I'm also leaving abduction books off my own list because I tend to place that subject in a slightly different category in my own mind. I'll leave that for another thread, but feel free to include them if you want to.

The above are just guidelines. Include whatever you feel is relevant. If you've read more than you can list, don't feel obligated to try to remember them all, just indicate such. If you've read few or none, it's okay to indicate that too. Think of this as a survey. Every participant contributes just as much as every other, regardless of his or her response (as long as that response addresses the question).

I'll start:

The UFO Controversy in America - by David Jacobs
The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry - by J. Allen Hynek
Anatomy of a Phenomenon - by Jacques Vallee
Challenge to Science - by Jacques Vallee
The Hynek UFO Report - by J. Allen Hynek
The Missing Times - by Terry Hanson
Above Top Secret - by Timothy Good
UFOs and the National Security State, Vol. 1 and 2 - by Richard Dolan
Top Secret/Majic - by Stanton Friedman
Crash at Corona - by Stanton Friedman
The Edge of Reality - by J. Allen Hynek and Jacques Vallee
UFOs? Yes! - by Richard Saunders
Clear Intent - by Lawrence Fawcett and Barry Greenwood
UFOs: Serious Business - by Frank Edwards
The UFO Evidence - edited by Richard Hall
The UFO Enigma - by Peter Sturrock
Dimensions - by Jacques Vallee
Confrontations - by Jacques Vallee
Revelations - by Jacques Vallee
The Interrupted Journey - by John Fuller
Incident at Exeter - by John Fuller
At the Threshold - by Charles Emmons
Flying Saucer Occupants - by Coral Lorenzen
Night Siege - by Philip Imbrogno
UFO Chronicles of the Soviet Union - by Jacques Vallee
The UFO Handbook - by Alan Hendry
Flying Saucers from Outer Space - by Donald Keyhoe
The Phoenix Lights Mystery- by William Hamilton
Symposium on Unidentified Flying Objects - (technically not a book, but should be)

I read books, but not "UFO Books". The last UFO book I read (listened to on audio cassette) was Whitley Streiber's: Transformation... and it was just... silly.

I just finished Steven Pinker's: How the Mind Works, and up next I'm thinking I'll read The Brothers Karamazov or check out something by FM-2030.

I've only read three UFO-related books so far. The Edge of Reality was one. The Corso book on Roswell was another. Ruppelt's report was the third. I believe that book is available for free on ForbiddenTexts.com. Sorry. I'd grab it right now but I'm so dog tired.

Thanks for sharing your list. I read books. If I hadn't I would've left ATS a long time ago.

Edit: Wow I'm really tired.

[edit on 27-3-2010 by Elepheagle]

well I have a short list

NONE !!! lol

I haven't picked up a paperback since I was in college
20+ yrs ago.

Everything I need to read I can find on the net.

Doing good so far with the feedback y'all. Muchas thankyouas. I forgot I did read Communion, Strieber's first one. Didn't do much for me, but it was apparently very popular.

Edge of Reality was an odd one, didn't you think? Just a big long transcript of a conversation between those two. Not as good as I expected. I was a little disappointed because I thought their solo books were top notch for the most part.

You're right, boondock, there is a ton of good information online. In fact at nicap.org you can find a bunch of free online books on the UFO subject. Some I know are excellent, others I haven't gotten to yet.

Lasheic, I'm a big fan of Pinker as well. If you haven't yet, I'd recommend The Blank Slate. It was the first of his I read and it made me an instant fan.

Thanks for your input so far guys.

Bros Karamazov was excellent too, Lasheic, definitely take it on. Crime and Punishment is even better I think. Notes from Underground is fantastic short Dostoyevsky for when you are shorter on time.

reply to post by Orkojoker
From childhood, I was steeped in mysteries and read a lot of books. It began with Charles Berlitz and Von Daniken. This pair of lying nutjobs ignited a lifelong interest in history, mystery and UFOs...ironic huh? Another thing they did was teach me not to believe everything I read.

I read Keyhoe, J. Dick, Good, Hynek, Pope, Redfern, Imbrogno, Vallee, Friedman and more than I can remember. In the mid-90s I threw them out.

At Uni, I had a job, partied, got my degree and read 1-3 books a week...I've read hundreds of books and possibly thousands. Dozens of genres... Reading is good for the mind...whether websites or paper.

In terms of fiction, who hasn't felt that peculiar regret when the last page is turned? Some characters and worlds are hard to leave.

Originally posted by Orkojoker
Just a very simple, straightforward question for anyone posting comments on the Aliens and UFO's forum:

What books on UFO's have you read?

I'd like to find out to what degree we are or are not working with the same set of information as we discuss this subject. In order to simplify this a little let's leave out articles and such and just focus on book length treatments. I'm also leaving abduction books off my own list because I tend to place that subject in a slightly different category in my own mind. I'll leave that for another thread, but feel free to include them if you want to.

The above are just guidelines. Include whatever you feel is relevant. If you've read more than you can list, don't feel obligated to try to remember them all, just indicate such. If you've read few or none, it's okay to indicate that too. Think of this as a survey. Every participant contributes just as much as every other, regardless of his or her response (as long as that response addresses the question).

I'll start:

The UFO Controversy in America - by David Jacobs
The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry - by J. Allen Hynek
Anatomy of a Phenomenon - by Jacques Vallee
Challenge to Science - by Jacques Vallee
The Hynek UFO Report - by J. Allen Hynek
The Missing Times - by Terry Hanson
Above Top Secret - by Timothy Good
UFOs and the National Security State, Vol. 1 and 2 - by Richard Dolan
Top Secret/Majic - by Stanton Friedman
Crash at Corona - by Stanton Friedman
The Edge of Reality - by J. Allen Hynek and Jacques Vallee
UFOs? Yes! - by Richard Saunders
Clear Intent - by Lawrence Fawcett and Barry Greenwood
UFOs: Serious Business - by Frank Edwards
The UFO Evidence - edited by Richard Hall
The UFO Enigma - by Peter Sturrock
Dimensions - by Jacques Vallee
Confrontations - by Jacques Vallee
Revelations - by Jacques Vallee
The Interrupted Journey - by John Fuller
Incident at Exeter - by John Fuller
At the Threshold - by Charles Emmons
Flying Saucer Occupants - by Coral Lorenzen
Night Siege - by Philip Imbrogno
UFO Chronicles of the Soviet Union - by Jacques Vallee
The UFO Handbook - by Alan Hendry
Flying Saucers from Outer Space - by Donald Keyhoe
The Phoenix Lights Mystery- by William Hamilton
Symposium on Unidentified Flying Objects - (technically not a book, but should be)

I'd be careful if I were you!
Homeland Security might deem you a terrorist!

But, I'll join you in FEMA camp because I read most of them too!

Signed,
Anonymous~
123, ATS blvd
Nowhere, USA
12-2012

reply to post by Orkojoker

People will go crazy about what I will say, but an UFO researcher that didn't read Erich Von Danniken and Zecharia Sitchin, is still half-ignorant.

[edit on 27-3-2010 by ucalien]

Nope, I don't read. I just look at the pictures...

Seriously, I have read so many books and magazines I couldn't name them if I tried. I've also watched so many Video's, Movies and Documentaries it's hard to name them.

At the moment I'm watching "Stonehenge Decoded", Again. It's on TV at the moment. I want to see if there's anything new or anything I missed from the last umpteen times I watched it..

I haven't read any.I'm hesitant because i don't quite know who's information to trust so i simply do my own research.It's too hard nowadays to tell who's giving real info and who's out to just make a buck off the gullible.

reply to post by Kandinsky


Excellent point, Kandinsky, about not believing everything you read. I did read Chariots of the Gods and also Sitchen's first book - The Twelfth Planet - and while the theories of these two dudes are fascinating and imaginative, I didn't find them particularly chock full of good arguments.

And you are absolutely correct, reading is some of the best mind exercise available, regardless of the genre or topic. I was an English major and had hoped to teach high schoolers to be book lovers. Tried it for a couple years and have never been so miserable and frustrated in my life. So now I work in a peanut butter plant. Funny how life works out.

reply to post by TwoPhish


LOL, TwoPhish, let's hope we don't have to worry about that! I just heard someone say the other day (I think it was the guy who created The Black Vault web site - that they aren't so much concerned with what you know as they are with what you can prove. I can't prove a damn thing, so I think I'm in the clear. Thanks for your response.

By the by, your name refers to the band I take it? I saw them 6 or 7 times before their hiatus, including a near-New Year's show at Madison Square Garden. Some of the funnest nights of my life. Those guys are outstanding musicians and entertainers. I'd like to see them again now that they're touring.

Originally posted by ucalien
reply to post by Orkojoker

 

People will go crazy about what I will say, but an UFO researcher that didn't read Erich Von Danniken and Zecharia Sitchin, is still half-ignorant.

[edit on 27-3-2010 by ucalien]

reply to post by ucalien


No, ucalien, you're not crazy. I think the ancient astronaut concept makes a lot of sense. I had just hoped those two guys had something a little more solid to go on. Maybe I just need to read more, only read the first of each author so far.

There do seem to be some ancient structures and such on Earth for which our current explanations are kind of weak. That's two points for Von D. and Sitch in my book. Admittedly, though, I could simply be underinformed, always have to keep that possibility open.

I don't normally read UFO books, but from time to time I'll read a book that drifts in that direction. The last three books I read that might be related were The 12th planet, which was ok, but a lot of assumptions I don't necessary see as correct that the author puts a lot of weight on. The next is Earth in Upheaval, and I find this book fascinating, and lastly I read cover to cover a social psychology text book that was very interesting.

[edit on 27-3-2010 by Xtrozero]

Originally posted by Maka213
I haven't read any.I'm hesitant because i don't quite know who's information to trust so i simply do my own research.It's too hard nowadays to tell who's giving real info and who's out to just make a buck off the gullible.

I totally agree, Maka, and I'm convinced that the large percentage of garbage that overwhelms the high quality stuff in the UFO writings is one of the primary reasons hardly anybody bothers to look into the subject.

If you're willing to take a look at some UFO material but are worried about the author's credibility or motives, I would get online and find the writings of Dr. James E. McDonald. He was a senior physicist at the University of Arizona back in the 1960s. Extremely intelligent as is evident from his writings/lectures. Did tons of first-hand investigations. Never published a book on UFO's. Never made any money off his writings (as far as I can tell), in fact he essentially destroyed his own academic reputation in his attempt to get the scientific community to take note of what he considered one of the most intriguing problems facing humanity. This is considered by many to be one of the driving factors in his suicide.

Here's his testimony on UFO's before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Astronautics in 1968:

ncas.org...

Here's a paper he presented at a symposium of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1969. It's entitled "Science in Default: 22 Years of Inadequate UFO Investigations."

dewoody.net...

I recommend James McDonald hands-down over all other commentators on the subject of UFOs. If you only read one thing on this topic in your life, make it something by him.

Originally posted by Orkojoker

What books on UFO's have you read?

I'd like to find out to what degree we are or are not working with the same set of information as we discuss this subject.

You seem to have forgotten the thousands (millions) of Science Fiction novels which contribute a huge part to the information that is discussed here.

After all, a lot of what is discussed in here comes from the human imagination doesn't it? Opinions, guesses, comparisons etc.



I'm an Arthur C Clarke fan myself and the "monolith" is the most enigmatic of UFOs ever.

Mind you I've always seen plenty of UFO books in Charity (I guess American call them Thrift shops) if you want to remain anonymous.
Otherwise the best experiences are always your own.

Originally posted by nerbot


You seem to have forgotten the thousands (millions) of Science Fiction novels which contribute a huge part to the information that is discussed here.

After all, a lot of what is discussed in here comes from the human imagination doesn't it? Opinions, guesses, comparisons etc.

You bring up a good point, nerbot. One of the reasons I started this thread is because so much of what is posted in this forum seems have very little relation to the study of UFO reports as I have encountered it in the literature. So I've been wondering, where are these people getting their info on this subject?

[edit on 27-3-2010 by Orkojoker]

reply to post by Orkojoker


I have a small collection of books, and I usually will get anything by these authors:

Stanton Friedman
Kevin Randle
Jim Marrs
Richard Dolan
Colin Wilson
Graham Hancock

Others who I find interesting:
Erich Von Daniken
Zecharia Sitchin
Timothy Good
Frank Edwards

I am looking for Robert Hastings books right now.

There are others who I will post as I think of their names.