The Great UFO Book!
Copyight 2018, InterAmerica, Inc.
There isn’t one. There has never been one.
There has never been a text or anything written about UFOs
that impacts or impacted the so-called phenomenon, nor impacted society in a
profound way.
One can provide a litany of texts that have moved
civilization forward and backward too.
But no one can provide a UFO text that has done either.
Yes, there have been and are some good books about UFOs
extant but none that are great or near great.
I even had a foreign author quiz me, this week, about the
Socorro incident and the symbol allegedly seen by witness Police Officer
Zamora.
This UFO author hadn’t read Kevin Randle’s latest book on
the Socorro incident where the mysterious insignia is reviewed rather
thoroughly.
And one can see that this blog didn’t have an impact either,
on a person interested in the UFO phenomenon.
Rummaging through UFO web-sites and blogs, and all kinds of
other texts, about UFOs, over the years and recently, a person cognizant of
Derrida’s maxim about the text being everything knows that UFO texts have meant
little or nothing to the public nor even to UFO enthusiasts; both ignore the
topic, one totally, the other particularly.
UFO acolytes often delve into sightings, eschewing the
details that have been elicited over the years, only to engage in reflux, not
to bring forth any UFO epiphany.
Recently TIME magazine presented the 100 top podcasts
circling the states and even the globe. These are verbal texts and fall into
the Derridian universe about textual content.
No UFO podcast was listed.
The recent death of Brad Steiger, who was a prolific
UFO/paranormal author, some of us read and have a book or two of his, takes him
to his great reward unknown by the public, at large, and even by many in the
UFO community who have been too chintzy to grab a book of his.
John Keel, who descended into madness, has had a renaissance
by a few in the UFO crowd but he, too, is not known or cherished by the
general, sane public.
Donald Keyhoe, and a plethora of other UFO commentators who
are in print, Jacques Vallee among them, are personae non grata among
the informed intelligentsia. They have written nothing that rises to the level
of significance, and are often even set aside by protagonists of the flying
saucer enigma.
There are no great writings about UFOs and there are no
great writers, therefore.
It’s not the topic. It’s the lack of genius in the UFO
world.
When a schizophrenic like St. Paul was able to turn a minor
event in the past to a wholesale religious movement by a few letters to a
generally illiterate (and ignorant) mass, how is it possible that no one
interested in UFOs can do the same, about a phenomenon that has a tangibility
and history a bit more extensive than the one Paul promoted?
RR
posted by RRRGroup at
Sunday, May 13, 2018
15 Comments:
We can certainly quibble about "greatness" but there are at least two UFO books that are 1. well written and 2. important to understanding the UFO phenomenon. Ann Druffel's "Firestorm: Dr. James E. McDonald's Fight for UFO Science" is extremely well written and offers important insights into the rewards and dangers of any serious investigation of this subject matter. And Richard Dolan's two volumes "UFOs and the National Security State" is the best serious survey of sightings and the military/ intelligence community interest in the mystery. Has either of these books had a significant influence on the public's appreciation or understanding of the subject? No, Rich, but don't blame that on the quality of these books necessarily!
By
Dominick, at Sunday, May 13, 2018
Geez...Dominick:
Your perception of good and great are baffling!
The books you cite are almost pathetic.
If they were great, UFOs would have a societal cachet that they don't have, and no one has provided.
I luv ya but your view(s) represent the inconsolable state of the phenomenon; UFOs are treated without elan or vibrancy by authors and those who think they are fascinated by the things.
No one in ufology is jumping up and down and offering a vivid explication of the phenomenon or providing exciting, lucid presentations of the mystery.
The whole atmosphere of the topic us fetid. It stinks.
I offer the commentary at Kevin Randle's blog about the Coyne/helicopter incident as an example.
Well written UFO books are a dime a dozen. Important understanding(s)? You have got to be kidding or are temporarily insane.
There are no great books about UFOs nor great insights, and there have never been any.
That's why the phenomenon lies moldering in the societal zeitgeist.
RR
By
RRRGroup, at Sunday, May 13, 2018
The "phenomenon lies moldering in the societal zeitgeist" because 70 years of curiosity have failed to yield any falsifiable hypothesis or physical evidence. Nonetheless, the books that you trash are important for anyone seriously interested in the UFO mystery.
By
Dominick, at Sunday, May 13, 2018
The books may be important Dominick, I'll give you that but they are not great.
There are no great books and there hasn't been one iota of great text about UFOs.
RR
By
RRRGroup, at Sunday, May 13, 2018
To call the Druffel and Dolan books "pathetic" is, well, unnecessarily dismissive on your part. And I'm not sure how books that you term pathetic can also be "important" as you now assert in your last post. The fact remains that there is impressive scholarship (years of research and thoughtful analysis) in both books and both are exhaustive to the subject matter being covered. These books are important and well written (unlike the hundreds of silly UFO books out there and the uninformed banter on UFO websites) and should be read by any serious student of this phenomenon. Absent a crash on the White House lawn and a book by Noam Chomsky on the mystery, let's at least admit that these two authors did the subject justice.
By
Dominick, at Monday, May 14, 2018
1 of 2
I would have written a book but, honestly, that would be too much work for the pathetic return on investment one could expect. The following would be the thesis for my book:
The government has presumably performed any number of serious research inquiries into the nature of UFO's and reached the same conclusion that any serious, competent and impartial researcher would conclude: i.e., (1) that UFO's do indeed exist as a physical reality; (2) they exhibit technological capabilities far beyond our own; and (3) their origin, intent and purpose remain a complete mystery.
If, as I suspect, the above three conclusions are all that can be said about the government's knowledge of the subject, then the next logical question that I would expect our security professionals to ask is: Do these UFO thingies pose any serious security threat to the USA?
ANSWER: The evidence would suggest they pose no direct threat to the U.S. After all, the number of people injured and amount of property damaged by the phenomena is infinitesimal, if any. There is little in the history of the UFO phenomenon that suggests they rarely exhibit mendacity or antagonism towards humans.
QUESTION: In what way could UFO's be a POTENTIAL threat to the U.S.?
ANSWER: If UFO technology were to be acquired by another country, the entire world balance of power would shift instantly. Possibly into the hands of a nation not quite so enamored with our democratic principles. Imagine what mischief the N. Koreans might be able to wreak should they acquire an alien deathray. Or if the Russians got an anti-gravity levitation device before we did. The world would instantly become a very different place and likely not for the better.
QUESTION: How best to prevent such an event from happening?
ANSWER: No really good answer. Since we don't know what UFO's are we certainly are fundamentally unable to alter or predict their behavior. But WE CAN predict and alter the behavior of other countries, a practice we are long experienced with. We therefore must immediately develop a comprehensive policy that we can impose on the rest of the world that minimizes the likelihood of another country obtaining UFO technology.
QUESTION: How do we prevent other nations from seeking UFO technology?
ANSWER: First objective is to convince the rest of the world that the entire phenomena is fraudulent. In so doing we delegitimize the very topic, thereby making the pursuit of UFO knowledge little more than a fools errand. By making UFO research and researchers appear foolish we sow the seeds of disinformation that will assist in rapidly discrediting the entire subject. We do so through a concerted effort to delegitimize and undermine the entire issue. The public will laugh at the phenomenon resulting in a climate where no serious person, much less nation, would expend any significant effort pursuing the matter.
By
solarity, at Monday, May 14, 2018
2 of 2
QUESTION: How can such a policy be implemented?
ANSWER: The field of UFO "investigators" is literally awash with people practically begging to be deceived. The task is nothing that a few creative disinformation specialists couldn't accomplish given the public's already skeptical atittude towards "flying saucers." Imagine you are in a Pentagon briefing room circa 1952 discussing how to deal with public inquiries into this matter. The problem is we don’t really know anything but we don’t want anyone to know we don’t know anything and we want the rest of the world to keep from knowing anything.
Some manipulative bastard suggests we implement a cooperative effort among a variety of government agencies that leaves the impression that the U.S. government feels the entire issue is so much eyewash. Toss in some shadowy cloak and dagger stuff occasionally, a carefully crafted forgery now and then, manipulate the UFO opinion leaders, perhaps even participate in the odd hoax every so often. A forged FBI memo here, a “leaked” top secret report there, doctor up a few grainy and fuzzy photos and, in no to time at all, voila, the perfect recipe for a heapin’ helpin’ of UFO silliness. With little effort and risk, the entire subject matter has been reduced to a laughing matter pretty much akin to the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot.
Maybe we can’t prevent Russia, China or whoever from investigating UFO’s but we can damn well make sure that any country that does waste resources investigating this subject will be made to appear rather foolish.
QUESTION: What are the risks of such a policy?
ANSWER: Practically none. You just do whatever it takes to cast doubt and ridicule on the entire subject. If it fails, we are no worse off than we are now. If it succeeds, we have possibly averted or at least postponed, a national catastrophe of epic proportions. In so doing, we are buying additional time to figure out the true nature of the phenomenon without having to compete with other nations making similar inquiries.
QUESTION: When does this policy terminate?
ANSWER: When it's no longer needed. Which is pretty much, NEVER.
By
solarity, at Monday, May 14, 2018
Ridicule & Doubt, leads to lack of interest..."Nice one, Solarity!" We see this at work here, & around, and makes for a lot of sense, your point of view:).........
By
Daniel, at Monday, May 14, 2018
There has never been a text or anything written about UFOs that impacts or impacted the so-called phenomenon, nor impacted society in a profound way.
I'd say Communion by Whitley Strieber did more for popular culture awareness of UFOs and the Greys than any book or media event, other than Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Movies work better than books to impact the public, but no one has of yet kept the awareness up with another great UFO movie. Now would be a great time.
By
Unknown, at Thursday, May 17, 2018
Whitley Strieber?
Unknown, you've got to be kidding!
Only the most gullible and ignorant humans found Strieber's nonsense worthy of consideration.
RR
By
RRRGroup, at Thursday, May 17, 2018
Surely Vallee's 'Passport To Magonia' is THE Great UFO book?
Written by an astrophysicist & former astronomer at the Paris Observatory, Vallee was shocked to witness there the apparently deliberate destruction of data relating to an observed & tracked unknown (and at the time impossible) retro-orbit object, which only galvanised his interest in the subject.
A research associate in astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin & co-creator of NASA's first informational map of Mars, as well as systems analyst at Northwestern University (where he continued his ufo interests under the then Chair of the Astronomy Dept. Dr. J. Allen Hynek) later receiving a Ph.D. in industrial engineering and computer science - surely there's no more scientifically qualified or credible, high- profile Ufologist than Vallee - and one that turned the subject on its head!
From being (with Hynek) a previously published author on & vocal champion of the 'nuts & bolts' Extra-Terrestrial Hypothesis, he & Hynek later rejected such explanations of the phenomena as inadequate, adopting instead an 'inter-dimensional' theory, possibly echoed in 'folkloric' &/or 'mytho-religious' accounts & beliefs throughout human history.
Vallee, in no lesser terms, still asserted the phenomenon was 'real' - leaving in some cases tangible evidence and physical effects on 'experiencers' often in tandem with significant, (and some times life-changing) psychological consequences.
Having had an interest in UFOs & 'strange phenomena' from a young age, my naive, straight-forward view of UFOs as 'alien spacecraft' was first undermined by a book on 'Indian UFO Encounters' I came across, which threw up all sorts of peculiar (& to me non-sensical) accounts of 'figures in capes, emblazoned with animal & occult symbols' that I'd never read or come across before in the standard (western) literature. I of course (like many ETH researchers) immediately discounted such 'nonsense'.
Vallee himself shared similarly bizarre European 'High Strangeness' cases with Hynek, by then technical consultant on 'Project Blue Book', who claimed he knew of no such reports of similar encounters, which didn't appear to occur in the US. (It later transpired Hynek's military colleagues were deliberately witholding such reports from him!)
Further 'high strangeness' came my way when PC Alan Godfrey's encounter (which took place less than 30 miles from me) made the national headlines and I sought out Jenny Randles' book on this (and the earlier, local disappearance & unexplained death of Zigmund Adamski) - 'The Pennine Ufo Mystery'.
In the book, Godfrey's account (under hypnosis) of what allegedly happened to him - with its almost 'Biblical' description of a robed, bearded figure in a skullcap named 'Yosef' (who apparently spoke, yet had no mouth), lamp-headed 'robots' and something 'horrible' under a 'table' which was 'like a dog, but wasn't a dog' - further melted my mind.
From there (via various other books) I inevitably encountered Vallee & my accepted notions of the subject were upturned once & for all - much like many other Ufologists, some of whom still cling on to the ETH & refuse to accept or engage with Vallee's take on the subject to this day.
So for me personally (and for its revelatory & cataclysmically devisive effects on the whole field) Vallee's 'Passport To Magonia' is THE GREAT UFO BOOK.
You (and many others no doubt) may well disagree... ;)
By
DrDee, at Friday, May 18, 2018
Vallee's book, among UFO books, may be "great" Dr Dee but in the totality of written materials it's pretty tame, pathetic actually.
RR
By
RRRGroup, at Friday, May 18, 2018
'Tame'? 'Pathetic' I don't get ya - what would you prefer something 'sensationalist' or something evidence based written from a rational/scientific standpoint?
By
DrDee, at Tuesday, May 22, 2018
You, Dr Dee, are familiar with literary criticism, yes?
And in that context -- see many of my postings here about it -- and via Google, you'll have to agree, academically, that Vallee's "eminent" writings and those of other UFO authors are, indeed, pathetic.
UFO enthusiasts are quick to promote, condone, and laud UFO authors and their books, but rarely buy the books....relying on the internet babble about them.
That's chintzy and pathetic also.
RR
By
RRRGroup, at Tuesday, May 22, 2018
You'll have to elaborate Rich - I can tell you don't like 'em, but how are Vallee's books 'pathetic' & 'chintzy'? Don't even know what you mean by 'chintzy' other than my Nan used to have some curtains made out of it :D
I bought the books! I certainly don't think they're 'deserving of pity' or 'inadequate' in suggesting the ETH was nonsense (a concept, as you've noted, many still won't entertain) and particularly in 'Passport to Magonia' delineating a vast human history of possible 'UFO/'Alien' interactions.
I found its linking of 'things seen in the sky' as well as new & historic 'humanoid' encounters with a deeper, older folkloric tradition as well as the 'Century of Landings' appendix fascinating, page-turning & thought provoking.
It's a classic in my humble opinion & I can honestly say I haven't read a 'better' UFO book, (and I've read a fair few including Streiber, Hynek, Jenny Randles, Timothy Good, Stanton Friedman etc, etc.) but then that's perhaps not surprising since you reckon there aren't any! :D
By
DrDee, at Friday, May 25, 2018
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