Anyone have any UFO books they'd like to part with? I've got a pretty extensive library of 100+ titles but I'm always looking for more.
Anyone ever see any weird anamolous phenomena, lights in the sky, little blue doctors at the foot of their bed, shadow people, etc.? I haven't, but I'm fascinated by the literature and people of this sub-culture. I thought the musical underground was cool, until I discovered this.
Here are five crucial books I suggest for people who unfamiliar with the facts of the overall phenomenon and think it's just wacky people making tabloid claims. All these are available relatively cheap through Amazon and well worth the read!
1. UFOs and the National Security State by Richard Dolan (
www.keyholepublishing.com)
This book is the best modern history of the phenomenon up until the mid-1970s. Excellent documentation of the US governments cover-up, proving there is something to the situation, whether alien or not.
2. UFO Briefing Document by Don Berliner
This book is short, but contains a wealth of credible evidence, including some fascinating reports of air force pilots' enconters with UFOs. This study was funded in part by the Rockefeller foundation, so it can be reasonably viewed as the "establishment"'s perspective on the phenomena.
3. Forbidden Science by Jacques Vallee - This book is excerpts from Vallee's journals. Vallee is a French scientist involved in high-technology with a personal interest in UFOs. He has written numerous other books, all of which I reccomend, but this book is a valuable insight into the research of the phenomena in the 1960s during the period of the US Air Force "Project Blue Book," which even Peter Jennings reported in a 2005 prime-time TV special was a PR front designed to manipulate public interest away from the UFO phenomenon. Vallee was a close friend and associate of Allen Hynek, arguably the most important UFO researcher of the 20th century, and this book documents much of their interaction.
4. ABDUCTION - Human Encounters with Aliens by John Mack; THE THREAT by David Jacobs
These two books are the forefront of the "Abduction" aspects of UFO experiences. While I do not feel there is reason to believe the abduction phenomena is of ET origin, these two academics sure do. Mack was a Harvard professor until his tragic and untimely death a couple years ago, and Jacobs is a history professor at Temple. Mack espouses a more positive and spiritualist view while Jacobs sees a hostile ET presence on Earth.
5. Alien Agenda by Jim Marrs
Marrs is a well-known conspiracy theorist, having authored one of the books (CROSSFIRE) that Oliver Stone's movie JFK was based on, as well as recent books on secret society histories and 9/11 conspiracies. The Alien Agenda book is available very cheaply in mass-market paperback form at Barnes and Noble and is an incredible overview of various aspects of UFO research. Topics range from moon anamolies to crop circles to government involvement to ancient astronauts and tons more. It was one of the first books on the subject I read nearly 10 years ago and it was a great primer on the material.
Sonic Youth's SISTER album was inspired by Philip Dick, a sci-fi writer who claimed to have had an experience with an otherworldly intelligence. I think there's also some other UFO-related references to SY work, but they're escaping me at the moment. I like this topic, let's discuss!
Oh and I'd be happy to trade some of my rare Sonic Youth DVDs for UFO books...