------------------------------------ Speiser's Most Recommended UFO Books ------------------------------------ (reprinted from FIDO UFO Echo 7/10/89) OVERVIEW - HISTORY Jacobs, David M. "The UFO Controversy in America" Univ. of Chicago All bookshelves should start with this one. OVERVIEW - SYNOPSIS/THEORIES Hall, Richard "Uninvited Guests" Aurora Best overall primer, a must for the skeptic. OVERVIEW - DEBATE Sagan, C. and Page, T., Eds. "UFOS: A Scientific Debate" If you thought Sagan was always a skeptic, think again. Contains papers contributed to an AIAA symposium on UFOs, including ones by Hynek and Menzel. Pay special attention to the paper by Dr. Robert M. L. Baker. OVERVIEW - SKEPTICAL Klass, Philip J. "UFOs: Explained" McGraw-Hill "UFOs: Identified" McGraw-Hill "UFOs: The Public Deceived" Prometheus Perhaps the most important works in the field. (Surprise!) It was these three that convinced me that UFOs are a legitimate, bona fide mystery, unanswered by even the world's best debunker. Shaeffer, Robert "The UFO Verdict" Prometheus Shaeffer is a Klass Klone to some degree, but does a credible job on many investigations of his own, most notably Jimmy Carter's sighting when he was Governor of Georgia (it was Venus, Jimmy!) SCIENCE AND INVESTIGATION Hynek, Dr. J. Allen "The UFO Experience" Regnery First attempt at collating and digesting the massive amounts of data, and suggesting methods of study for the budding proto-science. Gave rise to the term "Close Encounters" " ", Imbrogno, P., and Pratt, R. "Night Siege" Ballantine A look at the very most impressive case on record, the Hudson Valley Boomerang. 9000 sightings through 1987, videotape, stills, sightings at nuclear reactors, hints of cover-up, possible abductions....this one's got it all. Story, Ronald J. "UFOs and the Limits of Science" Story is known for debunking Von Daniken, and has written for the Skeptical Inquirer. But when it comes to UFOs, ah, that's another "Story"! CRASHED SAUCERS Moore, W. and Berlitz, C. "The Roswell Incident" Random House Say what you will about MJ-12, MIBs, and Moore's latest bombshell. This is STILL the best documented, best researched incident on record. Honorable mention to Stan Friedman, since the publisher saw fit not to recognize his contribution. GOVERNMENT COVER-UP Fawcett, L. and Greenwood, B. "Clear Intent" The authors make a very credible and as-yet unanswered case for the Cosmic Watergate. Contains reproduced documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, many of them acquired by Citizens Against UFO Secrecy. Watch out! These guys can back up just about everything they say! Keyhoe, Maj. Donald E. "Flying Saucers: Top Secret" Holt Honorable mention - Good glimpse of the early days of the cover-up, and NICAP's thwarted attempts to "blow the lid." ABDUCTIONS Streiber, Whitley "Communion" Morrow/Beech Tree The largest selling of all UFO books. Regardless of what you think of Streiber and his strange tale, make no mistake: HE believes it. He is over-rated as a writer, however. Hopkins, Budd "Intruders" Random House Much more readable than Communion, and downright scary in its implications. Hopkins does his best to make a case for genetic experimentation, but has come under fire for his unscientific methodology. Not bad for an artist, though. ABDUCTIONS - SKEPTICAL Klass, Philip J. "UFO Abductions: A Dangerous Game" Prometheus As with his previous books, important only for its failure to convince. Klass argues that the 1975 TV-Movie "The UFO Incident" is the genesis for the present spate of abduction-itis. EXTRA CREDIT Hungry for more? Itching to get your hands dirty on the real nitty-gritty? OK, boys and girls, let's get down, let's get funky... Bullard, Dr. Thomas E. "UFO Abductions: The Measure of the Mystery" Fund for UFO Research A monumental two-volume, 673 page work by a folklorist who set out to show that abductions were nothing more than 20th century fairy tales. He admits he failed. Anyone who says we're not trying to take an empirical look at this subject should get a load of this. If its too much for you... "On Stolen Time" Fund for UFO Research Summary of the above work. A much more convenient (and inexpensive) 34 pages. Swords, Dr. Michael, Ed. "Journal of UFO Studies" CUFOS Ufology's very own refereed science journal. Includes articles on the Delphos Landing Trace Case (no, friends, it's NOT a "fairy ring"), the ET possibility, and a very revealing round-table debate on abductions.