The UFO Encyclopedia: The Phenomenon from the Beginning

Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) became a part of the public consciousness after a sighting over North America’s Cascade Mountains in 1947, when a private pilot spotted nine shiny discs moving in formation at an estimated speed of more than 1,200 mph. Multiple books on UFO phenomena followed in the 1950s, and the movie industry started producing films related to extraterrestrials. In this revised and updated third edition of a work originally published in the 1990s, Clark (Unnatural Phenomena) and ufology researchers, investigators, and folklore experts cover a variety of topics, from abductions and sightings to conspiracy theories and the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. There are more than 100 new entries and updates that provide context to the glut of declassified UFO-related documents released by the U.S. government since the last edition. The contents are treated objectively, presented with facts “as they are known,” including instances in which good reason exists to doubt the sincerity of informants. An expanded bibliography lists every source, including more than 4,000 books, articles, letters, and government documents.