Ufos Explained

by Philip J. Klass

Book Overview

"A welcome breath of sanity in a field where it is sadly lacking" - Arthur C. Clarke - New York Times Book Review This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394492153
• Release Date: January 1975
• Publisher: Random House Inc
• Length: 369 Pages
• Weight: 1.95 lbs.

Customer Reviews

THE SECOND BOOK BY THE (LATE) DEAN OF UFO SKEPTICS

Philip Klass (1919-2005) was the "archest" of UFO skeptics until the time of his death; he was also was a senior editor of Aviation Week & Space Technology for thirty-four years, and was a founding member of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP). This 1974 book was Klass's second (his first was Ufos--Identified) in the field; in addition to his earlier theories that some UFOs reports are generated by freak atmospheric electrical phenomena such as ball lightning or plasma caused by nearby electrical power lines, he puts forward ten "UFOlogical Principles" (e.g., "News media that give great prominence to a UFO report when it is first received, subsequently devote little if any space or time for reporting a prosaic explanation for the case when all the facts are uncovered"). He advances his typical skeptical arguments: e.g., "If giant saucer-shaped craft with exotic flight characteristics have been operating in our skies for more than twenty-five years, it is surprising that there is not a single authentic photo of such an object." He also criticizes J. Allen Hynek's research of the Socorro report, "Despite Hynek's own recognition of the critical importance of the critical importance of the Socorro case, he spent less than one day on the scene on his first visit. And it was not until nearly four months later that Hynek found time to return to Socorro for an equally brief visit." Klass further developed his ideas in his later books (e.g., Ufos: The Public Deceived, Ufo Abductions: A Dangerous Game, The Real Roswell Crashed-Saucer Coverup), but this book represents a real development in the detail of his arguments, and is still of current interest to those of us interested in the UFO mystery.