Wonders in the Sky

August 23, 2010
French-born UFOlogist Vallee, who has advanced degrees in astrophysics and computer science (Passport to Magonia), and UFOlogist Aubeck, who lives in Madrid and has compiled the world's largest collection of pre-1947 unexplained aerial sightings, team to produce this engrossing catalogue of pre–20th-century UFO accounts. They've selected more than 500 reports of sightings from antiquity to 1879, noting, "Every epoch has interpreted the phenomena in its own terms, often in a specific religious or political context." Attributions and sources are given for each entry. Most are several paragraphs long, but some are brief, such as, "27 September 1477, Japan.... A luminous object crossed the sky. A cotton-like substance fell for the next six hours." To show the impact of such sightings on culture, Part Two relates myths, legends, religious visions, optical illusions, and hoaxes, such as airships, angel apparitions, dragons, fiery discs and fireballs, "mock moons" and pyramids in the sky. The 75 illustrations have been chosen from a variety of ancient and arcane sources. Charles Fort, the famed writer on unexplained phenomena, would have been dazzled by this monumental compendium of curiosities.

January 1, 2011

Vallee and Aubeck bring scientific perspective to the much maligned field of UFO study. Vallee, an astronomer-turned-computer scientist, has written many respected books on UFOs. Aubeck is well known for his work with the Magonia Project, the world's largest compilation of pre-1947 unexplained aerial cases. Here, they look at what they contend are UFO sightings from ancient times through 1879. This new study lists 500 accounts of sightings that are both vivid and amazingly similar. The authors picked these cases because they feel they're neither hoaxes nor misunderstood phenomena but actual events. It is obvious that a tremendous amount of research went into this work, and the accounts are fascinating. Vallee believes that the UFO phenomenon is real and has been a part of our society throughout human history, but the evidence indicates that more serious research is needed. VERDICT This well-researched and well-written work will be of interest to anyone fascinated by UFOs. Definitely recommended for academic libraries and large public libraries.--Mary E. Jones, Los Angeles P.L., CA

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