The UFO Encyclopedia : The Phenomenon from the Beginning (2 Volume Set)

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Summary: Excellent ufo encyclopedia!
Review: I must say, that I am not a proponent of either ufo's or other space realted incidents, however, I do find them to be quite intriguing and therefore I thought it would be the right thing to do (the prudent thing to do, some might say), to examine the following two volume encyclopedia (which both of the volumes deal with mentioned subject) called The UFO Encyclopedia : ThePhenomenon from the Beginning (2 Volume Set) by Jerome C. Clark (Editor). In here a person whom has a knack or an affinity (or might be a ufo fanatic for that matter or manner of speaking) will find evryhing and anything related to ufo's, ufo incidents and people whom have become famous (in their own right one might add) for having had ufo realted experiences. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent ufo encyclopedia!
Review: Jerry Clark has demonstrated himself to be the leading historian of UFOlogy with the two editions of his UFO Encyclopedia. These hefty volumes pretty much cover the bases, with plenty of documentation for further study, and are a useful resource for those who have already taken a position (no matter what it might be) on the UFO issue as well as those who are undecided.

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Summary: An "instant classic" in the study of UFOs
Review: Quite simply, this is THE book to buy if you're interested in learning about the UFO phenomenon. Unlike many UFO books, which are written by true believers with dubious credentials and which have little or no research, Jerome Clark, a respected UFO historian, has packed this encyclopedia with a massive amount of research and plenty of references to back up his arguments. And this is a true encyclopedia - the 273 essays cover, alphabetically, almost every major UFO sighting since the 1890's, as well as the major theories which are used to explain UFO sightings, and biographies of almost every major ufologist and skeptic in the field. Although Clark is a "believer" and tends to side with those who believe that UFOs represent something real and extraordinary, he is fair to the skeptics and debunkers and does include their explanations for each sighting, even though he often disagrees with it. If you want a handy reference book that will answer almost any question you have about UFOs, then this is the only book you'll ever need. And, as a rebuttal to those who believe that UFOs are "nonsense" and not to be taken seriously, Clark's "UFO Encyclopedia" presents a mighty challenge. If you could only buy just one UFO book for your personal library, then the "UFO Encyclopedia" is by far the best choice - I have no doubt that it will be the standard reference book for years, if not decades, to come.

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Summary: A worthwhile book
Review: This is a landmark book and a remarkable achievement. The entries are very detailed, balanced and extremely well-referenced. Many of Clark's entries are worth the equivalent of an entire book boiled down to a few pages. I have suggested to several sociology colleagues that they get their libraries to order it. When a case is in doubt, Clark tends to land on the side of possible ET visitation. While I disagree such interpretations and assessments (because I require absolute proof), Clark is certainly within his rights to do so because he bases his views on evidence, and he backs up his argument with quality references and lucid reasoning. No matter where one stands on the UFO debate (and I am a sympathetic skeptic), this 2 volume set clearly stands as the most thorough ever written for the 273 entries covered. Jerome Clark should be congratulated for an almost superhuman effort.