The Mammoth Encyclopedia Of Extraterrestrial Encounters edited by Ronald D. Story
01/10/2002 . Source: Rod MacDonald 
Pub: Constable and Robinson Ltd. 834 page enlarged paperback. Price: £ 9.99 (UK). ISBN: 1-84119-613-4 . Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. Check out website: www.constablerobinson.com
This is the companion volume to 'The Mammoth
Encyclopaedia Of UFOs' that I reviewed last year. As the title suggests,
we enter the realm of close encounters of the third, fourth and
fifth kind.
This volume is a mixture of what is assumed to be real, hoaxes
and even Science Fiction. A number of SF films are sited but little
comparison to how the public perception of alien physiology changes
with them.
Even Spielberg's film, 'Close Encounters Of The Third Kind' feeds
on the already existing mythology of the little grey men. Despite
the various alienisque appearances, no one has seen aliens resembling
the saliva-spitting Alien or reptilian Predators.
What does puzzle me is why any space, let alone so much space,
was given to Erich Von Daniken and Whitley Streiber - both of whom
have largely been discredited as genuine sources. It might have
been better to reserve such people for a book on fakes and hoaxes
than to cloud issues here. A lot of space is given to people who
research UFO reports here though.
These include a personal statement about their own beliefs in the
subject which are as diverse as anything except the conclusion that
something is going on out there. All those living have their addresses,
websites and even e-mail addresses noted. Knowing how to contact
these people can be useful but this reviewer does wonder how much
crank material they are also going to have to wade through as well.
Strictly speaking, a book such as this is more a browser than a
read-through. Saying that, I did do the latter and probably learnt
more that way from cross-connections than just digging out this
and that without finding it much of a slog. There's plenty of photos
and pictures throughout and loads of critical analysis.
The only two items I thought should have been in there and weren't
was those electric worms that have been sited and filmed from space
by astronauts and a UK photo-sighting where there is what appears
to be an alien astronaut caught in frame near one of the nuclear
plants.
At this book's low price, it's certainly worth a read or purely
for reference if for nothing more than seeing what makes people
tick and what they see.
GF Willmetts
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