|
Welcome to this most recent effort to assemble a comprehensive list of articles on UFOs and unusual aerial phenomena.
Such lists have existed in the past, but, as
the years pass and the amount of literature grows, there is a need to update
previous catalogs. This list represents all material that I have been able
to compile to date of UFO type information from non-UFO literary sources,
i.e., news magazines, science and technical journals, science fiction pulps,
general publications, and even men's and adventure pulp magazines. I have
deliberately avoided UFO publications because they exist in such large
numbers that they require separate attention.
Why even undertake such a task?
The controversy over unusual aerial phenomena has endured for more than fifty years with no sign of it soon going away. There is an undoubtedly cultural influence left behind by this often intense debate. Whatever one believes about UFOs, the topic has become an integral part of the questions concerning the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. In the event that we may one day confirm an intelligent signal from space, or discover a life bearing planet outside our solar system, or perhaps discover fossilized life forms in a meteorite; disregarding the possibility that even one UFO sighting may be evidence of a visit from another world, then material from the broad range of the extraterrestrial debate will become vastly important to historians. Couple this with the fact that much information on unusual aerial phenomena is extremely fragile, lying as it does with obscure sources, and frequently existing in very small quantities, it becomes most compelling to account for what literature has existed.
Consider this: this listing has taken over 35 years to compile. It began as a simple card file to keep track of what had been checked and what remained to be checked. It was never intended for publication. It required hundreds of visits to libraries and thousands of mail inquiries. The documents and listings behind the entries in this bibliography come from all over the world. Data was gathered on day and
night trips made during raging rainstorms, hurricanes, blizzards, and heat
waves. Eye strain and headaches were all too common. Vacations to tropical paradises were sacrificed.
Was it worth the effort? Here it is. You be the judge.
An important feature of this catalog is that file copies are on hand for 99% of the listed references. I do not intend to list items unless they are available. There is an active search effort for items known to exist that are not yet on hand. If anyone knows of material that should be on the list but isn't, I would be grateful for a notification so that this listing can be made as complete as possible.
References in all languages are welcome.
Sometimes the listed reference is incomplete, having come from its source without all the needed information. Any corrections or additional information concerning this would be helpful as well.
Unlike bibliographies published in hard copy, this computer generated bibliography is easily updated. The intent is to maintain it in as current a state as possible. Also, with the advent of publishing shifting more and more to the internet, many of the more recent items from the 1990s onward will be downloaded copies from authorized publishing sites, rather than from hardcopy publications. This due to the fact that libraries are drastically reducing their own stocks of available hardcopy periodicals and shifting to internet sourcing.
In consulting this bibliography, it should be noted that there is significant crossover between the Ball Lightning Catalog and the Union Catalog of Serial UFO Articles. This is due to the fact that many descriptions of UFO-type phenomena could ultimately be of ball lightning experiences. For example, "ball of fire" commonly reported in the 19th century could describe ball lightning. It could also describe a meteor, or St. Elmo's Fire, or other kinds of "UFOs." Researchers seeking information should consult BOTH lists to cover all possibilities in these holdings.
Pleasant browsing!
Barry Greenwood
View Barry Greenwood's Union Catalog of Serial UFO Articles
|
|
|
|