Wonders in the Sky: Unexplained Aerial Objects from Antiquity to Modern Times

by Jacques Vallee, Chris Aubeck

Overview

One of the most ambitious works of paranormal investigation of our time, here is an unprecedented compendium of pre-twentieth-century UFO accounts, written with rigor and color by two of today's leading investigators of unexplained phenomena.

In the past century, individuals, newspapers, and military agencies have recorded thousands of UFO incidents, giving rise to much speculation about flying saucers, visitors from other planets, and alien abductions. Yet the extraterrestrial phenomenon did not begin in the present era. Far from it. The authors of Wonders in the Sky reveal a thread of vividly rendered-and sometimes strikingly similar- reports of mysterious aerial phenomena from antiquity through the modern age. These accounts often share definite physical features- such as the heat felt and described by witnesses-that have not changed much over the centuries. Indeed, such similarities between ancient and modern sightings are the rule rather than the exception.

In Wonders in the Sky, respected researchers Jacques Vallee and Chris Aubeck examine more than 500 selected reports of sightings from biblical-age antiquity through the year 1879-the point at which the Industrial Revolution deeply changed the nature of human society, and the skies began to open to airplanes, dirigibles, rockets, and other opportunities for misinterpretation represented by military prototypes. Using vivid and engaging case studies, and more than seventy-five illustrations, they reveal that unidentified flying objects have had a major impact not only on popular culture but on our history, on our religion, and on the models of the world humanity has formed from deepest antiquity.

Sure to become a classic among UFO enthusiasts and other followers of unexplained phenomena, Wonders in the Sky is the most ambitious, broad-reaching, and intelligent analysis ever written on premodern aerial mysteries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781585428205
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/28/2010
Pages:	528
Sales rank:	219,674
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jacques Vallee holds a master’s degree in astrophysics from France and a PhD in computer science from Northwestern University. He is the author of several books about high technology and unidentified phenomena, a subject that first attracted his attention as an astronomer in Paris. While analyzing observations from many parts of the world, Vallee became intrigued by the similarities in every culture in patterns between modern sightings and historical reports of encounters with flying objects and their occupants. After a career as an information scientist with Stanford Research Institute and the Institute for the Future, where he served as a principal investigator for the groupware project on the ARPANET, the prototype of the Internet, Vallee cofounded a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. He lives in San Francisco.

Chris Aubeck was born in London. He moved to Spain at age 19, and after teaching in Cáceres and Madrid for 24 years, he now lives in Granada. His interest in the historical and sociological aspects of unexplained aerial phenomena began at an early age. A student of language and folklore, he has helped compile the largest collection of pre-1947 UFO cases in the world. He has spoken on his research in many articles and on public radio. In 2008 he was awarded a prize for his contributions to the field by the Spanish organization Fundación Anomalía.

Table of Contents

Foreword David Hufford 1

Introduction 7

Part I A Chronology of Wonders 25

A Chronology to 1000 AD 27

B Chronology: 1000 to 1500 AD 83

C Sixteenth-Century Chronology 137

D Seventeenth-Century Chronology 177

E Eighteenth-Century Chronology 243

F Nineteenth-Century Chronology 279

Part II Myths, Legends, and Chariots of the Gods 353

Part III Sources and Methods 451

Classical sources 453

Screening 458

Rules for inclusion 460

Hoaxes 462

Explanations 462

The special problem of crashed saucers 464

The special problem of ?dragons? 465

Entities 466

Biblical accounts 467

Aerial phenomena in classical art 470

For further research ... 474

Conclusion 477

Acknowledgments 489

Index of Cases 493

List of Illustrations 503

Bibliography 507

Editorial Reviews

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. (Oct. 28)

Publishers Weekly

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

Library Journal