Almanac of Alien Encounters [Library Binding]

Eric Elfman (Author), Jeff Westover (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

A historical overview of alien encounters, from Archbishop Agobard of Lyons’s ninth-century encounter with the occupants of a “cloudship” through a January 2000 UFO sighting in Illinois. Includes both the skeptics’ and the true believers’ points of view.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 6-10-A wealth of UFO sighting reports from ancient Egypt to China in 2001 gives this work an uncommon breadth and depth of coverage. As is typical, the bulk of the reported alien encounters comes from the United States, but a generous sampling comes from many different countries, including Israel, Switzerland, New Guinea, France, and Cuba. Chapters are arranged in a rough chronological order. Many charts, sidebars, pencil sketches, and a few photographs add visual interest and supplemental information in the narrative: comparisons between typical alien encounters and folklore, brief descriptions of additional sightings, background information on assorted "alien experts," and definitions of terms used in ufology, etc. A "man in black" icon in the margin indicates especially significant or well-documented incidents. Contact information for several UFO organizations and descriptions of their areas of activity are provided after a section on how to observe and record a UFO encounter. The reading list, divided by general subject area, is small but highly selective and well annotated. The tone of this book is more neutral than Alan Baker's The Encyclopedia of Alien Encounters (Facts On File, 2000). Skeptics' ideas and UFO believers' opinions are given fair and balanced consideration. On the whole, this is a fine, up-to-date summary of the many aspects of a compelling subject.

Ann G. Brouse, Steele Memorial Library, Elmira, NY

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"...Unexpectedly complete and interesting...Eric Elfman obviously did his homework on this one." -- James W. Moseley, SAUCER SMEAR, Vol 49, No.2, February 20, 2002

"...the best overview of the alien encounter/UFO phenomenon from "pre-history" to 2001 that we have seen." -- Center for Psychology and Social Change (centerchange.org)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Library Binding: 160 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (July 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679972889
• ISBN-13: 978-0679972884
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,328,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for journalists needing background, September 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Almanac of Alien Encounters (Great Big Board Book) (Paperback)

I've seen similar books produced for the youth market, but this one is remarkable for actually being well researched (a step many of these sort of books skip!), concise and thorough. Though apparently created for the youth market, this is a volume which I'd recommend to journalists or any members of the media who may need to quickly access succinct, accurate background information. A perfect, slim volume to have on hand. Numerous sidebars augment the entries, and it includes an index (always appreciated). The neutral, intelligent tone - neutrality being somewhat rare for topics such as these - is most welcome and will serve the reader well.

In the past, for a comprehensive overview of alien encounters I'd have steered people towards Alien Discussions, the voluminous (600+ page) proceedings of a conference held at MIT in 1995; an event co-chaired by Harvard's Dr. John Mack which brought together a diverse range of academics for a rare, comprehensive exploration of the alien encounter experience.

This slim 168 page almanac has nearly bested that 600+ page volume, owing to the solid effort that Eric Elfman obviously put into making it as comprehensive and succinct as humanly possible (no pun intended). And the sketches are nice, too.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good author!, October 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Almanac of Alien Encounters (Great Big Board Book) (Paperback)

This author has a series of Almanac's that are great! I look for his name and when I read a book by him, I know it's going to be informative and honest, fascinating and fun. He also writes good fiction. I reccommend this book highly.