Customer Reviews

The Deepening Complexity of Crop Circles: Scientific Research and Urban Legends

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I disagree with the previous review, and in fact, I strongly doubt if this reviewer actually read the book. He/she probably falls in the category of "uneducated and prejudiced sceptics", as the authors discusses in detail in Chapter 2: "Crop Circle Psychology".

I have always been fairly sceptical with respect to the crop circle phenomenon, but after reading the book (thanks, Mon, for this great gift) I am convinced there is someting going on. It suffices to have a look at a few of the close-up photographs of, for example, the formation in potato plants. Incredible! Anyone who still dismisses the phenomenon as a simple human prank, after reading this book, needs to have a few screws adjusted!

I liked the simple, sober style of this book. Yet, the book goes in great depth, and covers many relevant aspects. The author clearly is an expert in the field, extremely bright, and uses a very objective (sometimes a little humoristic) approach. The abundance of fantastic photographs make it a great coffee-table book too, valuable even for those who cannot read.

The conclusion is clear: besides the simple man-made formations, there exists a "high-tech" method to make crop circles, with the involvement of electromagnetic energy, as well as...?

I had only one problem with this book: after reading it, I lost my interest in many other things and I sleep less...

A Masterpiece!

If you have reached this page than you probably have more than a passing interest in the subject or phenomena known as crop circles. To take a quote from an old rock and roll( recently also sampled for hip-hop) song by Buffalo Springfield, "Something's happening here , what it is ain't exaclty clear." The Ph.D author explains some rather peculiar circumstances occurring throughout the globe, including the hoaxes, even those pertetuated by the media to the layman in a pretty easily digestable style. If you are like me, have a rudimentary background in science, not particularly linear in your thinking than this book will serve you well. All sides are presented. There were a few sections with graphs and such that were just a little to scientific for me but worthwhile nonetheless to get better insight into this unknown field that is growing in accumulated data. The book is NOT trying to convince you one way or the other as to the source of these mysterious symbols and the aftermath that results. What the author DOES do is present a concise overview of these occurrences and lets YOU be the judge as to the authenticity of this phenomena that goes obviously beyond ropes and ladders. There are no answers, some speculation and definitely some puzzling things going on. Check it out for yourself and YOU be the judge.

Eltjo Haselhoff is a remarkable rarity in the controversial arena of paranormal research - he has the qualifications and ability to blend hard science and metaphysics without compromising either. In so doing, he remains eminently credible to a world which craves statistics and repeatable tests, whilst being unafraid of deeper speculation. Anyone who has ever dismissed the entire crop circle phenomenon as a man-made joke needs to read this excellent book. They may be shocked by the utterly convincing case he makes for its authenticity as a genuinely unexplained mystery.

ANDY THOMAS

(UK author and lecturer Andy Thomas has written three books on the crop circle phenomenon, including the much-acclaimed "Vital Signs: A Complete Guide to the Crop Circle Mystery and Why it is NOT a Hoax." Andy has made many radio and TV appearances around the world.)

Most people base their opinion on crop circles on the little superficial and disinformative coverage in the media (apparently, like the previous superficial review). It's refreshing to finally have a truly scientific look at the REAL FACTS and then an equally rational attitude when it comes to drawing conclusions. That's what makes this book so riveting - you feel the author isn't trying to prove anything. His goal is the truth, no matter where it leads. And that kind of honesty is always appreciated, especially when it comes to something this hotly contested.

I have read the Italian version of this book, and I am surprised by the earlier review, which states that "75% of the time, the author tried to tell us that the phenomena is true through some of his personal (non-scientific) experiences." This is simply not true, and I don't think it is fair to write this in a book review. I have met the author here in Italy when he was giving a lecture, and he was very modest, yet extremely convincing. I therefore think this needs to be corrected.

First of all, the author only refers to personal experiences in one single section of the book, and clearly puts this section explicitly in the proper context, right at the beginning. The rest of the book is based on very clear and verifiable facts, which have all been published in scientific literature.

Secondly, the author makes it very clear that he is not trying to convince anyone. He says so explicitly, several times, and the entire work clearly carries this attitude. The reader is explicitly invited to make up his own mind.

I was also surprised by the statement "I wish he would have rather explained the scientific reasoning behind it". This is exactly what the book does, all the time, and in an excellent and understandable way too!

I recommend this book to everybody. It makes a very strong case that there exist advanced ways to create crop circles, and that there is much more to it than a few men with boards and ropes. I think that anyone who reads the book cannot refuse this statement any longer. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would do it right away. Well done!

Dr. Haselhoff has written one of the best books on the controversal subject of crop formations (and I have read most of them.) I have seen and heard him interviewed. He is a scientist, and as such presents his findings in a completely unbiased fashion. His conclusion: People may be making these patterns, but we have no idea how. We are unable to explain the uniform node lengthening found in the plants, balls of light that have been videoed and photographed many times, dead files stuck to the plants, numerous instances of camera and watch batteries dying in these fields, etc. If there were a trivial explanation for this mystery, we would have found it 20 years ago. Read this book and others on the subject if you are interested in what may be the most important ongoing mystery in the world today.

This is the very best I've read about crop circles. The author is very careful not to leave the path of sound scientific reasoning - and if he does he gives clear indication when doing so.
The author's conclusions are nonetheless thrilling - and leave the mind gasping in want for explanations. My conclusion is: That we can expect to hear more about what is behind the crop circle phenomenon in the very near future (and this not only by means of the new movie SIGNS being shot with Mel Gibson at present).

A well worthwhile look at crop circles. The author puts forward his hypothesis, and he does so convincingly. Backing his statements up with well designed experiments that have at least been published in the scientific literature. My only criticism is that the book is too short. For someone with 12 years experience in the field the author either is very good at summarising all of his conjectures, or he deliberately simplifies it into a huge picture fest in an attempt to sell more books. More examples and more analyses would not have gone astray. Most definately a nice book to look at, and a very entertaining read for a couple of hours.

The Deepening Complexity of Crop Circles: Scientific Research and Urban Legends by Eltjo H. Haselhoff is a quick read, weighing in at only 150 pages (including plentiful photographs and diagrams). The book covers the crop circle phenomenon from Dr. Haselhoff's vantage point, drawing primarily on his body of personal research and experience. We are walked through the main tenants of the circle dilemma from a scientist's perspective, including witness interviews, germination tests, node length measurements, balls of light, and geometric calculations. In addition to the scientific material, the author touches upon the less tangible aspects of the phenomenon and goes into considerable detail on skeptics and their motivations, the role of the media, and public perception of the circles. We conclude with a roundup and basic evaluation of some commonly presented theories surrounding the mystery. Each chapter is sandwiched between several full color, annotated, photographs of actual crop circles.

I found The Deepening Complexity of Crop Circles to be a sufficient introduction to the field of cereology (the study of crop circles). Haselhoff does well to give us a fairly balanced tour of the technical problems which make the phenomenon as intellectually puzzling as it is. The text is a (perhaps uncharacteristically) fair treatment of the subject, as the author goes out of his way to avoid conjecture and exclude unqualified, "skeptical" points of view in favor of direct observations and physical data. I imagine this text would constitute an ideal read for armchair skeptics, or the otherwise uninitiated in the audience. We're provided with solid justification of why crop circles constitute an interesting and valid field of research, while simultaneously avoiding the gritty detail that would make the information inaccessible to those without scientific backgrounds.

I believe it can also be said that what makes The Deepening Complexity of Crop Circles worthy for casual observers may also make it unfit for the more technically curious among us. Much of the material within is not presented in particular depth, and therefore is not likely to satisfy many truly scientific minds. The author only tends to offer data from single physical instances for any topic being discussed (e.g. node length, balls of light, etc), while at the same time claiming that similar data is found in hundreds or thousands of other cases. As a result, the book at times falls frustratingly short of providing the depth of evidence that may be necessary to prove to hardcore skeptics that we're dealing with a globally distributed scientific curiosity; we're left with the author's word and footnotes to achieve that. Haselhoff also tends to spend a bit too much time dwelling on the role of skeptics and the media, in my opinion, and comes borderline to ranting (justifiably or not) by the end. Finally, if I may offer one last grammatical nitpick, the author abbreviates the term "Ball(s) Of Light" as BOL throughout his writing, while pluralizing it as "BOLs". Unfortunately, Balls Of LightS is not proper English (given context), and may read a bit oddly.

Ultimately, I think the value of this book will be proportional to what you expect to get out of it. If you are looking for a book to serve as a well-rounded introduction to crop circles, you should be pleased. The Deepening Complexity of Crop Circles successfully provides a justification for the study of the phenomenon, and should open many eyes to the fascinating occurrences therein. On the other hand, its brevity and shallow scientific depth will not be of significant value for those already familiar with the more detailed works on the topic.

Rating: 3.5/5

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Matt LaPlante
2/4/2008

I started reading this book in bed, and finished it the same night at 4 AM, fully aware that I had to get up at 6 AM next morning in order to be in time at the office. I think that says it all...

This is one of those books that you will never forget. An absolutely awesome account of everything that nobody knew about crop circles. Note: no speculations in this book! The author is a mainstream scientist and very careful to keep a balanced view, yet manages to completely overwhelm the reader with an abundance of clear-cut proof that there must be a largely unknown and mysterious force that creates crop circles all over the world. I can't imagine anyone reading this book and not remaining impressed.

Great picuters and many illustrations too, very accessible, easy language, and a very high overall quality for its price (especially the paper - glossy and heavy like lead).

Very much recommended!