Saucer Attack!: Pop Culture in the Golden Age of Flying Saucers [Paperback]

Eric Nesheim (Author), Leif Nesheim (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

Saucer Attacks! captures images of the UFO phenomenon from the golden age of flying saucers, beginning in 1947 with the infamous "Roswell Incident, " and taking readers into the prosperous post-war years, when it seemed that the night skies were riddled with inexplicable phenomena. Teeming with 200 images from a variety of sources, Saucer Attacks! is a compendium of everything related to a time when the imagination ran wild.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Like it or not (and many science fiction purists and ufologists don't), flying saucers and science fiction are inextricably linked; over the years, this likely combination has been the basis for some of the greatest stories, toys, comics, art, and movies ever produced. In this book, the father-and-son Nesheim team recaptures it all, presenting famous saucer (and alien) images from nearly every medium. The result is a wonderful coffee-table book certain to delight most anyone, whether true believers, laughing skeptics, or just those who think the old covers of Amazing Stories and Fate look neat.

Review

The Cold War’s legacy in America? A lingering fear of malevolent, airborne platters. Per Jung, they scream cultural insecurity. Why this particular shape of UFO caught on circa 1950 as a symbol of the unknown, of the future, of certain doom for cows and others--why not something more torpedo-ish?- -remains as much an enigma as its swift, sudden descent on today’s box office. -- Entertainment Weekly

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Kitchen Sink/General Publishing Group; 1st edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575440660
• ISBN-13: 978-1575440668
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,014,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure, colorful, pop culture, fun- a blast from the past!, January 27, 2006

By 

OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Saucer Attack!: Pop Culture in the Golden Age of Flying Saucers (Paperback)

First of all this book is not a serious examination of the topic of extraterrestrial visitors. What it is, is pure fun and a delight to read. The authors have done a remarkable job collecting images from pop culture (mostly from the 50's and 60's) dealing with the "flying saucer craze." You have covers from the science fiction pulps, from magazines such as Fate and Mystic, paperback covers, comic books, trading cards, toys, model kits, movie posters, records, lunch boxes- just about any artifact dealing with flying saucers and aliens. Every page is covered with multiple bright, beautiful images.

To be fair the text does also cover the origins of the phenomenon, as well as the early publicised sightings and personalities (Kenneth Arnold, Ray Palmer, Donald Kehoe, George Adamski, Buck Nelson, Bryant and Helen Reeve, etc.) And there are helpful, well-written, and informative descriptions of all the illustrations.

I was personally amazed at how much of this stuff that I owned and remembered. It brought back a lot of memories.

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT IMAGES FROM THE PAST, March 31, 2005

By 

popular culture lover (Travelers Rest, SC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saucer Attack!: Pop Culture in the Golden Age of Flying Saucers (Paperback)

This is a fun, eye-popping look at flying saucer art through the decades. Comic books, magazines and paperbacks all jumped on the flying saucer bandwagon, both reflecting and reinforcing the public's interest. Even 50's movies like "Invasion of the Saucer Men" are covered in this book. There were a wealth of saucer-related toys, and they're discussed here, with copious photographs. Moreover, the text is light-hearted yet informative. You won't go wrong getting this one.

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable images from the golden age of sci-fi, July 8, 2002

By 

Bobby Dillard (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saucer Attack!: Pop Culture in the Golden Age of Flying Saucers (Paperback)

This book puts forth a variety of pop culture artifacts dealing with sci-fi's golden age in the 1950's. From pulp magazines to toys, the authors compile an enjoyable collection of items. For those interested in '50's sci-fi, this is a good read.