UFO CRASH AT ROSWELL [Hardcover]

SALER BENSON (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 17, 1997

In the summer of 1947 something mysterious crashed in the New Mexican desert near the town of Roswell. Whether it was an alien spacecraft manned by tiny humanlike beings or—the US government's official explanation—a scientific research balloon has long been a subject of passionate debate. Transcending the believer-versus-skeptic debate, anthropologists Benson Saler and Charles A. Ziegler contend that the Roswell story is best understood as a modern American myth. They show how the story—and its continual retelling—tap into modern fears about the power of technology, the duplicity of the government, and the power of the media. UFO Crash at Roswell also includes physicist Charles Moore's meticulous account of how 1947 experiments to launch balloon-borne radar reflectors may have led to the Roswell UFO myth.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's not just skeptics who will relish this examination of the supposed crash of a UFO near Roswell, N. Mex., in 1947, and of the myth that has grown up around it. The crash and the alleged ensuing cover-up by the U.S. government has become a lynchpin among conspiracy theorists and those who believe in invading aliens. The three authors, all university professors, never deny the possibility that there was in fact a crash of an alien spacecraft, with alien victims (though they point toward the crash of a military balloon as a more likely explanation for the Roswell phenomenon). They argue, however, that the Roswell "technomyth" serves several functions as a "folk narrative," including the reinforcement of beliefs in omnipotent beings, and the channeling of anti-government sentiment. The myth, they say, is carefully and contentiously tended by a community of "ufologists" who act as "culture heroes" in attempting to liberate the truth from the government's clutches. One chapter further argues that the myth and community have many of the hallmarks of a religion. Despite its impeccable explanations about myths, however, the book's turgid prose will do little to dissuade the vast number Americans who believe that extraterrestrials have landed on Earth.

Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The UFO community strongly believes that the U.S. government has suppressed information about a supposed flying saucer crash near Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. Here, a group of anthropologists look at the mythological aspects of the modern-day folk tale and show how accounts of "documented" events can evolve over time: a portion of the account remains accurate, while other parts get distorted, repressed, or expanded. They note that an event's mythological aspects are perpetrated by television docudramas and UFO authors. Cited among the latter group are Kevin D. Randle and Donald R. Schmitt (The Truth About the UFO Crash at Roswell, LJ 6/1/94) and Stanton T. Friedman (Top Secret Majic, LJ 10/1/96). Both groups reinforce conspiracy theories by using supposition and conjecture as fact. A detailed analysis of 1947 balloon flight experiments provides a possible basis for the myth. The book's academic tone, however, will appeal to a scholarly audience rather than UFO buffs. [In this anniversary year, see also Philip Corso's The Day After Roswell and Michael Hesemann and Phillip Mantle's Beyond Roswell, both LJ 7/97.?Ed.]?Gary D. Barber, SUNY at Fredonia Lib.
-?Gary D. Barber, SUNY at Fredonia Lib.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Smithsonian; 1St Edition edition (July 17, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560987510
• ISBN-13: 978-1560987512
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,306,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food for thought...., February 7, 2000

By 

Linda Chase - See all my reviews

This review is from: UFO CRASH AT ROSWELL (Hardcover)

Fascinating expose of the facts re:Roswell, and an interesting look into the genesis of what may have become an "urban legend"....I was a firm believer in all the media hype concerning UFOs - (as searchers, we fervently WISH to believe) - but after delving into this book without preconceived ideas (as much as that is possible), I now have a very different way of collating the "evidence", and a fresh set of questions! Extremely interesting - starts a whole new dialogue with one's self as to what is real versus what we WISH to be real....and the conclusion is left up to us in the long run...

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can't tell the players with out a scorecard..., May 29, 2001

By 

Begreadone "begreadone" - See all my reviews

This review is from: UFO CRASH AT ROSWELL (Hardcover)

...This book takes the story only to the mid-'90's, but that's enough to get a glimpse of what Imre Lakatos would call a "degenerating research programme." Mercifully, Philip Corso and the whole MJ-12 mess came later and we are spared a pointless examination in this book.

Everyone interested in Roswell owes it to themselves to read this book, it details the evolution of the myth while providing info. on Project MOGUL. My personal gripe is that the author's maintain a pose of agnosticism while I'm sure they are all skeptical of the "myth."

2 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The title looks more interesting than the actual book., March 20, 2003

By 

Preppy Jock (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: UFO Crash at Roswell: The Genesis of a Modern Myth (Paperback)

this book is very dry to read. On the other hand, it was published by the Smithsonian, so what can you expect. It is suppose to be scientific.

It really doesn't have a lot analysis about the actual incident. Instead, The first chapter has lots of analysis about why people want to believe it, and why it persists, etc. I think that it is quite boring. I want to read why they think that it did not happen. I do not need to read the analysis of about this almost religious like phenomena.

The second chapter talked about the weather balloon, etc. I think that it is totally irrelevant. I think that the government has explained twice. The first time, it was the weather balloon. The second time, it was something else, which at that time was classified military secret. So if the last time, the government already said that it is not a weather balloon, what is the purpose to tell the readers about the weather balloon experiments at that time.

Also this book failed to explain all those rumors about this incident. It tried to discredit all those reports. On the other hand, the other side have listed many credible people's reports. This book did not explain how those people's descriptions can not be ture.

At last, it insisted that the government has given the public all the possible documents about this incident. Then how come so many documents that are released to the public have pages after pages of blacked areas. What kind of government secrets that still can't be declassified after almost 50 years?

I am neither a believer or non-believer, however, this book did not convince me that Roswell incident did not happen.