Watch the Skies! [Paperback]

Curtis Peebles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1995

Chronicling the arrival and invasion of the UFO myth in American popular culture, "Peebles has thoroughly examined the context in which the saucer craze began, the forces and attitudes of those who championed the saucer myth, and the details of the various investigatory efforts made", says Richard Hallion, Aviation Historian.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's not your typical UFO book, though it is full of contactees, conspiracy plots, and cattle mutilations. With an in-depth, although skeptical scrutiny of the UFO phenomenon, Peebles doesn't address every case but tackles the most widely quoted incidents from Kenneth Arnold's sighting of flying disks in the '40s through the abduction trends of the early '90s. While the book is biased, Peebles' research is impeccable, and he brings to light facts which many pro-UFO authors tend to neglect. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Aerospace historian Peebles ( The Moby Dick Project ) argues that all UFO reports are misinterpretations of conventional objects, atmospheric phenomena, drama, delusional experiences, or else hoaxes. His debunking chronicle of UFO phenomena--extending from pilot Kenneth Arnold's 1947 sighting of craft near Mount Rainier in Washington to the modern era--is marred by highly selective reporting, distortions and omissions. His often superficial coverage of close encounters, abduction cases, reports of crashed UFOs and other sightings, while it may comfort ironclad skeptics, should be weighed against careful investigative works such as Timothy Good's Above Top Secret: The Worldwide UFO Coverup and Larry Fawcett and Barry Greenwood's Clear Intent: The Government Coverup of the UFO Experience. Peebles's overarching theory that UFOs represent an evolving "myth" embodying humanity's hopes, fears and search for mythological beings doesn't square with the evidence he cites.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (October 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425151174
• ISBN-13: 978-0425151174
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,397,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Books by a UFO "Skeptic", April 1, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Watch the Skies! (Paperback)

"Watch the Skies" is simply one of the best books by a UFO skeptic that I've read. Unlike debunkers such as Philip Klass and Robert Sheaffer, who unnecessarily ridicule witnesses and often ignore evidence which contradicts their "explanations" (which, of course, is a failing of many "believers" as well) Peebles is fair to both sides. What makes this book especially appealing, to believer and skeptic alike, is that it is one of the few "historical" works on UFOs - it treats UFOs as a historical phenomenon and not simply a random series of sightings and photographs. The only other book to do this, to my knowledge, is David Jacob's "The UFO Controversy in America" which was published a quarter-century ago. My only complaint with this book is that Peebles' "explanations" for most UFO sightings lack depth and often are of the "armchair investigator" variety. Anyone who has read a great deal about the sightings he describes will find plenty to argue with. However, as a synopsis of the skeptic's viewpoint (that all UFO sightings can be explained as weather balloons, birds, mirages, stars, ball lightning, and, failing all else, hoaxes), this book is as about as good as it gets. Recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The truth is out there, but it's not what you think, July 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Watch the Skies! (Paperback)

Peebles' book is a refreshing alternative to the fevered productions of the UFO industry. He brings historical research and a healthy skepticism to a field overgrown with mass-market pop-culture faith and credulity. His "rational" explanations are sometimes pat and unconvincing, or he doesn't offer any. But of course this book will never sell as well as the alienist popular media, because the alien myth is so entertaining and for some, religiously fulfilling. As Peeble amply documents, belief in the alien origins of UFOs is a matter of faith, and a product of the human hunger for transcendence.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellently Rounded Explanation of UFO Phenomena, October 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Watch the Skies! (Paperback)

Peebles is one of the few UFO authors who gives and suggests scientific and anecdotal explanations to the major events in the UFO world that have infiltrated into pop culture and the UFO religion as a whole. This is the only book that gives the full explanation and circumstances surrounding many famous UFO events, not just the part or version of the whole story that supports the suggestion that alien spacecraft and beings are among us. Although not written using strict scientific method, Peebles' book nonetheless debunks many popular UFO stories by merely providing information related to those events that always seems to be forgotten by many hardcore UFO followers. An excellent and thought-provoking read, also very well resarched and reasoned.