The UFO Encyclopedia Hardcover – October 1, 2018

CONDITION: I got both books and they were both brand new. Both were put together in plastic. I don't know why others have only gotten one volume however this has happened to me in the past with other encyclopedias. Usually this issue can be resolved by contacting the seller and getting the other book or a refund.THE GOOD: As far as the books themselves... GREAT STUFF. It is full of great information as it applies to the field of Ufology and corresponding mythology, history, and research. Everything from the Pre-Modern era is in this encyclopedia. If you want something to sum up the Pre-Modern era, get this set. Furthermore, every article has multiple sources which will allow you to do further research if you find something of interest.THE BAD: The biggest problem with this encyclopedia set is that it only covers what I call the Pre-Modern era of Ufology. The Pre-Modern era of Ufology is anything that came before the DOD announcement of AATIP and The NY Times expose. There has been an explosion of UFO information since Late 2017 when the program was made public. None of this information is in this volume. Technically it is not the fault of the encyclopedia which is why I still gave it 5 stars. This volume was published in 2018 and is missing all of this new information. This is a shame because the amount of information released since 2017 is already more by-far than the amount of info released between the 2nd and 3rd edition. So... if you already have the 2nd edition you may want to wait until the 4th edition...assuming they are writing one. Any 4th edition will be full of new and fresh information.CONCLUSION: If you are someone like me who does not own the prior editions, and are interested in ufology, you can not go wrong with buying this set. It came complete with both books. It is full of great information. No more having to read a million different books or websites. It is all here, in one set. The only problem is that it is already out of date because it was published just when the modern UFO Era took off. If I knew a 4th edition was coming I would say wait. But since we do not know when a 4th edition will be released you should have no qualms about buying this set.

Generations to follow will regard Jerome Clark's 3rd edition of his two-volume opus as a prescient and magisterial chronicle of one of the most important chapters in the history of humankind. I am not exaggerating. Clark understood the significance of the UFO phenomenon as a young man, pursued it, and recognized the need to preserve the early attempts of humans to understand it. This is a history that would have been lost if Clark and a select group of others who were paying thoughtful attention to it since the 1960s had failed to see the significance in what most others saw as nonsense. UFOE3 is a work of a master scholar. It is a masterpiece for the ages.Jerome Clark is the ufological equivalent of the 19th-century ballad scholar Francis James Child (1825-1896). Child, an American folklorist and the first Professor of English at Harvard University (in 1876), collected English and Scottish ballads then regarded as "primitive" (low brow) oral traditions not worthy of "serious" scholars. These treasured expressions of the soul of everyday life would have been lost without Child's efforts. Clark, like Child, has been acutely sensitive to the pulse of his historical era and spent his life salvaging reports of the anomalous experiences that have been denigrated and mocked by academic, scientific and corporate media elites. Clark is the child of Child. This is a doubly-apt statement, for Clark has written songs which have been recorded or performed by musicians such as Emmylou Harris, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Tom T. Hall and has collaborated with Robin and Linda Williams. He has also written a number of reviews of American folk music albums and CDs for Rambles magazine.Clark is a gifted writer and editor. These talents are reflected throughout the massive two volumes of UFOE3. There is not a dull or infelicitous paragraph in this book. But what really distinguishes Clark's work is the quality of his historical scholarship and that of the handful of other contributors. The vast majority of professional historians in academia could not produce such a work of scholarship of this depth and clarity. Indeed, most of their products are aimed at narrow goals -- playing it safe by sticking with what's "acceptable" or trendy and motivated only by tenure and promotion within the wheelworks of the academy. Those academic works have a short shelf-life and are rarely read or even cited by other scholars, leaving no impact on our culture whatsoever. This is not true of UFOE3. What Clark has done is produce a chronicle, like that of Child's, which will be consulted with admiration in the centuries to come.

This is really great if you want to pay an insane amount if money for HALF of what is advertised. Buyer will receive only ONE volume of this two volume book. The best part is that it is somehow allowed to continue to happen to unsuspecting shoppers with absolute impunity. Even if you got both volumes, that's an expensive book. If the author is aware of this issue then he's as much to blame for this as anybody. Don't buy it.

Massive book of 1500+ pages, but the cross references are very well done. Touch a highlighted word or phrase, and you are sent to the entry for that word or phrase. After you read that entry, you can return to where you were, or you can move to another link. Great for browsing.As for the content, Clark does a good job of reporting the info without imposing his own views. Most of the evidence is admittedly anecdotal, and he also lists various theories and ideas pertaining to the phenomena.If you think this is all hogwash, nothing here will change your mind. If you are a believer, nothing here will disabuse you of that.I think it is fascinating material, even if viewed as a phenomenon, folklore or a window into the psyche

A groundbreaking work of what were original several volumes now in one. A necessity for any ufologist or forteans library.Better editing could have removed occasional typos. Clark's unprovoked hatchet job on John Keel is misguided and one wonders what his motivation is. Keel was a fortean visionary, Clark is a brilliant compiler of data.

This is supposed to be a two volume set for the price I paid - I only received Volume 1. Description indicates 1200 pages but the single Volume 1 has only 785 pages. The Table of contents at the front of Volume 1 indicates that with Volume 2 there are 1200 pages. I have checked with the publishers and for the price I paid I should have received both Volumes and not just Volume 1.