Today is the 76th birthday of astronomer and computer scientist Jacques Vallee, author of many seminal books about the labyrinthine topic of Unidentified Flying Objects. In an often confusing field filled with misinformation, disinformation, bitter rumors and flat-out lies, Vallee's paradigm-bending books have always been a welcome breath of fresh air. For the uninitiated, I highly recommend
PASSPORT TO MAGONIA: FROM FOLKLORE TO FLYING SAUCERS (1969), which overlaps intriguingly with several other UFOlogical masterpieces such as John A. Keel's OPERATION TROJAN HORSE (1970) and Ted Holiday's THE GOBLIN UNIVERSE (1986). Even more significantly, Vallee's books intersect with works that fall well outside the often narrow confines of UFOlogy, such as Terence McKenna's THE ARCHAIC REVIVAL (1992), Philip K. Dick's VALIS (1981), and Carlos Castaneda's THE TEACHINGS OF DON JUAN (1968).
After you have completed reading PASSPORT TO MAGONIA, I recommend moving on to later--and even more controversial works--such as
MESSENGERS OF DECEPTION (1979),
DIMENSIONS (1988),
CONFRONTATIONS (1990), and
REVELATIONS (1991).
For further information about Vallee and his career, click
HERE.
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