So, I replaced the other two books in the series — Ghosts and Monsters — a couple years ago because I loved them so much the covers fell off. All About UFOs (1977), however, is the original copy, bought from the Ontario Science Center for $4.95 CAD (what a deal!). As you can see, it looks like someone slept on it. For a year or two. There is barely any binding left. And there are other marks of time (we’ll get to those in a second).

Same as the rest of the series, this is a mix of serious-faced accounts of UFO phenomenology mixed with a liiiiittle bit of actual science and some pop culture cross-over (I enjoy the appearance of the Klingon warship in particular). It also has some guidance for hunting UFOs and, helpfully, faking UFO photos. There is a UFO report form. Which I filled out, when I saw the UFO I insisted was a silver “hot dog + mohawk.” It was a passenger plane, folks, traveling along a well-established route in the sky behind my house, where thousands of other passenger planes have flown. But the imagination can be strong.

I also love that I highlighted the hell out of this book. You would think I was highlighting the important stuff, but when you highlight this much stuff, you’re kind of defeating the purpose.