Bufo Calvin
P O Box 5231, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Internet: BufoCalvin@...
Website: <A
HREF="http://members.aol.com/bufocalvin">http://members.aol.com/bufocalvin</A>
<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/bufosweirdworld">Link
to Amazon.com</A>

August, 1999 (Vol. 2, #8)

Books mentioned in BAR can be ordered on most e-mail systems by clicking on
the hyperlink title. This will take you to the book at Amazon.com. You can
read more about it at that point and decide if you want to order it. If you
do, you add it to your "shopping cart". Then, if you want another title
mentioned here, please click on it in this post. If you have questions,
please e-mail Bufo at <A
HREF="mailto:bufocalvin@...">BufoCalvin@...</A>.

Books in BAR now include some titles available from the UK. This is for the
convenience of my European subscribers, as well as allowing for the listing
of more titles. These books will be indicated with a (UK) designation.
Release dates will generally reflect the U.S., except for exclusively UK
titles.

NOTE: The transfer to Onelist as a listserver should now be complete. My
"mystery benefactor" has served me well and generously over the years, but
there are some conveniences in using Onelist (as I do for <A
HREF="http://www.onelist.com/subscribe/bwnl">Bufo's WEIRD NEWS LINKS</A>).
For example, you can now change your status directly. If you want to let me
know anything about the transfer, feel free to contact me at
bufocalvin@.... Also, my apologies for this issue being a few days late.

If you have books to recommend, please let me know. If you would like to be
named as recommending it, include that information as well and tell me you
would like to be cited.

In this issue: Featured Title, Recent Additions, and Best-seller:

FEATURED TITLE:

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312968353/bufosweirdworld">Enter
the Valley (paperback)</A>
<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312968353/bufosweirdworl08">En
ter the Valley (paperback) (UK)</A>
Subtitle: UFOs, Religious Miracles, Cattle Mutilations, and Other Unexplained
Phenomena in the San Luis Valley
by Christopher O’Brien
February 1999
Paperback, 339 pages, foreword (by David Perkins), map, photographs, notes,
bibliography, index

"I think of them like sleepy tigers, Glenn, that occasionally -- perhaps when
a man gets a hint of them --open their eyes to the full and stalk in his
direction. When a man becomes ripe for them, when he’s produced the
possibility of them, and then when he’s closed his ears to the protective
mechanically-augmented chatter of humanity, they make themselves known to
him."
FRANZ KINZMAN in A BIT OF THE DARK WORLD written by Fritz Leiber

Are there places in the world where the extraordinary is more ordinary than
normal? Where the solidity of consensus reality seems to slip and slide,
making us grip the steering wheel more tightly or risk letting go altogether?

Reading ENTER THE VALLEY by Christopher O’Brien, a continuation of his work
in <A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0312958838/bufosweirdworldA/">The
Mysterious Valley (paperback)</A>, would lead many people to think that
there are. After all, O’Brien reports that in this one valley in Colorado and
New Mexico, there are: UFO sightings of an astonishing variety and
regularity; cattle, horse, and other animal mutilations; haunted houses;
witches; cannibalism; possible underground bases; appearances of the Devil
himself; and more, including "uncategorizables", like floating, glowing
things called "prairie dragons".

There is no question that all of this is weird. The question is, to what
extent is the valley responsible, and to what extent are the people (most
importantly, O’Brien himself) responsible? That’s not to say that these
things are untrue. When I used to do NEARU (the National Events by Area
Registry of the Unexplained, currently dormant), my point was that these
things happen everywhere, all the time. My feeling is that the presence of a
sympathetic journalist is the most significant factor in an area becoming
known. In many regions, dedicated, on-the-spot investigators bring reports
out that would otherwise not stray beyond late night conversations with
family and friends.

What O’Brien does in remarkable, and highly creditable. He gets his neighbors
to open up. Trust is rare in today’s world, and writers like Arlene Gaal
(Ogopogo), Constance Whyte (the Loch Ness Monster) and O’Brien show us what
trust can achieve. To earn that trust, of course, they must be gentle with
their confidantes. Don’t expect any hard-hitting questions or in-depth
analysis. Look at O’Brien, and not the valley, as a gateway into the
paranormal lives of people.

Like other "resident investigators", O’Brien has also done considerable
research into the history of the area. This book ranges far beyond <A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0312958838/bufosweirdworldA/">The
Mysterious Valley (paperback)</A>. This is both a strength and a weakness.
While frontier tales of bizarre human behavior, and hunts for lost treasure
are interesting, they seem a bit of a stretch. Part of O’Brien’s point seems
to be that we can’t know what is relevant, but the diffusion of attention
makes the topic more difficult to grasp.

We also get more about O’Brien himself. He has had his share of strange
experiences, and that always is a bit of a risk for a writer to admit. The
stories here are interesting, but again set us wondering about the
connections.

Even though the writing can be a tad rough at times, with some tendency to
mix past and present tenses, that adds to its flavor. This is not an outsider
writing about the odd quirks of a strange valley. It is a rare chance to
experience the interactions of people with the unaccepted.

RECENT ADDITIONS:

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0380804492/bufosweirdworld">Alien
Base (paperback)</A>
<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0099255022/bufosweirdworl08">Al
ien Base (paperback) (UK)</A>
Subtitle: The Evidence for Extraterrestrial Colonization of Earth
by Timothy Good
August 1999

Good is the author of the seminal UFO cover-up book, <A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0688092020/bufosweirdworldA/">Abo
ve Top Secret</A>.

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0785811214/bufosweirdworld">Asian
Animal Zodiac (hardback)</A>
<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0785811214/bufosweirdworl08">As
ian Animal Zodiac (hardback) (UK)</A>
by Ruth Q. Sun
August 1999

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0713727209/bufosweirdworld">Demon
s (hardback)</A>
<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0713727209/bufosweirdworl08">De
mons (hardback) (UK)</A>
Subtitle: The Devil, Possession, &amp; Exorcism
by Anthony Finlay
August 1999

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0091801508/bufosweirdworl08">Do
gs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home (hardback) (UK)</A>
by Rupert Sheldrake
August 1999

Sheldrake is very well-known for his studies into fringe areas.

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0517207168/bufosweirdworld">Elvis
Speaks From Beyond and Other Celebrity Ghost Stories (hardback)</A>
<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0517207168/bufosweirdworl08">El
vis Speaks From Beyond and Other Celebrity Ghost Stories (hardback) (UK)</A>
by Hans Holzer
August 1999

Holzer is one of the most prolific writers on paranormal topics. Why not do
another one in the dead rock singers category (which I think I will give its
own section soon).

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0709064616/bufosweirdworl08">Th
e Encyclopedia of the Loch Ness Monster (hardback) (UK)</A>
by Paul Harrison
August 1999

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1571741364/bufosweirdworld">Freei
ng the Captives (paperback)</A>
<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1571741364/bufosweirdworl08">Fr
eeing the Captives (paperback) (UK)</A>
Subtitle: The Emerging Therapy of Treating Spirit Attachment
by Louise Ireland-Frey
August 1999

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1883089417/bufosweirdworld">Ghost
Train (hardback)</A>
<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1883089417/bufosweirdworl08">Gh
ost Train (hardback) (UK)</A>
Subtitle: American Railroad Ghost Legends
by Tony Reevy
August 1999

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0722536992/bufosweirdworld">Gods
of the Dawn (paperback)</A>
<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0722536992/bufosweirdworl08">Go
ds of the Dawn (paperback) (UK)</A>
Subtitle: The Message of the Pyramids and the True Stargate Mystery
by Peter Lemesurier
August 1999

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/157500030X/bufosweirdworld">Myste
ries and Magic (True-Life Encounter Series) (paperback)</A>
<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0752817868/bufosweirdworl08">My
steries and Magic (paperback) (UK)</A>
by John Spencer and Anne Spencer
August 1999

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/068485192X/bufosweirdworld">Old
Souls (hardback)</A>
Subtitle: The Scientific Evidence for Past Lives
by Tom Shroder
August 1999

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0525945040/bufosweirdworld">The
Other Side and Back (hardback)</A>
<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0141800518/bufosweirdworl08">Th
e Other Side and Back (hardback) (UK)</A>
Subtitle: A Psychic's Guide to Our World and Beyond
by Sylvia Browne
August 1999

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0713727659/bufosweirdworld">Place
s of Power (paperback)</A>
<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0713727659/bufosweirdworl08">Pl
aces of Power (paperback) (UK)</A>
Subtitle: Measuring the Secret Energy of Ancient Sites
by Paul Devereux
August 1999

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1855854422/bufosweirdworld">Truly
Weird (paperback)</A>
<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1855854422/bufosweirdworl08">Tr
uly Weird (paperback) (UK)</A>
Subtitle: Real-Life Cases of the Paranormal
by Jenny Randles
August 1999

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0762406194/bufosweirdworld">The
UFO Investigator's Handbook (paperback)</A>
<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0762406194/bufosweirdworl08">Th
e UFO Investigator’s Handbook (paperback) (UK)</A>
Subtitle: The Practical Guide to Researching, Identifying, and Documenting
Unexplained Sightings
by Craig Glenday and Stanton T. Friedman
August 1999

Friedman is arguably the prime investigator of the Roswell crash. He’s
certainly done the most work on the documentation.

BEST-SELLER:

<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684856026/bufosweirdworld">Crypt
ozoology A to Z (paperback)</A>
<A
HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684856026/bufosweirdworl08">Cr
yptozoology A to Z (UK) (paperback)</A>
by Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark
August 1999
270 pages, illustrations, photographs, appendices, recommended reading (no
index)

This book (one of the featured titles last month) has easily been selling the
most copies at Bufo’s WEIRD WORLD Books, and deservedly so. Anyone interested
in the topic of unrecognized animals will find it a must-have.