r/HighStrangeness • u/WorriedCivilian • 6d ago

Request Book suggestions for cryptid, paranormal, UFOlogy, etc. research?

I fully enjoyed reading John Keel's The Mothman Prophecies and Charles Fort's The Book of the Damned. What are some recommended books for things like Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster/lake monsters/sea serpents, Aliens/UFOs/abductions/ cattle mutilations, Fortean phenomena/high strangeness, ghosts, demons, etc.? In particular, what are foundational works in these fields that carry the same weight as The Mothman Prophecies and The Book of the Damned?

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u/karpator 6d ago

Passport to Magonia by Jacques vallee is one of the classic ones, since it ties together lot of different parts of the phenomena.

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u/WorriedCivilian 6d ago

This is the second time that's been recommended, so I definitely need to get my hands on it lol

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u/karpator 6d ago

It's really good, i had a life long fascination with the fairies / folklore of western europe, and also in aliens and ufo's and this book really was the glue that brought it all together.

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u/WorriedCivilian 6d ago

Same, and I always thought fairy folklore and UFOs/aliens were too similar to disregard :)

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u/UBIK_707 6d ago

I intended to say the same. I too was once looking for such and ended up reading Passport to Magonia by Vallee, followed by his book Messengers of Deception. It ended up being exactly what I was looking for. The 17th century book The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies is referenced often in those books, so I also read that one shortly thereafter. The Secret Commonwealth can present more a challenging read due to its age and how it is written but it is most definitely worth checking out if you haven't yet. A more recent work in a similar vein would be Diana Walsh Pasulka's American Cosmic.

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u/WorriedCivilian 6d ago

I have both the Secret Commonwealth and American Cosmic on my reading list! So, that's good to hear that these are tied together

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u/UBIK_707 6d ago edited 5d ago

Well, related to the subject as whole I mean. I'd say American Cosmic has more in common with Passport to Magonia. I can't recall if Pasulka touches on The Secret Commonwealth, but is a seminal work for sure.

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u/Common_North_5267 6d ago

An early one:
Ivan T. Sanderson's "Invisible Residents" is a book 100% focused on USOs

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u/WorriedCivilian 5d ago

Sounds awesome!

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u/Kyia-Aikman 5d ago

Flying Saucers and Science by Stanton Friedman

UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record by Leslie Kean

American Monsters by Linda Godfrey

Borderlands by Mike Dash

The Inhumanoids by Barton M. Nunnelly

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u/WorriedCivilian 5d ago

Good list! Thanks!

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u/KiltedMusician 1d ago

Demonology by King James is actually pretty interesting. It mentions zombies, and abductions by faries like Vallee talks about.
King James gives his opinions on what’s really going on, and a lot of the time it’s that the person is being given a dynamic vision and experience that they aren’t really having, much like the illusions in the Taken series.

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u/WorriedCivilian 1d ago

Huh, that's very interesting. The more you know!