Review: Adamski's Flying Saucers have landed.

I have been collecting UFO books for some time and now have about 350 of them. In the collection are some of the earliest books printed in the UFO field. Although some are legendary, not many people today have actually read them. I thought it would be fun to review some of these earlier classics and place them here. This is the first review for the series:

Flying Saucers have landed, by Desmond Leslie and George Adamski, 1953.

This may be the first contactee book ever printed. It is actually two books in one. Leslie wrote the first book consisting of 170 pages of what could be called a standard UFO review. It lists countless cases of UFO sightings, “Captain Smith, while flying from San Diego to Sacramento, saw a blue orb over the left wing at 12:58 am” and so on. He also discusses flying saucers in the ancient literature, in Atlantis,, and in prophecy. It is a straightforward review with absolutely no contact information. Book Two is Adamski’s short contribution of only fifty pages. He was an amateur astronomer living on the slopes of Mt. Palomar with a sweeping view. He saw his first spacecraft in 1946. Over the years he saw and photographed many more. He began to lecture on the subject showing his photographs. As more and more people asked for copies he began to charge for them, but only to reimburse himself for developing expenses. He made no money off the pictures, he says. Even the Naval Electronics Laboratory asked him to take a few pictures for them. Apparently he was in the restaurant business, which was helped by his growing popularity, though Adamski says he was not an owner. Sources say he was a short order cook.

Finally, on November 20, 1952 Adamski met his first alien. He says he acted on intuition when he and three other people drove about ten miles into the desert to look for flying saucers. They had stopped for a picnic in the desert and just brought out their cameras when airplanes began buzzing overhead. It didn’t take long to realize the planes were chasing saucers. Adamski knew the UFO was looking for him, personally, so he asked his friends to take him down the road (with his telescope and camera) and drop him off. They were to wait for an hour, observing him from a distance with their binoculars. After he set up he saw a person in the distance.

As Adamski grew closer he saw the man had long blonde hair and wore brown ski trousers (actually a one-piece with a wide belt) along with ox-blood shoes. Size 9 or 9 ½.
He was 5 foot six, 135 pounds, about 28 years old. His gray-green eyes were at a slight slant with high cheek bones and beautiful white teeth and a nice smile. They began to speak to each other in a combination of sign language and telepathy. The alien said he was from Venus and that all the planets were inhabited. He said the atomic weapons on earth were affecting other planets because when they exploded, their effect was enhanced in the medium of space and affected the other planets, therefore we needed to stop exploding them.

The visitor, unnamed, and Adamski discussed God. The Venusians live according to the Will of the Creator where we on earth live by personal will. Visitors to earth are from all planets and many other systems as well and that the humanoid form was universal. We all look pretty much alike. Adamski wanted to take the alien’s picture, but was refused. The issue was security for those aliens who walk among us. With better telescopes we will be able to see the nature of the other planets in the solar system, all thriving with civilizations. As their visit grew to a close Adamski gave the alien one of his photographic plates. The alien promised to return it.

Concluded next post..

Post 2/2 of Adamski's Flying Saucers have landed.

As the alien flew away in the saucer Adamski noticed his footprints had left deep impressions in the earth. Reunited with his friends they pulled some plaster of Paris out of the car (they just happened to have some) and made impressions. The soles of the alien’s shoes had strange markings on them that were meant to convey some as yet undeciphered message. These are produced in the book. Continued next post.

On December 13, 1953 Adamski knew the craft was returning. He returned to the site of their first meeting. The craft descended. A porthole opened, and a hand dropped the film plate to the ground, then waved before the craft took off again. He assumed it was his friend, but did not actually see him. As promised, the film plate was returned, but the impression on the film was of some alien writing—yet to be deciphered. Government agents came to Adamski at his request and listened to his story, but asked no questions. They did take a couple of photographs Adamski had made of the craft.

Adamski’s conclusion to these events is that the space aliens are friendly and among us, if only we can learn from them. This is the conclusion of the first (50 page) book written by George Adamski. There are several other books, to be reviewed later.

Adamski was born in Poland in 1891 and died in 1965. His Wikipedia article is here.

End of review.

What I find fascinating is that in Adamski's book 'Flying Saucers Have Landed' the entire story isn't that outlandish. Couple of people look for UFOs in the desert, have a sighting. Later on there's contact scenario. After that Adamski started making more wild claims which opens up the possibility for me that he started embellishing.
I say that because like you Schuyler I read 'a few' books and most 'contactee stories' seem to be very brief. Also the desert encounter is supported by 6 eyewitnesses who signed affadavits. Later encounters aren't that supported.
But, from first hand experience I know it's very hard, maybe even impossible, to make a case for Adamski. That's because he made some claims that are seemingly wrong. But all contactee stories seem to get messy the longer they're around.

Originally posted by schuyler
The alien said he was from Venus and that all the planets were inhabited. He said the atomic weapons on earth were affecting other planets because when they exploded, their effect was enhanced in the medium of space and affected the other planets, therefore we needed to stop exploding them.

"Oh Nelly, you can take my guns too".

Why is it that the aliens always care about our planet? I guess they are tree hugging aliens.

Anyone who knows the sky can state that venus is absolutely inhabitable. So tell me the gas giants too are habitable?

I wonder if the alien knew at the time what the "planet" definition was at that time. If you recall Pluto was just kicked from the list. But of course the alien should have known it was discovered ~1930.

I would rather believe JRR Tolien's books on middle earth than this author.

Thanks for the read.

Originally posted by schuyler
Adamski was born in Poland in 1891 and died in 1965. His Wikipedia article is here.

The Wikipedia article certainly has changed, last year it was totally different and more slanted towards the skeptics. I wonder who changed it.

That doesnt make sense when stars are nothing but nuke after nuke all day every day.

Originally posted by NLDelta9
That doesnt make sense when stars are nothing but nuke after nuke all day every day.

You are correct, of course. That Adamski does not make sense is a fairly common criticism. I'm reading the second book now, and it gets even stranger, I assure you. Although we readily dismiss some of the things Adamski says, bear in mind that it is over 50 years old and written during a time when the public was not nearly as knowledgeable about about these matters as it is today.

What i think is fascinating about Adamski, as an early contactee, is the similarity of his story to those of modern contactees such as Meier and Greer. basically it's the same story dressed in modern clothing and adapted to our current knowledge and fears. Adamski said there were human civilizations on Mars, Venus, and Saturn. Now that we know more about these places, and know it is unlikely human beings live on the surface of these planets (Yes, I'm being facetious.), the aliens, now transformed into a new species, are from further away, or from another dimension. In 1953 everyone was building fallout shelters because we were so frightened of a nuclear war. Now we're worried about Global Warming and the aliens have shifted their focus accordingly. It's almost as if the alien/ufo thing is a movie we've made ourselves and projected so we can see it. (No, I'm not suggesting that, but it mght be interesting to discuss.)