John A. Keel
Creature Dall'Ignoto

Who would have ever thought that the man locked inside the Great Pyramid for an entire night was a UFO scholar? Ufology could be compared to a gigantic iceberg. The peak consists of the Blue Book project of the UFO commission of the Air Force and organizations like the NICAP (National Investigation Committee on Aerial Phenomena) and the ASFCA (Amalgamated Flying Saucer Clubs of America). NICAP and ASFCA are two conflicting groups, the first is formed by the most orthodox 'scientific' ufologists, while the other gathers the 'contactees'. The midsection is represented by the 'strange intrusions' of the CIA, FBI, and probable secret police (Men in Black). Finally, a base only marginally explored that includes science, archaeology, theology, crossing into parapsychology and spiritism. Often when discussing this topic, many people shrug and tend to say: "nonsense." "Creature from the Unknown - Manual of Mysterious Zoology" is an attentive and scrupulous analysis carried out with a simple and immediate writing style. The original title is: "Strange Creatures from Time & Space."

This work attempts, partially succeeding, to bring logic and rationality to subjects that are almost completely irrational and inexplicable. Keel is certainly one of the most scrupulous and competent researchers in the field. His biography is as intriguing and curious as the book he created. John's passion for ufology dates back to '45 when in the New York Times, an article signed by him appeared on the mysterious lights spotted in the skies of the Rhineland by allied pilots. Already a professional journalist, he began an in-depth interest in 'flying saucers'. In '52, he produced the radio show Things in the Sky. In '53, he went to Egypt to visit the monuments and even had himself locked in the Great Pyramid, inside which he broadcasted a live radio show in the US. The following year, during a trip to the Aswan Dam, he managed to observe a metallic disc floating in the sky. He visited Tibet and hunted for a Yeti. All these experiences led him to approach ufology by joining APRO. He was also a direct witness to the chain of mysterious events that struck the Ohio Valley and West Virginia in the years '66 and '67, known as The Mothman Prophecies. The work is essentially an essay containing a veritable mine of information, unusual and surprising reasoning, furthermore, it is supported by tables, cards, drawings, and rare photographs curated by the Clypeus group. The writing contains meticulous and detailed descriptions of hundreds of sightings of various types of UFOs and an impressive multitude of 'aliens'.

The International UFO Bureau divides 'ufonauts' into four categories. First: varying height between 90 and 135 cm, the head is disproportionate to the rest of the body. Second: measurements similar to humans, with the head often covered by a helmet. Third: hairy shape with height varying between 60 and 120 cm. Fourth: slender, short structure with respirator. Some stories are amusing and unusual, others sad and dramatic, others disturbing. An example is represented by the three images on the book's cover, plus a fourth inserted in the concluding section of the volume. These photos were taken by police officer Jeffrey Greenhaw, between 10:30 pm and 11 pm, with a Polaroid. Greenhaw was heading to the place indicated by a call from a woman who said she had spotted a UFO in the countryside west of Falkville. As the officer was arriving at the destination, in a lane, he saw a figure in a metallic suit in the middle of the road. Before the mysterious being could leap away with long jumps, Greenhaw managed to take some photographs. When he returned to Falkville with the photos as evidence of the close encounter, no one credited him. He was forced to resign from the police, and his wife filed for divorce. Nevertheless, Greenhaw never changed his version of events. This is just one of the numerous stories contained in the more than 300-page book. Consider that in '67, the US Library of Congress contained more than 1600 books and articles on ufology. Even the Bible, in the vision of the prophet Zechariah (V, 1-5) and in other passages, describes 'flying scrolls' on which are inscribed the curses against the wicked who will be punished. Who traced the hundreds of enormous images in the Peruvian Pamp known as the Nazca Lines? In the military area known as Area 51, are only experiments and research conducted on new types of technologies, or are unimaginable secrets hidden like forms of infinite energy, alien spacecraft with living beings? Are the extravagant drawings in the cornfields merely 'pranks' made by groups of people, or is there something more complex? In my opinion the amount of information contained in the volume is truly impressive. Perhaps for some readers, it could be excessive enough to provoke doubts and skepticism. Nevertheless, the author's intention is precisely to present as broad a panorama as possible in an attempt to clarify and 'expand' the horizons of an invisible world that surrounds us and sometimes intersects with ours.

Ufology is also a social and psychological phenomenon of the contemporary world. Psychiatrists often tend to explain these experiences as personality disorders, even attributed to schizophrenia. It seems impossible that thousands of cases involving all social classes are merely illusions or deceptions constructed for personal interests. Surely, a rampant phenomenon like ufomania has created further confusion and uncertainty. Just think of the panic caused by the famous radio broadcast Invasion from Mars with Orson Welles, which led Princeton scholars to conduct numerous specific studies. Even the writer Arthur Conan Doyle, a passionate student of psychic phenomena, described in his book The Edge of the Unknown an experience of night paralysis that happened to him. "I woke up in the middle of the night with the clear sensation that there was someone in my room and that the presence did not belong to this world. I was lying with my back to the room, I was awake, but entirely unable to move. It was physically impossible for me to turn toward the visitor. I heard measured steps crossing the room, I felt (without seeing anything) someone leaning over me; then I heard a voice say, in a resonant whisper: "Doyle I came to say I am sorry"...". Many times these experiences translate into energetic, even radioactive emissions, partially involving our electromagnetic spectrum. Often it is thought that such 'beings' or 'entities' have arrived to us through conventional space, while they could come from some extra-dimensional universe. There is also the possibility that they have existed on Earth from very remote times. Perhaps, behind all this, a more elaborate and long-term secret project could be concealed, presently not clearly definable. The author claims that in certain cases, the 'aliens' themselves implant fake memories and recollections in the minds of the 'contacted', probably intending to make everything more confused and debatable, creating additional mystery and ambiguity. The human brain is also an electrical organ and therefore it is not improbable to insert information of various kinds with sufficiently advanced technology.

Unfortunately, the major efforts remain sadly channeled into trying to explain their existence, but not the reasons. Think carefully, life itself is a mystery. We do not know what our purpose is, we do not know if there is something beyond life. We grope in the dark trying to cling to our presumed 'reality' based on hopes and beliefs. At night observing the clear and starry sky, I think: "I cannot and do not want to believe that in this immense universe we exist alone. It would seem like an enormous waste of energy, space, and matter, but above all, it would be disheartening...". Close encounters greetings.