Flights of Fancy
Jason's forthcoming book
Between the summer of 1896 and the fall of 1897 - 6 -7 years before the Wright brothers' flights at Kitty Hawk - thousands of people across the US and Canada reported sightings of moving lights in the night sky, as well as strange flying machines. Some even claimed to have seen these craft land, and conversed with their crews.
I am currently working on a book exploring these "mystery airship" sightings and their connection to the wider UFO phenomenon. For years now I have been engaging in a systematic review of US and Canadian newspapers from the late 1890s: there were thousands of articles in this period attesting to well over a thousand sightings, many of which are eerily similar to the UFO reports of the post-war era.
I am currently working on a book exploring these "mystery airship" sightings and their connection to the wider UFO phenomenon. For years now I have been engaging in a systematic review of US and Canadian newspapers from the late 1890s: there were thousands of articles in this period attesting to well over a thousand sightings, many of which are eerily similar to the UFO reports of the post-war era.
The first sighting to make the papers occurred over Sacramento, California on November 17, 1896
There have been several books and articles that have explored the mystery airships already, but I am confident that I have unearthed more sightings - particularly those from Canada - and done more analysis on the data. In addition to newspaper research, my analysis is informed by extensive research into aviation history and a comprehensive review of flight-related science fiction in the late nineteenth century.
As well as an in-depth history of the airship phenomenon, Flights of Fancy (my tentative title for the book) will explore the ways in which this phenomenon relates to the science fiction of the era, and to earlier public discourse on the future of flying technologies. It will also explore the ways in which the phenomenon relates to UFO sightings and anomalous entity encounters in preceding centuries, and in the twentieth century.
As well as an in-depth history of the airship phenomenon, Flights of Fancy (my tentative title for the book) will explore the ways in which this phenomenon relates to the science fiction of the era, and to earlier public discourse on the future of flying technologies. It will also explore the ways in which the phenomenon relates to UFO sightings and anomalous entity encounters in preceding centuries, and in the twentieth century.
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The manuscript is expected to be completed by the end of 2025 and published sometime in 2026 or 2027. I have not yet found a publisher, and I may end up self-publishing, but I will certainly be letting everyone know here when I decide.
I'll be sharing updates on the book here, and on all our social media accounts, so make sure you'll following us on all your favourite platforms. Jason Charbonneau |
Cover of a popular dime novel series that frequently featured plots about flying machines
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