Waging ""The War of the Worlds

The 1938 Orson Welles broadcast of ""The War of the Worlds"" was a landmark in the history of entertainment, sparking a public hysteria in America and a series of subsequent broadcasts around the world that elicited similar responses. This book examines the historic broadcast indepth. It covers all aspects of the phenomenon including fascination with Mars; H.G. Wells' novel; Orson Welles and the making of the broadcast; initial reactions and the resulting 'fog of war'; anxieties underlying the panic; and the aftermath. Chapters also look at later broadcasts in the United States, Latin America, Brazil and Portugal, and address the likelihood that a similar panic could happen again. The original script of the 1938 ""The War of the Worlds"" radio broadcast, written by Howard Koch, is included.

"is brisk and straightforward...the author possesses a refreshing degree of knowledge about the UFO phenomenon"--International UFO Reporter; "definitive...deserves your attention and a place on your bookshelf"--SF Crowsnest.com; "while the American public is not likely to ever be fooled again by a broadcast, one sure way to cause a radio panic in 2009 would be to deprive the serious scholar or armchair enthusiast of their own copy of [this book]"--I Still Love Radio.

John Gosling has written many articles for British science fiction magazines and runs a highly respected War of the Worlds website (www.war-of the-worlds.co.uk).