Jan 10 2008
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Communion Is Back
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For those who may wish to obtain a copy, a new edition of Whitley Strieber’s 1987 book, Communion, has just been published by Harper Paperbacks. The new edition lacks the powerful original cover, which famously displayed a classic black-eyed visitor; but if you didn’t get the book first time around, here’s your chance.
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January 10th, 2008 at 10:59 am
I do not understand the reason for changing the cover. That was one of the main reasons the book was such a ground-breaking best-seller back in its original release!
This new cover is bland and generic, it would make me pass by without giving it a second glimpse.
January 10th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Because it looks like a ‘new’ UFO book. It actually looks like it could be an Oprah book. This cover will sell it. It’s all Martha Stewart colorized and everything. Hideous, but brilliant.
The old one is already available for 25 cents at every garage sale in the world, every thrift store shelf. It’s “The Firm” of ufo books.
January 10th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
RPJ:
You’re absolutely right. I’d go so far as to say that the original book-cover image is probably the most powerful UFO book-cover of all time (in terms of how it was received by the UFO community and the media, and became kind of a cultural thing almost).
Richelle: LOL, yes I see “Communion” all the time in our local Half-Price Books store here in Dallas. I also see a lot of copies of “Left at East Gate” too.
Used-book stores are great places for UFO books.
January 10th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
I’m reading Strieber’s new novel, 2012: the war for souls, BTW. In it, it almost feels as if Strieber is regretful that Communion made the black-eyed grey such a recognizable image; his thesis is that the “beief” in the visitors makes it easier for them to enter our reality. Something Daniel Brenton recently discussed (and was heavily attacked for) with his series of essays “Sympathy for the (ufo) devil”.
I’m sure Strieber does regret all those awful “probe” jokes at his expense, too.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
For me, Whitley’s book Communion, with its original cover of the “grey†being, upon seeing it for the first time on television as it was being aired during Whitley’s interview with Johnny Carson, caused me to literally go into shock.
NO such thing as coincidence. And here’s why.
Just prier to this event, while in the military working late nights in a SAC command post, an officer working with me at the console was reading Warday: And the Journey Onward by Whitley Strieber and James Kunetka. Over the week that this officer had the book, which deals with a nuclear WWIII, he kept prompting me to read it. I declined because, ironically, I told him I didn’t like books about the military…at least fictions. But, the officer wouldn’t let up; he kept insisting that it was, “Amazing! Too bizarre, too truthful!†and making comment after comment that too much of the information in the book seemed as if it was coming straight out of classified command structure documentation. Finally, in the end, he said, “Somehow I feel you should read it. I feel compelled. I don’t know why, but you should read it.†So I did.
The book was spooky, very, very spooky. But I won’t go into that.
Typically I’m terrible at remember author’s, musician, or artists names, but forever I couldn’t get Strieber or Kunetka out of my head.
So as it happened, the night that Johnny Carson had Whitley on to talk about his book, I was up puttering around my apartment cleaning. My back was to the TV, but when I heard Johnny say Whitley’s name, I whipped around, faced the TV, saw the cover of Whitley’s book, and then blank.
I don’t know what exactly may have happened - fainted, blacked out. All I know is the he next thing I remember is sitting on the couch sobbing while the show was nearly ending.
The very next day I tried to get a copy of the book. I called around to every bookstore in town, but nobody had copies …yet, but everyone was receiving tons of calls. Finally, one bookstore said they had copies on order and would put my name on a list.
I read the book. Cried a lot. Remembered more than I ever wanted.
A short while after, I saw a UFO that was also whiteness by a trucker who reported in the local paper. Also, even though I had gotten out of the service, because I had access to friends with clearances who were still in, I was able to confirm with the “ScopeDope†that the object entered Earths atmosphere and was intercepted. (I forgot to mention that I witnessed a formation of Chinook Helicopters converge on it during the sighting.
Whitley’s book with its original cover signifies a turning point in my own heavily maintained denial, which I happened to think was orchestrated to some degree so that I would be more open to all the UFO/ET crap that was soon to burden my life.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Abducted4real; You sure hit it for real. After reading that book it was like fears I had as a child were reawakened. I did notice how when putting the book down for a break, I’d always put it face down. After reading it I gave it to a friend to read, he was unable to read it as he would read a page then would pass out. He decided to watch the movie when it came out on video, same thing he was unable to stay awake to watch it. The new cover is very politically corrected in my opinion. It was a very intresting book though and the cover either made you read it or scared you from reading it.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Because of the damned book, my sisters made fun of me because I couldn’t sleep without the lights on for months… and I was already in Highschool; it was painful, but now I know it wasn’t the only one.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
sorry for the typo, what I MEANT is that, now I know I wasn’t the only one who had a hard time after reading that book
January 10th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Keeping the light on because your afraid is no laughing matter, nor is sitting on a toilet while taking a desperate pee shaking and praying in mantras, “Please don’t take me now, please don’t take me now…†all because you’re aware that the neighbors are outside gawking at the UFO hovering over your house!
Being afraid is never, ever a laughing matter. But, truthfully, sometimes I can laugh now when I think back to that time on the toilet.
January 10th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Ha how odd… I was just thinking about this book a few days ago and wondering if one could still get a copy.
I echo the comments on the bland cover.
January 10th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
I’m amazed this book ever went out of print. This has to be the all time biggest selling book dealing with the ufo subject- I can’t think of anything that would even come close. It seems like everyone was aware of this book when it first came out. I remember sitting in a Biscuitville reading parts of it- LOL! And that cover, Richelle makes a good point as to why they had to change it, but the original will never be topped.
As far as red pill junkie mentioning 2012 The War for Souls. If you get a chance check out, it’s not really a interview, but when that 2012 book came out Whitley spent about two hours talking about his experiences on his show. Someone has uploaded that to YouTube. Just do a search for “Whitley Strieber 2012″ and you will find it- I think it’s in 11 parts or so. I found it extremely interesting.
January 11th, 2008 at 7:19 am
Yes, I hate the sight of any Grays as well. And when I read Communion I too had to put it down face down. In fact I can’t bear to see any pics of them, and when I come across them in books and magazines I tend to blank them out with plain sticky labels. So what does that tell you? Although I have absolutely no memory of every having been abducted!
January 11th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Thanks for the tip BenDoverEsq, that was a great interview -although Whitley revealed WAY TOO MUCH of the plot for my taste :-(.
I notice also that the cover of the book has changed. My copy does not have that hawk black outline, so I’m guessing mine is an earlier print;also because in the back there are a lot of reviews, but they talk about the PREVIOUS book of Whitley, The Grays (!). I’m guessing that the hawk is a symbol for the egyptian god Horus…
Well, The Grays and 2012 are both going to hit the theaters as movies (hopefully); and with all the other movies dealing with the paranormal (The Day the Earth stood still, the new Indy movie, the new X Files movie, etc etc), I’m thinking that, at least until 2012, we UFO buffs are really going to get our cultural recognition as COOL, just as Greg Bishop wished for
January 13th, 2008 at 6:16 am
Look people — especially publishers — PLEASE REISSUE JOHN KEEL’S JADOO. This goes out to Patrick (Anomalist), Phyllis (Galde), Mitch Horowitz (Penguin), etc.
Keel’s Jadoo is infinitely better than Communion.
January 14th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Kithra,
What it may be telling is sometime some where something went down. Only thing that I can recollected to possibly link the weird (memory) fear when and after ready communion is: It was the night before christmas when all through the house nothing was stirring not even a mouse. Me and my bro were all too awake with many questions to each other of what we might get for christmas. All of a sudden what was it that we were to hear; but, two sets of foot steps walking above or heads walking towards us up in the attic. Instant fear did grip me and last thought was to scream. Next to happen was we woke up with no fears or memory of the above and previous oddity. It must of been 10 or more years I asked my brother if he remembered what happen that xmas eve after we heard the set of foot steps in the attic. Quick with no hesitation he did state,”Don’t you remember we woke up and opened our presents”. For all the sceptics we will call it false childhood memories. To the open minded we will call it the possibility of missing time. Have no memory of those greys in elf suits though. Life is a mystery.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
How could the publishers not use “the face that launched a million sales” (or however many were sold).
This book inspired my video “Missing Time: Take Me Home”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yLv_xCQrVk
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Count me as another “scared the bejezus out of me, still turn the book over” Communion reader.