Solving the 1897 Airship Mystery [Hardcover]

To further support his theory, he also adds biographical information about the possible pilots of these airships. In the end he makes a neat case giving answers to the basic questions of who, what, when, and where.

As someone who tries to approach these types of mysteries with an open mind, Mr Busby seems, to me, has presented a rational theory that is supported by a believable mass of evidence.

Frankly his theory makes sense to me, the technologies and people were totally capable of what he says they did. According to Occam's razor, the simplest explanation is usually correct. Mr Busby has, at least to me, presented the simplest theory.

White points out that "Busby should fire his editor. He really does refer to "Area 54 in Nevada." A few writers in the past have referred to another secret base inside the secret base identified as Area 51 in Nevada. These writers have referred to the base inside Area 51 as Area 54. According to these writers, Area 54 is where the ultra top secret UFO-alien-human contact happens. In referring to "Area 54 in Nevada", I suspect Busby was referring to the supposed secret base inside Area 51. In any case, it is readily apparent Busby is contemptuous of a "alien solution."

White says "This isn't a book for the average reader curious about the Airship mystery" The reviewer must be a below average reader as I am an "average reader" - of everything but romance novels - and I found the book to be just what it claims to be - a solution to the airship mystery. The fact that I happened to UNDERSTAND everything that Busby explains about the airships and did not get side-tracked looking for non-existent issues, of course, added immensely to my pleasure in putting this mystery to rest.

Busby takes neither side of the Aurora airship crash story (the UFO crash that pre-dates Roswell, NM by 50 years). He just presents "the facts," leaving the reader to reach whatever conclusions desired. He does express his opinion, clearly identified as opinion, of the crash's possibility. White claims that since Busby did not include many different newspaper articles of the Aurora crash, then it must be a fake crash and seems to find fault with Busby for including the material in the book. Apparently, White is not an "average reader" because Busby states in the Introduction that the number of newspaper articles presented in the book were limited due to production issues. How many newspaper articles of the Aurora crash existed in April, 1897? I don't know but that has nothing to do with the veracity of the story or Busby's presentation of the material. Also White points out that Busby seems gullible as she mentions "journalistic ethics were much looser in the 1890s than they are today, and Busby seems to be unable to grasp this." Again, apparently White is a below average reader because Busby makes that exact point at the beginning of the book - that one must sift through the chaff to find the wheat - including pointing out the fake stories that appeared in the New York Times last year, resulting in an outrage every bit as much of a journalistic scandal as any that existed in 1897. Busby is very much well aware of the ability of the press to mislead the populace and he discusses this topic at some length in the latter chapters. I guess White is not an average reader if she did not read and understand this section of the book.

Another amazon.com review that I read before I bought the book was Dennis Hawley's review. Dennis Hawley is in the business of selling UFOs to the American public. Therefore, he can be forgiven for proposing that there can still be "other solutions" than the solution Busby considers. After reading Busby's book, only an ostrich with its head in the sand can straight-facedly claim there can be any other solution than that solution Busby lays out with such exquisite finesse. You want an intelligent answer to a 100 year old UFO mystery that makes sense and does not require an unbridled imagination characterized by a brain mass pockmarked with black holes? Buy the book.