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The Saucerian: UFOs, Men in Black, and the Unbelievable Life of Gray Barker
The strange, but true biography of the colorful founder of Saucerian Books, a central purveyor and promoter of flying saucer and conspiracist knowledge in the mid-twentieth century.
Gray Barker (1925–1984) was an eccentric literary outsider, filled with ideas that were out of step with the world. An author and unreliable narrator of implausible stories, Barker founded and operated Saucerian Books, an independent publisher of books about flying saucers and other ideas at the fringes of popular discourse. In The Saucerian, Gabriel Mckee tells the fascinating story of Barker’s West Virginia–based press, the unique corpus of materials it published, and how office-copying and self-publishing techniques influenced the spread of paranormal beliefs and conspiratorial worldviews over the last century. Following the development of UFO subculture, Mckee explores the life and career of a larger-than-life hoaxer and originator of pseudoscientific ideas. Ever an entertainer, Barker established his reputation with one of the first flying saucer fanzines, The Saucerian, and with his first book, the conspiratorial and sensationalistic They Knew Too Much about Flying Saucers. By the close of the 1950s, he had established a publishing imprint that brought out some of the strangest UFO-related books of the era, with a particular emphasis on flying saucer contactees. Saucerian Books became a platform for those whose stories were too unusual, implausible, or crudely written for more mainstream publishers. Though Barker himself was a skeptic, he viewed the world of occult believers as a source of ongoing entertainment. He also may have used the perceived eccentricity of flying saucer research, or “ufology,” to obscure his homosexuality from his small-town neighbors. From his place on the fringes of midcentury American culture, Barker left an unmatched legacy in conspiratorial concepts that have become prominent pop-cultural folklore, including the Men in Black, the Mothman, and the Philadelphia Experiment. As a mastermind behind the fantastical, Barker’s promotional efforts were the precursor to contemporary conspiracism.
Gray Barker (1925–1984) was an eccentric literary outsider, filled with ideas that were out of step with the world. An author and unreliable narrator of implausible stories, Barker founded and operated Saucerian Books, an independent publisher of books about flying saucers and other ideas at the fringes of popular discourse. In The Saucerian, Gabriel Mckee tells the fascinating story of Barker’s West Virginia–based press, the unique corpus of materials it published, and how office-copying and self-publishing techniques influenced the spread of paranormal beliefs and conspiratorial worldviews over the last century. Following the development of UFO subculture, Mckee explores the life and career of a larger-than-life hoaxer and originator of pseudoscientific ideas. Ever an entertainer, Barker established his reputation with one of the first flying saucer fanzines, The Saucerian, and with his first book, the conspiratorial and sensationalistic They Knew Too Much about Flying Saucers. By the close of the 1950s, he had established a publishing imprint that brought out some of the strangest UFO-related books of the era, with a particular emphasis on flying saucer contactees. Saucerian Books became a platform for those whose stories were too unusual, implausible, or crudely written for more mainstream publishers. Though Barker himself was a skeptic, he viewed the world of occult believers as a source of ongoing entertainment. He also may have used the perceived eccentricity of flying saucer research, or “ufology,” to obscure his homosexuality from his small-town neighbors. From his place on the fringes of midcentury American culture, Barker left an unmatched legacy in conspiratorial concepts that have become prominent pop-cultural folklore, including the Men in Black, the Mothman, and the Philadelphia Experiment. As a mastermind behind the fantastical, Barker’s promotional efforts were the precursor to contemporary conspiracism.
360 pages, Hardcover
Published April 22, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 18, 2025
An amazing exploration of one of the most significant figures in the history of UFO belief in the United States and, indeed, around the world. Mckee draws from an incredible array of primary sources to craft one of the most thorough biographies of a fringe culture figure that has yet emerged.
February 8, 2026
The Saucerian by Gabriel McKee is an interesting, well-researched look at the early roots of UFO "belief". McKee clearly knows this history inside and out, and the book does a good job outlining Barker's role within Ufology.
Where it starts to stumble is in how it handles Barker. McKee seems fully aware that Barker was a charlatan, and someone who made, shall we say, some pretty questionable life choices. Even so, the book often goes out of its way to defend him or at least smooth over the damage he caused. That never quite sits right, especially considering how disruptive Barker was to people who were genuinely trying to research the subject in good faith.
Barker very clearly chose fun and the chase for money over facts for much of what he published. He frequently changed or reshaped narratives to make them more entertaining, even when it undercut any attempt at serious inquiry. That tendency becomes especially annoying when pushback on a shaky book deal results in him being encouraged to just write a novel instead, basically admitting the material worked better as fiction than fact.
At the same time, you can see flashes of real effort and curiosity before fame, money, or his sense of humor inevitably won out. And to be fair, that isn’t always a bad thing. Every niche genre, including ufology, has room for writing that’s lighter or more playful, if only to take the edge off how seriously most of the literature treats itself. This being the case, the interruption into others research turns this playful writing into something more Sinister. Regardless of where you stand on ufology, many of those people thought they were working on a real problem. The dynamic feels less like harmless myth-making and more like sabotage, like trying to cure cancer in a lab while the intern who edits the university newsletter is quietly messing with your experiments.
Overall, The Saucerian is a thoughtful and informative read backed by seriously thorough research. McKee’s deep dive into primary sources and historical detail is one of the book’s biggest strengths. His comparison of Barker to P. T. Barnum might actually be the best way to sum up the entire book, because in a lot of ways, this feels like The Greatest Showman, taking a questionable character in the field and turning them into some sort of strange hero type figure.
Solidly researched, interesting, and worth reading, just firmly a three-star book for me based on the fact that I felt something was a little off about Barker that felt a little too strongly defended by McKee.
Where it starts to stumble is in how it handles Barker. McKee seems fully aware that Barker was a charlatan, and someone who made, shall we say, some pretty questionable life choices. Even so, the book often goes out of its way to defend him or at least smooth over the damage he caused. That never quite sits right, especially considering how disruptive Barker was to people who were genuinely trying to research the subject in good faith.
Barker very clearly chose fun and the chase for money over facts for much of what he published. He frequently changed or reshaped narratives to make them more entertaining, even when it undercut any attempt at serious inquiry. That tendency becomes especially annoying when pushback on a shaky book deal results in him being encouraged to just write a novel instead, basically admitting the material worked better as fiction than fact.
At the same time, you can see flashes of real effort and curiosity before fame, money, or his sense of humor inevitably won out. And to be fair, that isn’t always a bad thing. Every niche genre, including ufology, has room for writing that’s lighter or more playful, if only to take the edge off how seriously most of the literature treats itself. This being the case, the interruption into others research turns this playful writing into something more Sinister. Regardless of where you stand on ufology, many of those people thought they were working on a real problem. The dynamic feels less like harmless myth-making and more like sabotage, like trying to cure cancer in a lab while the intern who edits the university newsletter is quietly messing with your experiments.
Overall, The Saucerian is a thoughtful and informative read backed by seriously thorough research. McKee’s deep dive into primary sources and historical detail is one of the book’s biggest strengths. His comparison of Barker to P. T. Barnum might actually be the best way to sum up the entire book, because in a lot of ways, this feels like The Greatest Showman, taking a questionable character in the field and turning them into some sort of strange hero type figure.
Solidly researched, interesting, and worth reading, just firmly a three-star book for me based on the fact that I felt something was a little off about Barker that felt a little too strongly defended by McKee.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews