UFOs for the 21st Century Mind: The Definitive Guide to the UFO Mystery: New and Expanded Edition

by Richard M. Dolan, George Noory (Foreword)

In this revised and expanded edition of Richard Dolan's pervious classic of the UFO subject, he adds sixty new pages to bring the reader through the tumultuous journey of the UFO/UAP subject through the early 2020s. This includes a detailed treatment of the changes to our public discussion of UFOs since 2017 and what is the likely end point of this new direction. But Dolan provides much more than this, including providing critical context of the UFO subject within the broader social, political, and technological developments of our world, something that makes him unique among UFO researchers. Moreover, he never shies away from incorporating a “big picture” analysis to the phenomenon, asking difficult but important questions such
- How can we assess the likely intentions of the beings behind the phenomenon?
- What is the relationship if any between the UFO phenomenon and the current global revolution underway?
- What is the likely end game to UFO visitation as well as the government policies of secrecy?
- Can humanity achieve a genuine and truthful UFO “disclosure”?
Through it all, Dolan applies meticulous care in assembling facts, organizing relevant ideas and concepts, and presenting the rich history of UFOs as only he can do. For a book that was already a classic of UFO literature, Richard Dolan has given us an up-to-date version of what remains the greatest mystery of our time, covering the subject for beginners and experienced researchers alike. He offers fresh insights on everything connected to ancient aliens, modern encounters, abductions, channelers, the politics and cover-up, the black budget world, the bizarre science, the social dimensions, the future, and much more. UFOs for the 21st Century Mind is a roadmap pointing the way forward in a field filled with uncertainty and obfuscation. In so doing, it is set to reposition an ancient phenomenon into a contemporary state of mind, reminding you just why the greatest mystery of our time is also one of the most important.

Introduction
1. What Are UFOs?
2. Theories of Ancient Visitation
3. Into Airships, Foo Fighters, and Flying Saucers, 1896 to 1969
4. UFO Secrecy and Those Who Fought It
5. Digging Deeper—The Breakaway Civilization
6. High Strangeness—UFOs from 1970 to 1990
7. UFOs, 1991 to the Present
8. Contact and Abduction
9. The Growth of Ufology
10. Who Are They? What Do They Want?
11. Weird Propulsion, Energy, Spacetime, and Consciousness
12. Into the Future, Into Ourselves
13. Ufology Amid the Global Revolution, 2013-2022
Conclusion
543 p. Illustrated
"In a field that can be so confusing, so complex, Richard Dolan has taken his many years of thinking about UFOs and written a completely fresh overview of the entire subject. . . . This is an ambitious work that truly ties the many different aspects of the subject together. It's rare to find something like this, especially considering the care and thoroughness that went into it." -- George Noory, host of Coast to Coast AM.
"As a follow-up to his previous books exploring the relationship between UFOs and the National Security State, historian Richard Dolan widens his perspective to explore all aspects of this provocative phenomenon. In this role, he takes us on a journey that brings to life the subtlety and depth of this rich subject, a truly captivating read."--H. E. Puthoff, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin

Genres: Nonfiction, Aliens, Paranormal, Science, Mystery, Space, History

566 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 21, 2014

About the author

Richard Michael Dolan is an American historian, ufologist, and radio and television personality.

Reviews

[Eric Wojciechowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the last general history of the UFO phenomenon I will ever read. This is part a shame and part a relief. From the sighting that started it all by Kenneth Arnold in the summer of 1947 to the present, the history of UFOs is a great story. Regardless of what you believe about it. It's an excellent adventure. It's like reading the history of the American Revolution or World War II, from start to finish, it's a fascinating story. So, too, with the UFO. But time is short. And I think this is the last time I'll revisit the general history.

The present volume does a thorough summary of everything you need to know. There's not much, if anything new here for the seasoned UFO buff. Still, I read it because I dig Dolan's work on the subject from his previous volumes and wondered if there was something new here. Not really, but if you've got an interest in this and haven't read much, this would be a great place to start.

What impressed me the most was that, whereas I was starting to think Dolan took every claim seriously (based on his Volume II of his "UFOs and the National Security State" series), the present volume puts that a bit in check. He's clearly not taking everything at face value. Every claim is analyzed and even if you don't join with his conclusion on a particular point, he's at least not taking every story seriously as I once thought. For instance, he makes it pretty clear Bill Cooper was a nut job. He also shows how Adamski and the other Contactees were hoaxers out for cash. (I sure would have loved to read Dolan's take on Robert Dean who I consider to be as bad a liar as Adamski, but he's not mentioned here. I wonder why?)

Dolan is also pretty clear about how the rise of the Internet as a communications device added to but also severely muddied the waters on the subject. Any person can sound as convincing as anyone else on the Internet. And he's drawn the same conclusion I did years ago, that despite the wide spread handy cameras in everyone's pocket, the elusive perfect photo and video has yet to show itself because it's also become much easier to promote and create a fraud.

There are some things he still takes seriously like thinking Budd Hopkins was a careful researcher. Look, hypnosis is a horrible tool regarding memory. Hopkins, no matter who trained him, was still using a tool that even Freud gave up. Hypnosis has only made the subject of UFO abductions worse, not more reliable. Any claim that arises out of hypnosis should immediately be placed on a table of science-fiction. And yet, many pages later, Dolan sounds like Phil Klass, cautioning on our faulty memory and confabulations when it comes to such things. It's almost as if two different people wrote two different sections. Or maybe he thinks Hopkins was doing it right where others do it wrong?

Then there's this insistence that Remote Viewing works, sheesh. There simply is no evidence that minds can wander outside of the body, nor communicate telepathically. This part of the present volume really steps on the praise for the skeptical community which immediately precedes it. It's as if Dolan hasn't really looked at the research on mind out of body nonsense. The fact is, the mind is the body. Research has made it clear that there is nothing seated in the brain that can leave at will.

Despite my reservations, Dolan's conclusions are beside the point of the present volume. He lays out the major stories, claims, players and agencies involved. It's a nice general history that you can read even if you don't care for Dolan's evaluations on each issue. I recommend this for anyone, old or new to the UFO game. And it gets five stars for being a great summary of the phenomenon.

[Zy Marquiez · Rating 5 out of 5]

In UFOs & The National Security State: Chronology Of A Cover-up – Volume 1, Richard Dolan carried out his opening salvo into the field of UFOlogy. Seeking a veritable encyclopedia of verifiable UFO sightings with official government documentation and never finding one, Dolan took it upon himself to write a book based upon all data he was collating from all the research he was undertaking by himself. In essence, Dolan wrote the book he was looking for in UFOlogy, but wasn’t available.

In UFO’s & The National Security State – Volume 2, Dolan further cemented himself as a genuine historian by buttressing his previous work with another landmark piece. Like his other books, this book is sourced to the hilt, which is appreciated for those seeking to venture further into the abstruse subjet of UFOs.

Moreover, this book is also where Dolan coined the term “Breakaway Civilization”. Dolan’s Breakaway Civilization hypothesis has helped shed light and make some sense into darker areas of UFOlogy and space by making some sense out of information that seems outlandish at first blush, like the $21 Trillion Dollars of missing money from DOD and HUD that Catherin Austin Fitts has spoken about at length. Also, the unofficial UFOlogy ‘encyclopedia’ that Dolan began in volume one continued.

Now, in UFOs For The 21st Century Mind, Dolan wrote a book to grapple the mind of newer generations and readers, the unexposed minds, the ones interested and have long sought to dive into “the phenomenon” of UFOs, but didn’t know where to start, and everyone else interested in the subject but unsure of where to start. This is objectively the best place.

Along this stream of thought, this book strikingly brings about a fresh new take on UFOs, with modern eyes, employing a much broader perspective and dataset than the average UFO book. Dolan doesn’t simply stick to classic sightings, abductions and declassified documents, but goes beyond to ruminate upon the realm of consciousness, quantum entanglement and more. This book really is an up-to-date assessment of the situation from a kaleidoscope of angles.

Dolan begins the book by examining what UFOs could be by guiding the reader closer to the subject in a thoughtful and yet trenchant manner. This helps the reader familiarize themselves with the subject, and come to realize that there are a variety of explanations for UFO phenomena, many of which do not get considered at length, if at all. Additionally, this is also crucial because many individuals still continue to experience the phenomena in a variety of ways, and yet there aren’t any official channels to seek help from.

In Dolan’s own words:

“Whether or not you consider UFOs to be nonsense or of great importance, people are seeing things that are affecting them deeply. Because there are no institutional structures for them to report or discuss what they see, they often keep silent, and try to forget or only secretly cherish one of the most incredible experiences of their lives.”[1]

Dolan, however, doesn’t shy away from the fact that this is a very serious issue. While ruminating deeply upon it, he ponders reasons both pro and con that will help bring lucidity to a situation often bathed in shadows. In fact, implications in the fields of economy, politics, religion, culture and science are given a cursory overview early on, and then are covered at length later in the book. Dolan doesn’t merely stop there, though.

Journeying back in time, Dolan goes on to explore this phenomenon all the way back into ancient times and attempts to separate the wheat from the chaff. This is important because it shows UFOs aren’t simply modern phenomena. Significant subjects such as pyramids, lost civilizations, and ancient images are also examined in a way that makes it likely that there is more than meets the eye within this expansive field then conventional academia would like you to believe.

Interestingly, we know that some pyramids contain astronomical data. This is particularly interesting because when this information is taken in conjunction with much of the lore and myths that abound those structures, and the fact that there’s hundreds of pyramids around the globe, while also pondering the fact that many of the ancients and their myths around the globe mirror each other eerily similar, it should bring one pause at the significant cross correlation that abounds. Granted, this in and of itself is not proof of anything, but the evidence keeps amassing in a very suggestive manner nonetheless.

What’s more, as Dolan notes, some ancient writings seem to have what could be descriptions of ancient technology, such as the passage from Ezekiel, from the Bible, which Josef Blumrich, former NASA employee, sought to debunk.

Ironically, in the book The Spaceships of Ezekiel:

“Blumrich presented technical specifications of the spacecraft that he argued, fit Ezekiel’s description perfectly. Of course, we should remember that Ezekiel presumably was describing something well beyond his experience for his time 2,500 years ago. If he did see a descending spacecraft, he would have lacked the language or technological understanding to describe it in any way other than he did.”[2][Bold Emphasis Added]

Later in the book, Dolan brings the reader up to more modern times when he examines a distinct array of sightings and issues from the time. These include ghost rockets, the Airship mysteries, which are rather fascinating in fact, the Minot case, the Malmstrom case, airspace violations and more. Subsequent to that that, Dolan grapples with the issue of pervasive secrecy which he ruminates upon at length, and all that that entailed. Many of the classics – Kecksburg, Aztec, Roswell – are also given a cursory glance.

But it doesn’t stop there. Other significant incidents of “High Strangeness” get examined, such as some famous sightings around the globe, encounters with these beings, abductions [i.e. Travis Walton & Betty & Barney Hill] and even some crash retrievals. All of this coalesces to show the reader that there’s more than ample evidence that the phenomena not only existed for many decades, but was taken extremely serious by those in the upper echelons of society and those in official channels.

Dolan also makes sure to home-in on quite of few aspects of the early period within UFOlogy’s history. Here he covers everything from the blatant cover up that took place behind the scenes, FOIA requests, the penetration of UFO groups by intelligence agencies and even touches upon the need for more people to get involved in a more serious manner.

This call to arms isn’t to be taken lightly. As Dolan intimates:

“…a proper study of UFOs is a revolutionary experience. It shatters old belief systems and forces us to look at our world in a completely new way. Everything is affected: history, politics, economics, science, religion, culture, and our ultimate vision of who and what we are as human beings.”[3]

The subjects of UFOs (and also the Secret Space Program as well) seeps into all aspects of life, which is why it should be taken seriously. When all collated information Dolan has amassed is pondered at length and given a fair shot, it is impossible not see something is going on. Deeper truths lay buried deep within the rabbit holes of the field. Undoubtedly, whenever even a fraction of these truths arise they will change the face of the world over night. Those that are researching this field will be ahead of the masses in understanding the phenomenon and much of the disinformation that will also come regarding it once all of that takes place. That is another point to consider why this book should be read.

This subject is too important to overlook, and if humanity is ever going to prepare itself to live in a post-disclosure era, it is important to know the history of this subject and its implications. If you’ve never read a book on this subject in your life, make this your first one. You will not regret it. As someone whose read over three dozen books on the subject, nothing else comes close to be this comprehensive while also being sober and realistic. Simply stated, if you want a book that is accessible to lay person, but also stimulating enough to get your brain cells churning, and leaves you pondering of all that has taken place, is taken place, and could take place, venture no further for this is the book for you.

——————————————————————————————————
Footnotes:

[1] Richard Dolan, UFOs For The 21st Century Mind, p. 9
[2] Ibid., p. 55.
[3] Ibid., p. 2.
——————————————————————————————————

Suggested Reading & Viewing On The Breakaway Civilization

A Breakaway Civilization: What It Is, & What It Means For Us
The Secret Space Program & The Breakaway Civilization by Richard Dolan [Book Review]
The Secret Space Program & The Breakaway Civilization [Video]
The Black Budget by Catherine Austin Fitts [Video]
From Ancient To Breakaway Civilizations – A Conversation With Walter Bosley
Saucers, Swatstikas & Psyops – A History Of A Breakway Civilization: Hidden Aerospace Technologies & Psychological Operations by Dr. Joseph P. Farrell
Covert Wars & Breakaway Civilizations – The Secret Space Program, Celestial PsyOps & Hidden Conflicts by Dr. Joseph P. Farrell.
The Case For A Breakaway Civilization [Part 1] – A Conversation With Richard Dolan
The Case For A Breakaway Civilization [Part 2] – A Conversation With Richard Dolan

[James N. Roets · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Overview


Richard Dolan does a phenomenal job trying to make sense of a complex problem. For anyone who is new to the subject of UFOs, Mr. Dolan very neatly ties the past to the future and does a good job with the heady fringes of physics. This book is absolutely worth the time it takes to read.

[Ryan Beltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In other words”

That phrase—one of Richard Dolan’s favorites—shows up so often throughout UFOs for the 21st Century Mind that it almost becomes a character in itself. It’s one of those quirks that made me laugh out loud, even as I found myself wishing a strong editor had stepped in. But once I looked past that, what I found was a deeply compelling and surprisingly thorough exploration of the UFO phenomenon.

Dolan’s work digs all the way back to the beginning of the modern UFO era—starting with Kenneth Arnold in 1947—and pulls the reader through a detailed, well-researched historical account of sightings, government involvement, and cultural shifts. It’s not just about lights in the sky; it’s about how this mystery has threaded its way into global politics, military developments, and even technology itself.

What stood out most to me is how seriously Dolan takes the topic. He doesn’t sensationalize it. Instead, he treats it as something that deserves legitimate attention—something uncomfortable, perhaps, but clearly being looked into by wealthy, powerful, and influential sectors of government and industry. That alone should pique anyone’s curiosity.

For anyone just starting to dip their toes into this strange and enduring mystery, UFOs for the 21st Century Mind is a fantastic place to begin. Dolan covers it all—from the nuts and bolts cases to more fringe ideas like the ancient astronaut theory. While I personally wish he had explored deeper spiritual interpretations of the phenomenon (especially questions about simulations, consciousness, or the possibility that it’s a mix of all these ideas), the book still offers a wide enough lens to encourage those deeper thoughts.

Dolan also highlights the growing divide within the UFO community, particularly as disclosure slowly gains mainstream attention. He notes the rise of more “new age” interpretations and the friction between that and more traditional or materialist views. I appreciated this balance and his willingness to show the complexity of belief within the field.

In the end, whether you’re a curious skeptic, a seasoned researcher, or someone who just wants to better understand what’s really going on, Dolan offers a solid, intelligent, and comprehensive guide. Even with a few stylistic bumps along the way, UFOs for the 21st Century Mind is a worthy read that leaves you asking big questions—and wanting to dig deeper.

[Geoffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the best,most comprehensive book I've ever read on this multifaceted, complex, and fascinating subject! Whether you're knowledgeable of the UFO subject or someone who just wants to know what's it all about,this book by world renowned author/historian- Richard Dolan, will definitely inform you. Thru the freedom of information act,thanks to Jimmy Carter during the 70's, he will prove to you beyond a reasonable doubt that our government (branches of military-Air Force,Department of Defense,CIA,etc) have been seriously concerned with UFO's and our national defense due to unknown objects under intelligent control ,performing maneuvers that defy our known laws of physics in our airspace,caught on ground and air radar and witnessed by thousands of credible people, all the while telling the public that these things don't exist! Just recently on various news networks,officials have finally come out to admit to some incidents but have rebranded the acronym "UFO- Unidentified Flying Object" to UAP- Unknown Aerial Phenomena). Interesting times we live in. Richard Dolan has spent 20+ years doing meticulous research and uncovering thousands of declassified secret documents and memo's thru FOIA over the years from various government agencies. This is a must have book for anyone even remotely curious! My review ends here cuz I'm trying to write this on Goidreads app for Android and its impossible to write because you can't see what you're actually writing! Only a sentence at a time..if that. I will re-edit this on my pc later.

[Dave Fedorchak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. An ok read. Some interesting things in here and a pretty good overview but the style is a bit juvenile. It's like a 15 year old with an Internet connection and an interest in UFOs got a hold of a typewriter and decided to write a book.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical record study

It's written well. If someone is looking to learn about ufology, this would be a good start. It might seem pedantic to some readers, but the information is set up in different contexts or perspectives, which suggests why UFO enthusiats are so tenacious.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fine for a very high level overview of 20th century ufos

This is a very high-level history of various famous UFO encounters in the 20th century. If you're at all familiar with the phenomenon, I would go elsewhere. Dolan is an excellent writer, and I gather that this is
supposed to just be a guide on famous cases. I didn't really read anything new.

[Steve Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding overview. For anyone without a lot of knowledge of the field of UFOlogy, this is the best place to start. Dolan is one of the foremost researchers, and he does a great job of covering the major events, theories, and problems with the phenomenon.

[Richard Tubb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughtful, well researched book

This book is one of the best researched, balanced and thoughtful books to tackle the question of “Are we alone in the Universe?”

The author, Richard Dolan, compiles thousands of cases of UFO sightings, reports of abductions, and historical anomalies, and shares his findings from a logical perspective.

The book then goes on to explore the concept of Ancient Aliens, before speculating on what the “others” (as Dolan dubs them) might want.

There is a whole chapter dedicated to what the disclosure of Alien life (either officially, by Governments, or through undeniable proof found by the population) might mean for our society and future.

I’ve read a number of books on the topics of UFOs, from the borderline fictional and fanciful, to the highly sceptical. This book is the best researched, and most balanced I’ve read.

If you have any interest in this often derided topic, then I’d recommend this book as your guide on the vast amount of information that is available.

[Rip Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

DISCLOSURE

What is it? It is not a sudden telling all the secrets a group thinks it knows about a complex subject. It is a step by step revelation of learning and telling truth. The more complex the subject, the less is known about it and the more to be learned and told.
With government admitting, to limited degree, the reality of the subject, we have a first step in disclosing truth. There is an infinite amount of information yet to be discovered and told.
Disclosure is telling the truth about what we know and do not know. It is an ongoing process, a long, long trail which may have no end, and we have taken only the first step.

[Geoff Genge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Dolan is an excellent person to introduce someone to the field of UFOlogy. This book covered many subjects that I already was well versed in, but these are great representations. I met Richard and and got this copy directly from him otherwise I never would have read such a generalized book on UFO. His other deputies dive series 'UFO's and the National Security State' are books, I am quite interested in reading.

[Emil]

EXCELLENT read! Finally someone coming at this problem using common sense and science! Too many books on this subject are not written well and consider everything and anything a UFO or UAP ( pick your poison). Fully agree with 99% of this authors ideas. Will be reading more from him! Highly recommended for those that want common sense and science used to attack this problem.

[Jay Palin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good historical review with interesting cases the first 300 pages or so. Did not appreciate the author's rant/his thoughts about disclosure and the future (last 150-200 pages), but the book is very good as an introduktion to the UFO field.

[Eddie Reynolds Manzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dolan is a good journalist

Dolan took the time to update this book. I found the analysis at the end to be the most intriguing. I'll know Big Brother is in control and calling the shots if Dolan starts saying all is well. THERE are no aliens. 😂

[Laura NC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still trying to learn history of UAPs after reading Rod Dreher’s recent book and Substack articles. This one is pretty exhaustive and straightforward. I appreciate the lack of sensationalism. I think I’m done with this topic now!

[David Abigt · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview of the UAP topos, from hoaxes to those that are explained, to those that remain unexplained. Please note that this edition has been updated to include information up to early 2025.

[Kirsten Corby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got more out of it the second time through.

[Lynne Strudlowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very comprehensive overview of the UFO history and implications for the future. Well written, common sense analysis by Richard Dolan. I will follow his work because of this book.

[Peter A. Lio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid but we’ve heard everything before.

[Michael Regall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically a chronology of the topic. No real depth on any particular events.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific primer on the subject. Endless rabbit hole temptations.

[Darren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Richard and his work but this book just repeats old events that we have heard 1000 times.

[John Slaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard Dolan’s favorite word is MOREOVER.

[Michael Klotz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Speculative Yet Balanced Approach

This book continues Richard Dolan’s retrospective on the UFO phenomenon. It subsumes his thoughtful approach to the history of it into a well thought out perspective on our current human condition and where alien interactions integrate with it.

[BookLover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meticulous research, brought up many things I wasn’t aware of and that I’ll be researching further for myself. Greatly enjoyed how pragmatic the book was, providing educated opinions on the likelihood/believability of various events/research. He played devil’s advocate throughout the book and I think that made a big difference in my opinion in taking this seriously as scientific research.

[Giorgio · Rating 3 out of 5]

The new expanded version of this book is better than the old one...
It is good summary of the "ufo question".
No new idea here, but it is not the author´s intent...
Recommended to the neophyte, not so much to somebody that knows the theme.

[Deborah Longman Author · Rating 3 out of 5]

I normally read a book in a week. This book was so long and so long winded it has taken me six weeks.
It could have been condensed. It had some interesting content, but was very repetitive in parts.

[Kamal Jabbar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly readable and meticulously researched overview of the UFO phenomenon by one of the most respected writers on the subject.