Fascinating and pleasant jaunt into a bite-sized slice of history: the Orson Welles radio show "Invasion from Mars." Author Howard Koch is also the writer of the infamous radio script, and this sort-of-memoir was published thirty years after the show's airing. In addition to the complete script, it includes copied pages of newspaper articles (both fact and opinion), satirical cartoons, black-and-white photos of Grover's Mill, NJ (where the "invasion" took place).

Two notable chapters are "The Aftermath," which details the response of both the public at large and of individuals who were listening to the presentation, and "A Martian Visits the Scene of His Crime," in which Mr. Koch and his wife travel to Grover's Mill to hear first-hand accounts of the townspeople who have lived in a place he accidentally made legendary. The final two chapters are dated now as they include speculation on colonizing Mars (by the 1980s, predicts Arthur C. Clarke in the book's introduction!) and an enthusiastic thumbs-up to "today's youth," namely the Woodstock generation, who Koch watched grow up and who he hopes might bring about permanent world peace sometime. The latter feels like a rabbit trail from the book's purpose (psychedelic cover notwithstanding), but on the whole this obscure little collection of archives and musings is well worth reading for anyone interested in the main topic. ( )

An account - complete with script - of Orson Welles' famous "War of the Worlds" radio play, which fooled a great many people into believing we were, in fact, being invaded by Mars. ( )

This is a reprint of Orson Welles' radio broadcast of H. G. Wells' story "The War of the Worlds". Many radio listeners thought the broadcast was indeed a live news event, as it was played, and panic ensued across the country. The book also includes an interview with Arthur C. Clarke, photographs, cartoons, and newspaper articles about the amazing event. ( )