Waging ""The War of the Worlds

The 1938 Orson Welles broadcast of ““The War of the Worlds”“ was a landmark in the history of entertainment, sparking a public hysteria in America and a series of subsequent broadcasts around the world that elicited similar responses. This book examines the historic broadcast indepth. It covers all aspects of the phenomenon including fascination with Mars; H.G. Wells’ novel; Orson Welles and the making of the broadcast; initial reactions and the resulting ‘fog of war’; anxieties underlying the panic; and the aftermath. Chapters also look at later broadcasts in the United States, Latin America, Brazil and Portugal, and address the likelihood that a similar panic could happen again. The original script of the 1938 ““The War of the Worlds”“ radio broadcast, written by Howard Koch, is included.

Author Biography

John Gosling has written many articles for British science fiction magazines and runs a highly respected War of the Worlds website (www.war-of the-worlds.co.uk).