Waging The War of the Worlds: A History of the 1938 Radio Broadcast and Resulting Panic, Including the Original Script Paperback – Illustrated, May 13, 2009

Context is everything. Our ability to understand events, to see history as cause and effect, comes from knowing the context of the world in which they occurred. John Gosling has done just that with "Waging the War of the Worlds." More than a rehash of stories and legend, this book expertly lays out the journey of H.G. Wells' tale of a Martian invasion from print to film, appearances in comics and cartoons and, most significantly, as a panic-inducing radio show. The book is expertly researched and delivered with style and intelligence. You sense that no stone is left unturned or examined in this diligent piece of work. Oh, and by the way, it's a fun read!

I absolutely recommend this book for anyone who wants to get an intimate view in the greatest radio broadcast ever produced and its effects still lasting until today.John Gosling gives a detailed picture from the Zeitgeist of the 1930s, the base novel by H.G. Wells, the status of mass media, Orson Welles himself, his work and his closest working companions, the immediate reactions and their reception by media researchers and psychologists such as Hadley Cantril.John Gosling's careful investigations consider and explain even similar afterward broadcasts from all over the world, when again situations of panics resulted.This book was a great support for my interests as a student of media management, great to read and a great help for my final paper.Thanks a lot and best greets from Germany! =)