Welcome To Mars

A story of weird science, strange events and even stranger beliefs, set in an age when the possibilities for human development seemed almost limitless, Welcome to Mars offers a fascinating, detailed chronology of where it all went wrong.

In his own inimitable style, Ken Hollings draws upon newspaper accounts, advertising campaigns, declassified government archives, old movies and newsreels from the period to depict an unsettled time in which the layout of suburbia reflected atomic bombing strategies, bankers and movie stars experimented with hallucinogens, brainwashing was just another form of interior decoration and strange lights in the sky were taken very seriously indeed. After Welcome to Mars, you’ll never be able to think about the 1950s the same way again.

About the author: Ken Hollings has written for numerous publications including The Wire, Sight and Sound, and Strange Attractor Journal, and has edited books by John Cage, Jean Cocteau, Hubert Selby and Georges Bataille. He has also written and presented several documentaries for BBC radio and currently lectures at Central St Martins School of Art.